VIDEO: Green Lightning and Nytro Ag win sustainability innovation award

Glacier FarmMedia—Chris Nykolaishen of Nytro Ag Corp said he was humbled to accept an innovation award at Ag in Motion 2025.

“It was, you know, exciting,” Nykolaishen said, adding he “put a lot of work into this, and to get recognized like that was pretty fulfilling.”

Follow all of our Ag in Motion coverage at the Western Producer.

Nytro and Green Lightning received the award for the Green Lightning Nitrogen Machine, which converts atmospheric nitrogen into a plant-usable form. It’s meant to help farmers reduce the cost of their nitrogen inputs.

“What you get is essentially water, but it has elevated levels of nitrate/nitrogen in the water,” he said. “It’s used as fertilizer, generally foliar application, so you spray it on, but it can be applied into the dirt at seeding time as well.”

The 10-foot container model allows farmers to cheaply create their own nitrogen.

“The proposition of the Green Lightning Machine is to reduce your cost input year-in and year-out,” Nykolaishen said. “The cost-per-pound of nitrogen through the machine is approximately three and a half cents.”

The innovation award Nytro and Green Lightning took home was for sustainability. Nykolaishen explained the machine’s environmental benefits.

“First and foremost, the product is salt-free, so you’re not adding any salt to the soil.”

“And then you’re making it on your farm,” he said. “Synthetic fertilizers generally come in (from) overseas and getting to port and then having to get out to your farm. This is made on your farm, you know, where you need it.”