It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Betsy Ross Builta, the matriarch of Sustainable Growth, on Saturday, January 22, 2022. 

Betsy had a passion for learning all of her life. Her first career was as a teacher. Her love for learning pushed her in every career she pursued.

It was ultimately her love for the land and Mama Nature that drove her to build a business with her brother, son and daughter-in-law from the ground up, so to speak. 

On any given day, you might find her reading articles about microbes and soil, studying old farming books, or looking through a microscope and getting excited about all those little microbes. If she found a weed she couldn’t identify (although a very rare occurrence) she would endlessly research until she knew exactly what it was and what it was doing for the soil and plants around it. 

Her lifelong love of learning also made her a teacher and enthusiastic about sharing her knowledge. She loved walking pastures and explaining what Mama Nature was doing. She was a sought-after speaker at conferences such as TOFGA, OHBA and HMI.

Sustainable Growth has been Betsy’s passion for the past 25 years, and we have cultivated a group of employees/partners who are also passionate about helping Mama Nature. Sustainable Growth has been at the forefront of using soil biology to bring the soil back into balance.

As a company, we will continue to pursue learning, sharing, and growing based on Betsy’s principles. While we are sad Betsy is gone, we are proud to continue serving our customers and friends just as Betsy taught us. 

If you have any questions, Brian Russ, General Manager, will be happy to answer any questions or concerns you have. We have been planning for this transition and are all prepared to continue to provide the same service you have come to expect with Sustainable Growth. 

There will be a public celebration of life/memorial service in March at the home of Ross Farm and Sustainable Growth. More information will be shared via our Social Media account as it gets closer. 

-The Sustainable Growth Team