Nothing Wasted. More Returned.

Fish produce nutrients every day. On most farms, those nutrients are treated as waste and sent away. At Steelhead Springs, we see them differently. The same nutrients that must be removed to keep our water clean for our trout are exactly what plants need to grow. Our farm is being designed to capture them and put them back to work.

​

Where Liquid Black Gold Comes From

Nutrient-Rich Farm Water
As water moves through our biological filtration, beneficial bacteria convert the ammonia our fish produce into nitrate, one of the main nutrients plants use to grow. We plan to use this water to support aquaponic greens and to feed gardens and plants.

​

Fish Solids
Our mechanical filtration captures the solids our fish produce before they can affect water quality. Instead of discarding them, we plan to process them into a concentrated, nutrient-rich soil amendment.

​

Processing Byproducts
Trimmings from our on-site fish processing can become a liquid fish fertilizer instead of going to a landfill. Fish-based fertilizers have been trusted by gardeners and growers for generations, and ours will come from fish raised right here on our farm.

​

Liquid Black Gold

Our planned signature blend will bring all three together into one rich, dark liquid fertilizer, which is where the name comes from. Every bottle will start with fish we raised ourselves, in water we manage ourselves, on a farm you can visit.

​

For Home Gardeners
We are designing a bottle with a built-in measuring chamber for easy, accurate doses, and a garden hose attachment for larger lawns and gardens.

​

For Farms and Growers
Larger containers with wide openings and clear measurement markings are planned for commercial use.

​

The Same Promise as Our Fish

Liquid Black Gold follows the same principle as everything else at Steelhead Springs: know where it came from and how it was made. We will not ask you to trust a label. We will be able to tell you exactly which farm, which fish, and which process produced it.

​

Coming Soon

We will share details, including availability and pricing, once our farm is producing and Liquid Black Gold is registered for sale in Illinois.

​

Want to be first in line? Contact us and we'll let you know the moment Liquid Black Gold is ready.