U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
x QUARTERLY
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2022
o TRANSITION
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from _______ to _________
Commission File No. 000-19333
Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc .
(Name of registrant in its charter)
Colorado
84-1176672
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or formation)
(I.R.S. employer identification number)
9 East Park Court
Old Bethpage , New York 11804
(Address of principal executive offices)
516 - 586-5643
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area
code)
Not Applicable
(Former name, former address and former fiscal year,
if changed since last report)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Securities Act:
Title of each class
Trading Symbol(s)
Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock
BNET
OTCQB
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1)
has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months
(or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements
for the past 90 days.
x Yes
o No
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule
405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was
required to submit such files). x Yes
o No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a
large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company.
See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,”
and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer o
Accelerated filer o
Non-accelerated filer o
Smaller reporting company x
Emerging growth company o
If
an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying
with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). o
Yes x No
APPLICABLE
ONLY TO ISSUERS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY
PROCEEDINGS DURING
THE PRECEDING FIVE YEARS: Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections
12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court.
Not applicable.
APPLICABLE
ONLY TO CORPORATE ISSUERS:
Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each
of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.
On November 1, 2022, there were 44,329,884 Common
Shares issued and 43,625,575 Common Shares outstanding.
BION ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
FORM 10-Q
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Page
Item 1.
Consolidated Financial Statements
4
Consolidated financial statements (unaudited):
Balance sheets
4
Statements of operations
5
Statement of changes in equity (deficit)
6
Statements of cash flows
7
Notes to unaudited consolidated financial statements
8-34
Item 2.
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
35
Item 3.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
43
Item 4.
Controls and Procedures
43
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1.
Legal Proceedings
44
Item 1A.
Risk Factors
46
Item 2.
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
46
Item 3.
Defaults Upon Senior Securities
46
Item 4.
Mine Safety Disclosures
46
Item 5.
Other Information
46
Item 6.
Exhibits
46
Signatures
47
FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS
This Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking
statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect,"
"intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "project," "predict," "plan," "believe"
or "continue" or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. The expectations reflected in forward-looking
statements may prove to be incorrect.
3
BION ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
BALANCE SHEETS
September 30,
June 30,
2022
2022
(unaudited)
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash
$ 1,897,981
$ 3,160,442
Prepaid expenses
134,253
157,550
Deposits and other assets
1,000
1,000
Total current assets
2,033,234
3,318,992
Operating lease right-of-use asset
132,881
145,787
Property and equipment, net (Note 3)
3,248,610
2,895,558
Total assets
$ 5,414,725
$ 6,360,337
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY (DEFICIT)
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
$ 549,425
$ 1,360,644
Series B Redeemable Convertible Preferred stock, $ 0.01 par value, 50,000 shares authorized; 0 and 200 shares issued and
outstanding, liquidation preference of $ 0 and $ 40,000 , respectively (Note 7)
—
—
Deferred compensation (Note 4)
654,349
594,798
Loan payable and accrued interest (Note 5)
—
—
Total current liabilities
1,203,774
1,955,442
Operating lease liability
132,113
128,864
Convertible notes payable - affiliates (Note 6)
5,212,286
5,170,610
Total liabilities
6,548,173
7,254,916
Deficit:
Bion's stockholders' equity (deficit):
Series A Preferred stock, $ 0.01 par value, 50,000 shares authorized, no shares issued and outstanding
—
—
Series C Convertible Preferred stock, $ 0.01 par value, 60,000 shares authorized; no
shares issued and outstanding
—
—
Common stock, no par
value, 250,000,000 shares authorized, 44,303,654 and 43,758,820
shares issued, respectively; 43,599,345 and 43,054,511
shares outstanding, respectively
—
—
Additional paid-in capital
124,300,604
123,620,046
Subscription receivable - affiliates (Note 8)
( 504,650 )
( 504,650 )
Accumulated deficit
( 124,966,975 )
( 124,047,548 )
Total Bion's stockholders’ deficit
( 1,171,021 )
( 932,152 )
Noncontrolling interest
37,573
37,573
Total deficit
( 1,133,448 )
( 894,579 )
Total liabilities and deficit
$ 5,414,725
$ 6,360,337
See notes to consolidated financial statements
4
BION ENVIRONMENTAL
TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
THREE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2022 AND 2021
