I’m Rich Johnston, and I built Performance Enhanced Delivery (PED) because ag inputs can work better—without forcing a choice between efficiency and affordability.
I didn’t set out to invent new agricultural inputs.
I set out to solve a problem I kept running into — again and again.
As the owner of a consumer fertilizer brand, I needed inputs that held together in storage, stayed where they were applied, and performed consistently in real conditions. I wanted materials that didn’t rely on plastics, high heat, or fragile supply chains. And I needed control — over formulation, delivery, and reliability.
That combination didn’t exist.
So if I wanted products to perform the way I needed them to, I had to start building the systems behind them myself. I began blending. Testing. Learning.
Not to reinvent agriculture — but to make inputs that actually worked when it mattered.
At first, I thought I was improving on existing agricultural inputs. But the more I built, the clearer it became that I was solving a different kind of problem.
Most solutions are designed around optimization — timing, release, efficiency. I was focused on resilience. On making sure inputs stayed intact, usable, and effective through storage, handling, application, and environmental stress. Not by adding layers of complexity, but by removing points of failure.
I wasn’t refining a single technology.
I was building a different way of thinking about inputs.
That’s when Durable Inputs came into focus. Not about how fast or slow something acts — but how well it holds up. Simple, resilient systems designed to protect inputs long enough to do their job, across crops, conditions, and use cases.
There was a point when I stepped away from it all.
After long cycles of interest that went nowhere, missed opportunities, and being told the work needed more validation, I shifted my focus. I put my energy into building a consumer brand, kept the business moving, and set Durable Inputs aside.
But the questions never went away.
Over time, they came back sharper and more specific:
And the larger question behind all of it:
What if agriculture has been designed around the inputs that survive — instead of protecting the many that quietly fail?
That’s when it became clear.
I wasn’t just building a product.
I was building a platform.
Every product in our portfolio is designed to maximize its impact—ensuring nutrients, protection, and performance reach their full potential in the field.
Whether through coatings, ingredient formulations, or application methods, PED is built to improve how inputs perform from start to finish.
Some products improve how nutrients and protection get where they need to go. Others focus on the effectiveness of what’s inside.