By Maggie Gaddy 

Talladega County father-son farmers David and Jeremy Wilson have watched countless bushels of corn leave their farm, most destined for Alabama’s poultry industry.

While that market accounts for much of Alabama’s corn, Aerterra is opening doors for the crop, using corn to create an unexpected household product — HVAC air filters. 

“I am all for new uses of corn,” said David, a third-generation row crop farmer. “The air filter is different for corn to be involved with. The byproducts come from the Midwest, where they process the corn and oil. But as long as they’re using corn, it’s impacting my price.”

Aerterra takes a crop associated with food, feed and fuel and gives it a new purpose. David uses the air filter in his home and said he has noticed a difference in air quality and cleanliness, since switching to the sustainable product. 

Company CEO and co-founder Curtis Firestone said Aerterra utilizes the polylactic acid (PLA) derived from corn kernels as an alternative to petroleum materials. 

“We didn’t set out to use corn,” Firestone said. “Our starting point was, ‘What is the most renewable, better material?’”

That search led the company to corn-derived PLA and, in turn, a connection with American corn growers. 

Aerterra won the National Corn Growers Association’s (NCGA) Consider Corn Challenge last year. The contest seeks innovative products and technologies that create new markets for field corn.

That’s when Jeremy first heard about the HVAC innovation. He serves as president of the Alabama Soybean & Corn Growers Association and is an NCGA state delegate serving on the new uses and research action team. 

“Being able to utilize corn in household items is good to me,” said Jeremy, who chairs the Alabama Farmers Federation State Wheat & Feed Grain Committee. “Having something that is renewable and grown in the U.S. is a great thing moving forward.” 

Firestone said farmers like the Wilsons have been great supporters. 

“The biggest driver is that this is made from a crop farmers grow in the field,” Firestone said. “I have learned from farmers that growing corn isn’t the problem. It’s finding uses for the bushel. Aerterra offers the same filter, same performance and same price but made from a crop grown in the U.S. instead of a barrel of oil.”

The consumer product reaches beyond helping market the farmers’ crops. It offers environmental and health benefits, too, Firestone said. 

“The Aerterra motto is Clean Air. Healthy Planet,” Firestone said. “My idea was born out of wanting a cleaner option for my family. We believe we can do better in working with the resources we have. Corn has unbelievable application and value that isn’t being tapped.”

As an agriculturalist, Jeremy believes creating additional uses for corn is important as farmers increase production efficiency and yields.

“Farmers are great at what we do,” he said. “New technology isn’t just helping on our farm, it is helping move the product.”

That progress is easy to see on the Wilsons’ farm, where David and Jeremy also grow cotton and soybeans. 

Advances in equipment and technology have allowed their family to accomplish more with fewer people while continuing to improve production, Jeremy said. 

Producing a strong crop is only part of the equation; finding a home for each bushel matters, too. Jeremy sees promise in companies willing to look beyond traditional uses. 

Whether destined for a feed mill, fuel tank or now a family’s air filter, each new use adds another opportunity for farmers.

The continued innovation is encouraging for David, who has weathered agriculture’s roller coaster prices and growing conditions for decades. 

“It is always great to pursue different ideas,” he said. “Farming is our lifestyle. It’s all we do for a living. Anytime we can utilize what farmers are growing — and it’s doing as good of a job or better — that is the way to go.”