(UNAUDITED)
2022
2021
Revenue
$
—
$
—
Operating expenses:
General and administrative (including stock-based compensation)
866,494
491,133
Depreciation
330
248
Research and development (including stock-based
compensation)
28,443
61,809
Total operating expenses
895,267
553,190
Loss from operations
( 895,267 )
( 553,190 )
Other (income) expense:
Interest income
( 1,935 )
( 1,494 )
Interest expense
26,095
112,180
Total other expense
24,160
110,686
Net loss
( 919,427 )
( 663,876 )
Net loss attributable to the noncontrolling interest
—
506
Net loss applicable to Bion's common stockholders
$ ( 919,427 )
$ ( 663,370 )
Net loss applicable to Bion's common stockholders
per basic and diluted common share
$ ( 0.02 )
$ ( 0.02 )
Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding:
Basic and diluted
43,451,846
40,719,692
See notes to consolidated financial statements
5
BION ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (DEFICIT)
THREE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2022 AND 2021
(UNAUDITED)
Three months ended September 30, 2021
Bion's Stockholders'
Series A Preferred Stock
Series C Preferred Stock
Common Stock
Additional paid-in
Subscription Receivables for
Accumulated
Noncontrolling
Total
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
capital
Shares
deficit
interest
equity/(deficit)
Balances, July 1, 2021
—
$ —
—
$ —
41,315,986
$ —
121,399,067
$ ( 504,650 )
$ ( 132,339,873 )
$ 39,117
$ ( 11,406,339 )
Warrants exercised for common shares
—
—
—
—
139,334
—
104,500
—
—
—
104,500
Commissions on warrant exercises
—
—
—
—
10,000
—
( 1,000 )
—
—
—
( 1,000 )
Conversion of debt and liabilities
—
—
—
—
10,253
—
5,126
—
—
—
5,126
Net loss
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
( 663,370 )
( 506 )
( 663,876 )
Balances, September 30, 2021
—
$ —
—
$ —
41,475,573
$ —
$ 121,507,693
$ ( 504,650 )
$ ( 133,003,243 )
$ 38,611
$ ( 11,961,589 )
Three months ended September 30, 2022
Bion's Stockholders'
Series A Preferred Stock
Series C Preferred Stock
Common Stock
Additional paid-in
Subscription Receivables for
Accumulated
Noncontrolling
Total
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
capital
Shares
deficit
interest
equity/(deficit)
Balances, July 1, 2022
—
$ —
—
$ —
43,758,820
$ —
$ 123,620,046
$ ( 504,650 )
$ ( 124,047,548 )
$ 37,573
$ ( 894,579 )
Sale of units
—
—
—
—
320,000
—
320,000
—
—
—
320,000
Warrants exercised for common shares
—
—
—
—
74,834
—
56,125
—
—
—
56,125
Issuance of units for services
—
—
—
—
50,000
—
80,000
—
—
—
80,000
Issuance of warrants for services
—
—
—
—
—
—
15,000
—
—
—
15,000
Conversion of debt and liabilities
—
—
—
—
100,000
—
50,000
—
—
—
50,000
Modification of warrants
—
—
—
—
—
—
159,433
—
—
—
159,433
Net loss
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
( 919,427 )
—
( 919,427 )
Balances, September 30, 2022
—
$ —
—
$ —
44,303,654
$ —
$ 124,300,604
$ ( 504,650 )
$ ( 124,966,975 )
$ 37,573
$ ( 1,133,448 )
See notes to consolidated financial statements
6
BION ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
THREE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2022 AND 2021
(UNAUDITED)
2022
2021
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net loss
$ ( 919,427 )
$ ( 663,876 )
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:
Depreciation expense
330
248
Accrued interest on loans payable, deferred compensation and other
26,096
121,111
Stock-based compensation
154,933
—
Stock-based compensation for services
95,000
—
Decrease (increase) in prepaid expenses
23,297
33,753
Increase (decrease) in accounts payable and accrued expenses
( 787,276 )
59,367
Decrease in operating lease assets and liabilities
16,155
—
Increase in deferred compensation
75,000
99,400
Net cash used in operating activities
( 1,315,892 )
( 349,997 )
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Purchase of property and equipment
( 322,694 )
( 7,490 )
Net cash used in investing activities
( 322,694 )
( 7,490 )
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Proceeds from exercise of warrants
56,125
104,500
Commissions on exercise of warrants
—
( 1,000 )
Proceeds from sale of units
320,000
—
Net cash provided by financing activities
376,125
103,500
Net decrease in cash
( 1,262,461 )
( 253,987 )
Cash at beginning of year
3,160,442
4,216,321
Cash at end of year
$ 1,897,981
$ 3,962,334
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
Cash paid for interest
$ —
$ —
Non-cash investing and financing transactions:
Conversion of debt and liabilities into notes payable
$ 23,943
$ —
Conversion of deferred compensation to notes payable
$ 20,000
$ —
Conversion of notes payable into shares
$ 50,000
$ —
Capitalized interest in property and equipment
$ 30,688
$ —
Shares issued for warrant exercise commissions
$ —
$ 7,500
Shares issued for accounts payable
$ —
$ 5,126
Purchase of property and equipment for accounts payable
$ —
$ 54,800
See notes to consolidated financial statements
7
BION ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
THREE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2022 AND 2021
1. ORGANIZATION, NATURE OF BUSINESS, GOING CONCERN AND MANAGEMENT’S PLANS :
Organization and nature of business:
Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc.'s ("Bion,"
"Company," "We," "Us," or "Our") was incorporated in 1987 in the State of Colorado. Bion’s
mission is to create extraordinary value for our shareholders and employees (all of whom own securities in the Company) while delivering
premium, sustainable products to our customers through ventures developing profitable, transparent, and sustainable solutions for livestock
agriculture.
