Vol. XIX No. 4
July /August 2025
Serving Soil, Mulch, Compost & Firewood Producers www.SoilandMulchProducerNews.com
NEWS
Attention Readers !
Are you looking for Products, Equipment or Services for your business? If so, check out these leading companies advertised inside:
AUTOMATIC FLOOR SYSTEMS Keith Manufacturing Co – pg 4
Cloud Seeding: The 80-Year-Old Weather Technology That’s Sparking New Debate
BAGGING/PALLETIZING EQUIPMENT Amadas Industries – pg 8 nVenia – pg 16 COMPOST TURNER Resource Machinery & Engineering – pg 20 CONVEYORS & CONVEYOR PARTS Amadas Industries – pg 8 Smalis Conveyors – pg 13 EQUIPMENT SALES GrinderTrader.com – pg 3 GRINDERS, CHIPPERS & SCREENING SYSTEMS Amadas Industries – pg 8 Diamond Z – pg 6 HogZilla – pg 22 Maverick Environmental Equipment – pg 20 Precision Husky – pg 15 Viably – pg 5 MULCH COLORING EQUIPMENT/ COLORANTS AgriCoatings – pg 21 Amerimulch – pg 7 Britton Industries – pg 9 CMC – pg 17 Colorbiotics – pg 2 Faltech – pg 18 Milagro Rubber Inc – pg 10 Münzing Corporation – pg 11 T.H. Glennon Co – pg 24 MULCH SUPPLIERS Lambert Peat – pg 3 Ohio Mulch – pg 12 PAYLOAD WEIGHING & MEASURING SYSTEMS Walz Scale – pg 19 SOIL AMENDMENT Green Solutions LLC – pg 4 TRAILERS Weaver Systems – pg 14 TROMMEL BRUSHES Power Brushes Inc – pg 3 WEAR PARTS ArmorHog – pg 3
BY STAFF
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hen devastating floods swept through the Texas Hill Country in early July, claiming the lives of over 130 people, a wave of grief was quickly followed by controversy. Some blamed the tragedy on a cloud seeding operation that took place more than 100 miles away, pointing fingers at Rainmaker Technology Corporation and its CEO, Augustus Doricko. Though experts and officials say there is no evidence linking the weather modification effort to the flooding, the event has reignited public interest—and concern—over a technology that’s been used for decades to enhance rainfall. A recent article on www.theepochtimes. com explores how cloud seeding, once seen as a niche tool, is now becoming part of a broader conversation about how we manage water in an era of increasing droughts, water shortages, and extreme weather. What is Cloud Seeding? espite some misconceptions, cloud seeding does not create storms or clouds from scratch. Instead, it enhances the rain potential of existing clouds. The process involves dispersing substances—typically silver iodide or table salt—into clouds to encourage the formation of raindrops or snowflakes. These particles act as nuclei that attract moisture, hastening the cloud’s natural precipitation process. “The vast majority of water that traverses the troposphere in the United States just gets recycled by the ocean,” says Doricko. “Cloud seeding takes a small percent more of that water and helps it fall over land, where it can be used.”
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A Technology with Deep Roots loud seeding isn’t new. The technology dates back to the 1940s when scientists first experimented with weather modification to increase snowfall in upstate New York. Since then, states including Texas, Utah, California, and North Dakota have used the method to combat drought, enhance snowpack, and replenish aquifers. In Texas, for instance, programs have operated for decades across tens of millions of acres. However, due to the recent rains and public outcry following the Hill Country floods, all cloud seeding efforts in the state have been temporarily suspended. Doricko insists that operations like the one his company conducted on July 2—well south of the flood zone—had no impact on the storm system that caused the deadly floods. “It’s unfortunate that people link the two,” he says, “but I welcome the opportunity to educate the public.”
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Where and When is Cloud Seeding Used? loud seeding is typically employed in regions suffering from prolonged dry spells or those that depend heavily on snowmelt. Doricko’s company works in multiple states, including Utah, Colorado, Oregon, and parts of California. In Utah, operations run from October to April to help build up the winter snowpack, which is crucial for water supply during the dry season. “The snow we generate acts like a natural battery,” Doricko explains. “It melts slowly, releasing water into rivers and aquifers.” Continued on page 3
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