Why We Launched a BAR Biochar Kickstarter in Florida

zfarr8
May 4
3 min read

Updated: May 6

By Zack Farr, CEO — Biotech Applied Research (BAR)

When we launched BAR, we knew we were entering uncharted territory. We just didn't know how uncharted!! I feel like Christopher Columbus, but I'm sailing back towards my home country ; however, I am getting permitting restrictions along the way, and I'm running out of food on my ship! 😂

This year, we've made some of the most meaningful progress in BAR, and biochar's "short" history... and we've faced some of the most frustrating roadblocks. I want to be honest with you about both, because you, by taking the time to read this, deserve to know where we are, and why we're asking for your support right now!

The Technology is Working, most of the time. The Permits Are Not, most of the time.

At the heart of BAR's operation is the Tigercat 6040 Carbonizer, a mobile biochar production unit that turns wood waste of all kinds into biochar. BAR is the first organization in the nation to deploy this technology on a mobile basis. We have serial #11, and the first Tigercat 6040 Carbonizer in the south east. This year alone, we've traveled from Polk County to Pasco County, to Orange County, and back again... now attempting to operate in Highlands County, our motherland.

Every county has presented a new regulatory challenge.

The Florida Forest Service (FFS) and Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) have continued to classify the Tigercat 6040 as an Air Curtain Incinerator (ACI), a designation that limits our operating days and restricts our ability to produce biochar. In June 2025, the federal EPA formally stated that this technology is not an ACI. We're working through the reclassification process with FDEP and FFS, and we are genuinely making progress . The people I speak to on the day to day are great, and we are working through this together.

Comparing an ACI to a "Carbonizer" is like comparing a bike to a car when describing a vehicle... Both get you places, but one comes with a significant price tag, and is far more effective!

That said, reclassification takes time. And in the meantime, we've had limited days to run the carbonizer, which means limited biochar to sell, and limited revenue to put toward our equipment payments... they are getting impatient.

We Need a Boost!!!

Every dollar raised through our biochar Kickstarter Florida campaign goes directly toward keeping the Tigercat operational, fulfilling biochar orders, and funding the regulatory and legal groundwork to reclassify this technology once and for all.... not just for BAR, but for every sustainable ag operation that comes after us, and biochar operators as well.

What Your Support Means

If you back this campaign, you're not just buying biochar or a backer reward. Seriously, you're saving our operation, and you're helping establish a legal and operational precedent that will open the door for mobile carbonization technology across the country. You're investing in Florida farmers who are watching their land disappear and need real alternatives.. as a farmer myself, I speak truthfully here.

We've already proven the technology works. We've already built the relationships. We just need the runway to see this through.

👉 Your support is graciously appreciated. Back our Kickstarter here → https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/the-bar-biochar/saving-floridas-citrus-groves-by-turning-waste-into-biochar/posts/4681882

With gratitude, determination, and appreciation.

Zack Farr CEO, Biotech Applied Research (BAR)