Our patented and proprietary technology provides advanced
waste treatment and resource recovery for large-scale livestock production facilities (also known as “Concentrated Animal Feeding
Operations” or “CAFOs"). Livestock production and its waste, particularly from CAFOs, has been identified as one of the
greatest soil, air, and water quality problems in the U.S. today. Application of our third-generation technology and business/technology
platform (“Gen3Tech”) can largely mitigate these environmental problems, while simultaneously improving operational/ resource
efficiencies by recovering high-value co-products from the CAFOs’ waste stream. These waste stream ‘assets’ –
nutrients and methane – have traditionally been wasted or underutilized and are the same ‘pollutants’ that today fuel
harmful algae blooms, contaminate groundwater, and exacerbate climate change.
Bion’s business model and technology platform
can create the opportunity for joint ventures s (in various contractual forms) (“JVs”) between the Company and large livestock/food/fertilizer
industry participants based upon the supplemental cash flow generated by implementation of our Gen3Tech business model, which cash flows
will support the costs of technology implementation (including servicing related debt). We anticipate this will result in substantial
long-term value for Bion. In the context of such JVs, we believe that the verifiable sustainable branding opportunities (conventional
and organic) in meat will represent the single largest enhanced revenue contributor provided by Bion to the JVs (and Bion licensees).
The Company believes that the largest portion of its business with be conducted through such JVs, but a material portion may involve licensing
and or other approaches.
Bion’s Gen3 Tech was designed to capture and
stabilize these assets and produce renewable energy, fertilizer products, and clean water as part of the process of raising verifiably
sustainable livestock. All steps and stages in the treatment process will be third-party verified, providing the basis for additional
revenues, including renewable energy-related credits and, eventually, payment for ecosystem services, such as nutrient credits as described
below. The same verified data will be used to substantiate the claims of a USDA-certified sustainable brand that will support premium
pricing for the meat/ animal protein products that are produced in Bion facilities.
During the first half of 2022 Bion began marketing our sustainable
beef to retailers, food service distributors and the meat industry in the U.S. In general, the response has been favorable. During
July 2023, Bion announced a letter of intent (“Ribbonwire LOI”) to develop its first large-scale commercial project, a 15,000-head
sustainable beef cattle feeding operation together with the Ribbonwire Ranch, in Dalhart, Texas (with a provision to expand to 60,000
head) (“Dalhart Project”). The Dalhart Project will be developed to produce blockchain-verified, sustainable beef (with reduced
the stress on cattle caused by extreme weather and temperatures and resulting higher feed/weight gain efficiency) while remediating the
environmental impacts associated usually associated with cattle CAFOs. Bion’s patented technology will refine the waste stream into
valuable coproducts that include clean water, renewable natural gas (RNG), photovoltaic solar electricity and organic fertilizer products.
We anticipate converting the Ribbonwire LOI into a definitive joint venture agreement with Ribbonwire Ranch and creating distribution
agreements with key retailers and food service distributors during the next six months.
Our business plan is focused on executing multiple agreements
and letters of intent related to additional sustainable beef joint venture projects over the next twelve months while moving forward with
the Initial Project (see below) and the Dalhart Project (and/or other Gen3Tech beef joint venture projects) and pursuing other opportunities
in the livestock industry enabled by our Gen3 Tech business model. The Ribbonwire LOI announcement has generated significant interest
within the livestock industry (among ranchers, feedlot operators, farmers and other AG industry parties). We believe that this interest,
combined with consumer interest in ‘sustainable products’ and growing enthusiasm among some livestock industry parties for
environmental/sustainable/regenerative practices, may provide Bion (and its partners/venturers) with an opportunity to move forward with
a truly sustainable solution in this industry segment.
8
During the next six months, the Company intends to
construct and begin operations of phase 1 of our Initial Project located near Fair Oaks, Indiana. Bion expects the Initial Project to
provide data that illustrates the effectiveness of our Gen3Tech in a commercial setting by the end of the 2 nd quarter in 2023
and supports development of the Dalhart Project (and/or other Gen3Tech beef joint venture projects) during 2023. We believe this
data will also provide additional potential stakeholders (cattle producers, cattle feeders, packers, distributors, retailers and financial
institutions) with the information they need to proceed with confidence in collaborating with Bion on multiple new projects (see below).
Bion is now focused primarily on: i) development/construction
of the Initial Project, our initial commercial-scale Gen3Tech installation, ii) development/construction of the Dalhart Project (and/or
other Gen3Tech beef joint venture projects), iii) developing applications and markets for its low carbon organic fertilizer products and
its sustainable (conventional and organic) animal protein products, and iv) discussions regarding initiation and development of agreements
and joint ventures (“JVs” as discussed below) (and related projects) based on the augmented capabilities of our Gen3Tech business
platform (in the sustainable beef and other livestock segments), while (v) continuing to pursue business opportunities related to large
retrofit projects (such as the Kreider poultry project JV described below) and vi) ongoing R&D activities.
HISTORY, BACKGROUND AND CURRENT ACTIVITIES
Since the Company’s inception, Bion has designed and developed
advanced waste treatment systems for livestock. The first and second generations of Bion’s technology platform were biological systems,
primarily focused on nutrient control. Over 30 of these systems were deployed at New York dairies, Florida food processing facilities
and dairies, North Carolina hog farms, a Texas dairy and a Pennsylvania dairy (“Kreider 1 Project”). The systems were highly
effective at their intended purpose: capturing nitrogen and phosphorus. They produced BionSoil as a byproduct, which was a remarkably
effective soil amendment/ fertilizer product, but whose value was not enough to support a viable business model. As such, these early
technology iterations were entirely dependent on either implementation of new regulations requiring waste treatment, or subsidy/ incentive
programs that would provide ‘payment for ecosystem services’. By the mid-2010’s, it became apparent that neither of
these options were imminent or even assured, so the Company initiated the steps to reimagine and redesign its technology.
From 2016 to 2021 fiscal years, the Company focused
most of its activities and resources on developing, testing and demonstrating the third generation of its technology and technology platform
(“Gen3Tech”) that was developed with an emphasis producing more valuable co-products from the waste treatment process, including
renewable natural gas and ammonium bicarbonate, a low-carbon, organic ’pure’ nitrogen fertilizer product while raising sustainable
livestock.
The $175 billion U.S. livestock industry is under
intense scrutiny for its environmental and public health impacts – its ‘environmental sustainability’-- at the same
time it is struggling with declining revenues and margins (derived in part from clinging to its historic practices and resulting limitations
and impacts) which threaten its ‘economic sustainability’. Its failure to adequately respond to consumer concerns including
food safety, environmental impacts, and inhumane treatment of animals have provided impetus for plant-based alternatives such as Beyond
Meat and Impossible Burger (and many others) being marketed as “sustainable” alternatives for this growing consumer segment
of the market.
The Company believes that its Gen3Tech, in addition
to providing superior environmental remediation, creates opportunities for large scale production of i) verifiably sustainable-branded
livestock products and ii) verifiably sustainable organic-branded livestock products, both of which will command premium pricing (in part
due to ongoing monitoring and third-party verification of environmental performance which will provide meaningful assurances to both consumers
and regulatory agencies). Each of these two distinct market segments (which the Company intends to pursue in parallel) presents a large
production/marketing opportunity for Bion. Our Gen3Tech will also produce (as co-products) biogas, solar photovoltaic electricity in appropriate
locations, and valuable low carbon organic fertilizer products, which can be utilized in the production of organic grains for use as feed
for raising organic livestock (some of which may be utilized in the Company’s JV projects) and/or marketed to the growing organic
fertilizer market.
9
During July 2022, the Company entered into a letter
of intent with Ribbonwire Ranch (Dalhart, Texas) (“Ribbonwire LOI”) setting forth the parties’ intention to negotiate
a joint venture agreement and enter into a joint venture to develop and operate an initial 15,000 head integrated, sustainable beef facility on RWR property (“Dalhart Project”) including:
a) innovative cattle barns (with slatted floors to facilitate movement of manure to the anaerobic digester
and potentially solar PV generation on the rooftops which barns will improve the living conditions of the animals while increasing feeding/weight
gain efficiency,
b) ‘customized’ anaerobic digestion systems (including pretreatment to increase renewable natural
gas (‘RNG’) production and an RNG cleaning system (which will include capture/recycling of the CO2) to allow pipeline sales
and monetization of related environmental credits,
c) a Bion GEN3 Tech module (which will utilize the recycled CO2 to increase ammonium bicarbonate recovery)
for the production of ammonium bicarbonate fertilizer for use in organic crop production (plus residual organic solids and clean water),
d) which will produce verifiably sustainable beef products with USDA certified branding.
The Dalhart Project will include expansion capability up to
60,000 head of cattle, in aggregate, located at/around/contiguous to the initial facilities on Ribbonwire property.
The opportunity presented by the Ribbonwire LOI to commercialize the Company’s
Gen3Tech and business model matured more quickly than anticipated (reflecting strong industry and public momentum in favor of verifiably
sustainable food ventures). As a result, we have shifted our plans to focus resources and make our initial 15,000 head operation in Dalhart,
TX a reality as soon as possible.
To place the Ribbonwire LOI and the Dalhart Project in the context of Company’s
business plan (and our prior public disclosure), if the contemplated venture moves forward on the timelines set forth in the Ribbonwire
LOI, active development of the Dalhart Project will commence early in the second quarter of 2023.
Prior to such activity, the Company intends to construct and operate the
initial phase of the previously announced Gen3 Tech demonstration project near Fair Oaks, Indiana (“Initial Project”): i)
to validate our existing data and modeling at commercial scale and ii) to optimize the Bion 3G Tech module for finalization of design
parameters and fabrication details of our planned 15,000 head commercial facilities (including the Dalhart Project). For the purposes
of this initial phase, the Company, in order to accelerate the data acquisition phase, intends to utilize anaerobic digester effluent
from the nearby/contiguous Fair Oaks dairy. Construction and related activities of this demonstration project have commenced with main
module assembly on site targeted to commence during January 2023 (somewhat delayed due to supply chain constraints) followed by operations
through the first half of 2023 to generate the required information. Thereafter, the Company will evaluate what, if any, additional facilities
and testing will take place at that location.
The Company anticipates that it will negotiate additional letters of intent
and enter into additional joint ventures related to the development of further commercial-scale sustainable beef projects over the next
6-18 months in addition to the Dalhart Project.
As previously disclosed, during late September 2021,
Bion entered into a lease for the development site of the Initial Project, our initial commercial scale Gen3Tech project, which Initial
Project will be located on approximately four (4) acres of leased land near Fair Oaks, Indiana, and a related agreement regarding disposal
of certain manure effluent with the Curtis Creek Dairy unit of Fair Oaks Farms (“FOF”). Design and pre-development work commenced
during August 2021 and preliminary surveying, site engineering and other work is now underway along with site-specific engineering and
design work. The Initial Project was initially planned to be an environmentally sustainable beef cattle feeding facility, equipped with
state-of-the-art housing and Bion’s 3G-Tech platform to provide waste treatment and resource recovery. Bion has designed the project
to house and feed approximately 300 head of beef cattle. If all phases of the Initial Project are constructed, the facility will include
Bion’s Gen3Tech platform including: i) covered barns (possibly including roof top solar photovoltaic generation), ii) anaerobic
digestion for renewable energy recovery, iii) livestock waste treatment and resource recovery technology, iv) Bion’s ammonium bicarbonate
recovery and crystallization technology and iv) data collection software to document system efficiencies and environmental benefits (with
the Bion Gen3Tech facilities capable of treating the waste from approximately 1,500 head). The facility will be large enough to demonstrate
engineering capabilities of Bion’s Gen3Tech at commercial scale, but small enough that it can be constructed and commissioned relatively
quickly. Originally, construction and onsite assembly operations were targeted to commence sometime late in 2022, however, supply chain
backlogs have delayed likely delivery dates for core modules of the Bion system to the site until sometime during January 2023. 3G1 has
been moving forward with the development process of the Initial Project. See Note 3 “Property and Equipment” and Note 10 “Subsequent
Events” (for activities since the start of the second quarter of the 2023 fiscal year).
10
The Initial Project is not being developed at economic
commercial scale or with an expectation of profitability due to its limited scale. However, successful installation, commissioning, and
operations will demonstrate scalability, determine operating parameters at scale, and provide ongoing production and engineering capabilities,
all being critical steps that must be accomplished before developing large projects with JV partners.
Specifically, the Initial Project is being developed
to provide and/or accomplish the following:
i.
Proof of Gen3Tech platform scalability
-
Document system efficiency and environmental benefits and enable final engineering modifications to optimize each unit process within the Bion Gen3technology platform.
-
Environmental benefits will include (without limitation) renewable energy production (natural gas recovery from AD and solar electric from integrated roof top photovoltaic generation); nutrient recovery and conversion to stable organic fertilizer; pathogen destruction; water recovery and reuse; air emission reductions.
ii.
Use Bion’s data collection system to support 3rd party verified system efficiency requirement to qualify for USDA Process-Verified-Program (PVP): certification of sustainable branded beef (and potentially pork) product metrics.
iii.
Produce sufficient ammonium bicarbonate nitrogen fertilizer (“AD Nitrogen”) for commercial testing by potential joint venture partners and/or purchasers and for university growth trials.
iv.
Produce sustainable beef products for initial test marketing efforts.
The Initial Project will be carried out in stages
with phase one focused on portions of items i. and iii. set forth above.
Upon completing the primary goals of phase 1 of the
Initial Project, (coupled with obtaining organic certifications(s) for our for our solid ammonium bicarbonate fertilizer product line),
Bion expects to be ready to move forward with its plans for development of much larger facilities including the Dalhart Project. The Company
anticipates that discussions and negotiations it has begun (together with additional opportunities that will be generated over the next
6-12 months) regarding potential JVs with strategic partners in the financial, livestock and food distribution industries to develop large
scale projects will continue during the development/construction of the Initial Project with a 2023 goal of establishing multiple JV’s
for large scale projects that will produce sustainable and/or sustainable-organic corn-fed beef. These products will be supported by a
USDA PVP-certified sustainable brand that will, initially, highlight reductions in carbon and nutrient footprint, as well as pathogen
reductions associated with foodborne illness and antibiotic resistance, along with the organic designation where appropriate. Bion has
successfully navigated the USDA PVP application process previously, having received conditional approval of its 2G Tech platform (pending
resubmission and final site audits), and is confident it will be successful in qualifying its Gen3Tech platform.
After the basic technology start-up milestones of
the Initial Project (primarily optimization and steady-state operations of the core modules of our Gen3Tech platform) have been met, the
core modules may be re-located to a subsequent more permanent location to be determined at a later date. The Company is in discussion
with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to jointly develop an integrated beef facility based on Bion’s Gen3 Tech and business model
at its Klosterman Feedyard Innovation Center (“KFIC”) including innovative barns, an anaerobic digester and a Bion Gen3Tech
system to conduct ongoing research and development related thereto and the KFIC is a possible site for the long term re-location of the
core modules. This venture, if it moves forward, is anticipated to include joint preparation of applications for grants and other funding
from the USDA (‘climate smart’ program, rural development, etc.) and other sources. The Company is also considering re-locating
the core modules of the Initial Project to Dalhart, Texas, where they may be integrated into the first phases of the Dalhart Project.
11
The Company’s initial ammonium bicarbonate
liquid product completed its Organic Materials Review Institute (“OMRI”) application and review process with approval
during May 2020. Applications for our first solid ammonium bicarbonate product line have been filed with OMRI, the California
Department of Food & Agriculture (“CDFA”) and the Iowa Organic Program (“IOP”) and are in the review
processes (which are likely to require an extended period of time and multiple procedural steps, in part due to the novel nature of
our Gen3Tech in the context of organic certifications). See “Organic Fertilizer Listing/Certification Process”
below.
Additionally, the Company believes there will
also be opportunities to proceed with selected ‘retrofit projects’ of existing facilities (see ‘ Gen3Tech Kreider
2 Poultry Project’ below as an example) in the swine, dairy and poultry industries utilizing our Gen3 Tech.
Bion believes that substantial unmet demand currently
exists– potentially very large – for ‘real’ meat/ dairy/ egg products that offer the verifiable/believable sustainability
consumers seek, but with the taste and texture they have come to expect from American beef and pork, dairy and poultry. Numerous studies
demonstrate the U.S. consumers’ preferences for sustainability. For example, 2019 NYU Stern’s Center for Sustainable Business
study found that ‘products marketed as sustainable grew 5.6 times faster than those that were not…’ and that ‘…in
more than 90 percent of consumer-packaged-goods (CPG) categories, sustainability-marketed products grew faster than their conventional
counterparts.’ Sales growth of plant-based alternatives, including both dairy and more recently ground meat (Beyond Meat, Impossible
Foods, etc.) have shown that a certain segment of consumers are choosing seemingly sustainable offering, and are also willing to pay a
premium for it. Numerous studies also support the consumers’ ‘willingness-to-pay’ (WTP) for sustainable choices, including
a recent meta-analysis of 80 worldwide studies with results that calculate the overall WTP premium for sustainability is 29.5 percent
on average.
As one of the largest contributors to some of the
greatest air and water quality problems in America, it is clear that livestock waste cleanup, at scale, represents one of the greatest
opportunities we have to reduce negative environmental impacts of the food supply chain on air and water quality. Bion’s Gen3Tech
platform, along with its business model, enables the cleanup of the ‘dirtiest’ part of the food supply chain: animal protein
production and creates the opportunity to produce and market verifiably sustainable organic and conventional ‘real meat’ products
that can participate in the growth and premium pricing that appears to be readily available for the ‘right’ products.
Bion believes that at least a premium segment of the
U.S. beef industry (and potentially other livestock industry groups) is at the doorstep of a transformative opportunity to address the
growing demand for sustainable food product offerings, while pushing back against today’s anti-meat messaging. At $66 billion/year
(2021 wholesale/farmgate value), the beef industry is a fragmented, commodity industry whose practices date back decades. In 1935 inflation-adjusted
terms, beef is 63% more expensive today, while pork and chicken, which are now primarily raised in covered barns, at CAFOs with highly
integrated supply chains, are 12% and 62% cheaper, respectively. In recent years, the beef industry has come under increasing fire
from advocacy groups, regulatory agencies, institutional investors, and ultimately, their own consumers, over concerns that include climate
change, water pollution, food safety, and the treatment of animals and workers.
Advocacy groups targeting livestock and the beef industry
have recently been joined by competitors that produce animal protein alternatives in seeking to exploit the industry’s environmental
and economic weaknesses. Their global anti-meat messaging has had a substantial chilling effect on the relationships the beef industry
has with its institutional investors; retail distributors, such as fast-food restaurants; and mostly, its consumers. Led by the United
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, a coordinated anti-meat messaging campaign has targeted consumers worldwide, primarily focused
on the industry’s impacts on climate change. Meat alternatives, especially plant-based protein producers like Beyond Meat and Impossible
Foods, are being heavily promoted by themselves and the media, and have enjoyed steady sales growth. A 2018 NielsenIQ Homescan survey
last year found that 39% of Americans are actively trying to eat more plant-based foods. Some of the recent growth in plant-based proteins
results from increasing lactose intolerance and other health concerns; however, most of that growth is attributed to consumers’
growing concerns for the environmental impacts of real meat and dairy. Several large US companies that have traditionally focused on livestock
production, including Cargill, ADM, Perdue Foods, and Tyson, have recently entered the plant protein space. In terms of changing customer
preferences, ‘saving the planet’ has proven to be a more compelling argument than the traditional animal activism/ welfare
pitch. To date, the only ‘industry response’ to this has been grass-fed beef, which is regarded as a generally more sustainable
offering than grain-fed (largely without empirical evidence). However grass-fed beef has had only limited acceptance in U.S. markets,
because it is less flavorful and tougher than the traditional corn-fed beef consumers have grown to enjoy.
12
It should be noted that these plant-based protein
producers are primarily expected to be able to serve the ground/ processed meat market, which represents only about 10 percent of the
overall animal protein market. Further, there has recently been pushback to these plant-based products, focusing on their highly processed
nature and unproven health benefits, scalability/ pricing, and their uncertain carbon footprint. There have also been several companies
recently enter the cellular and 3D-printed meat arena. While facing myriad challenges and further out on the development timeline, some
people believe cellular agriculture (aka cultured, clean, lab-grown, cultivated) meat may have the potential to service a much larger
percentage of the market than plant-based protein, including cuts like steaks, chops and roasts, but the likely cost remains very uncertain
at this point.
Each of these items supports Bion’s belief that
there is a potentially very large opportunity to supply premium sustainable beef products that satisfy these concerns. We believe that
the real meat/beef products that can be cost-effectively produced today using our Gen3Tech platform, both sustainable and/or organic,
can provide an affordable product that satisfies the consumer’s desire for sustainability, but with the superior taste and texture
those consumers have grown to prefer.
Sustainable Beef
Bion’s goal is to be first to market with meaningfully
verified sustainable beef products that can be produced at sufficient scale to service national market demand. The cattle produced at
a Bion facility will have a substantially lower carbon footprint, dramatically reduced nutrient impacts to water, and an almost total
pathogen kill in the waste stream. Further, the economics of producing these cattle (including the cost of the facility/technology upgrade)
will be greatly enhanced by the revenue realized from the recovery of valuable resources, including renewable energy, high-value fertilizer
products, and clean water.
A Bion sustainable beef facility will be comprised
of covered barns with slotted floors (allowing the waste to pass through) which will reduce ammonia volatilization and loss, as well as
odors, thereby improving animal health and human working conditions while preventing air/soil pollution. The manure will be collected
and moved directly to anaerobic digestion facilities which will produce renewable natural gas (and re-cycle CO2 from the gas cleaning
process). Covered barns will reduce weather impacts on the livestock and have been demonstrated to promote improved general health and
weight gain in the cattle housed in them. The barns’ very large roof surface area will be utilized (in appropriate geographical
locations) for the installation of photovoltaic solar generation systems to produce electricity for the facility, as well as export to
the grid. The barn roofs will also be configured to capture rainwater, which, coupled with the water recovered from the treatment process,
will reduce the projects’ reliance on current water supplies.
Waste treatment and resource recovery will be provided
by Bion’s advanced Gen3Tech platform, which Bion believes offers the most comprehensive solution for livestock waste available today.
In addition to direct environmental benefits, every pound of nitrogen that is captured, upcycled, and returned to the agricultural nitrogen
cycle as high-quality fertilizer (vs lost to contaminate downstream waters), is also a pound of nitrogen that will not have to be produced
as synthetic urea or anhydrous ammonia, with their tremendous carbon cost. System performance and environmental benefits will be monitored
and verified through third parties, with USDA PVP certification of the sustainable brand that Bion also believes will be the most comprehensive
available in the market.
Recently there have been efforts to establish sustainable
brands (including USDA PVP certification) for a number of small-scale livestock producers (largely in the grass-fed beef category). To
date, the reach and extent of such efforts is limited and it is difficult to determine their effectiveness. Additionally, there have
been public announcements of initiatives related to beef sustainability (largely focused on the ‘cow-calf’ segment of the
livestock chain) in procurement by major beef processing companies, but a closer look finds that most consist largely of ‘green
washing’ public proclamations in the wake of environmental and social criticism that re-package prior initiatives and lack any significant
new substance.
13
Sustainable Organic Beef
Bion believes it has a unique opportunity to produce,
at scale, affordable corn-fed organic beef that is also certified as sustainable. In addition to the sustainable practices described above,
organic-sourced beef cows would be finished on organic corn, which would be produced using the ammonium bicarbonate fertilizer captured
by the Gen3Tech platform. Bion believes its meat products will meet consumer demands with respect to sustainability and safety (organic)
and provide the tenderness and taste American consumers have come to expect from premium conventional American beef. Such products are
largely unavailable in the market today. We believe Bion’s unique ability to produce the fertilizer needed to grow a supply of relatively
low-cost organic corn, and the resulting opportunity to produce organic beef, will dramatically differentiate us from potential competitors.
This organic opportunity is dependent on successfully establishing Bion’s fertilizer products as acceptable for use in organic grain
production.
Today, organic beef demand is limited and mostly supplied
with grass-fed cattle. While organic ground/ chopped meat has enjoyed success in U.S. markets, grass-fed steaks have seen limited acceptance,
mostly resulting from consumer issues with taste and texture. In other words, it’s tough. Regardless, such steaks sell for a significant
premium over conventional beef. A grain-finished organic beef product is largely unavailable in the marketplace today due to the higher
costs of producing organic corn and grain. The exception is offerings that are very expensive from small ‘boutique’ beef producers.
Like all plants, corn requires nitrogen to grow. Corn is especially sensitive to a late-season application of readily available nitrogen
– the key to maximizing yields. With non-organic field corn, this nitrogen is supplied by an application of a low-cost synthetic
fertilizer, such as urea or anhydrous ammonia. However, the cost for suitable nitrogen fertilizer that can be applied late-season in organic
corn production is so high that the late-season application becomes uneconomical, resulting in substantially lower yields – a widely
recognized phenomena known as the ‘yield gap’ in organic production. The yield gap results in higher costs for organic corn
that, in turn, make it uneconomical to feed that corn to livestock. As is the case for sustainable but not organic beef, Bion believes
there is a potentially large unmet demand for affordable beef products that are both sustainable AND organic, but with the taste and texture
consumers have come to expect from American beef. Bion’s ability to produce the low-cost nitrogen fertilizer that can close the
organic yield (and affordability) gap puts the Company in a unique, if not exclusive at this time, position to participate in JV’s
that will benefit from this opportunity starting next year.
The demonstrated willingness of consumers to purchase
sustainable products (along with numerous research and marketing studies confirming consumers are seeking, and are willing to pay a premium
for, sustainable products)---in combination with the threat to the livestock industry market (primarily beef and pork) posed by plant-based
alternatives (heightened by pandemic conditions)--- has succeeded in focusing the large scale livestock industry on how to meet the plant-based
market challenge by addressing the consumer sustainability issues. The consumer demand for sustainability appears to be a real and lasting
trend, but consumers remain skeptical of generalized claims of ‘sustainability’. To date, a large portion of the industry
responses to this trend have been at a superficial level or consist of ‘green washing’, a deceptive marketing practice where
companies promote non-substantive initiatives. Real sustainability for the livestock industry will require implementation of advanced
waste treatment technology at or near the CAFOs – where most of the negative environmental impacts take place.
Organic Fertilizer Listing/Certification Process
The Company has focused a large portion of its activities
on developing, testing and demonstrating the 3rd generation of its technology and technology platform (“Gen3Tech”) with emphasis
on increasing the efficiency of production of valuable co-products from the waste treatment process, including ammonia nitrogen in the
form of organically listed ammonium bicarbonate products. The Company’s initial ammonium bicarbonate liquid product completed its
Organic Materials Review Institute (“OMRI”) application and review process with approval during May 2020. The Company has
focused a large portion of its activities on developing, testing and demonstrating the 3rd generation of its technology and technology
platform (“Gen3Tech”) with emphasis on increasing the efficiency of production of valuable co-products from the waste treatment
process, including ammonia nitrogen in the form of low carbon and/or organically certified soluble nitrogen fertilizer products.
14
Applications for our first solid form of concentrated
ammonia, soluble nitrogen fertilizer product line have been filed with OMRI (filed during May 2021), the Iowa Organic Program (“IOP”)(filed
during March 2022) and the California Department of Food & Agriculture (“CDFA”)(filed during May 2022) and are each in
the review process. The review processes are likely to require an extended period of time and multiple procedural steps with each entity
in part due to the novel nature of Bion’s Gen3 Tech and our solid ammonium bicarbonate product in the context of organic certifications.
The OMRI application has proceeded through multiple stages of review and rebuttal/appeal without receiving a positive result to date.
The Company’s has recently filed responses to the CDFA’s initial set of questions and comments regarding our solid ammonium
bicarbonate product line. The Company’s product line is novel in part due to the fact that there is not a formal listing category
for a solid form of concentrated ammonia, soluble nitrogen fertilizers and there is no clear guidance at present from internal policy
manuals on how to categorize this product and the process that produced it. There is also no clear guidance at present from either the
NOP or the National Organic Standards Board (“NOSB”) (which is currently involved in a related review and recommendations
process regarding ‘high nitrogen liquid fertilizers’ derived from ammonia from manure). The Company and its representatives,
along with a number of other stakeholders, are involved in discussions regarding resolution of these matters at all three levels. The
Company anticipates positive resolution of this matter with one or more listings/certifications of this product line well prior to operational
dates for the Company’s initial large scale JV Gen3 Tech projects.
Gen3 Tech Kreider 2 Poultry Project
Bion has done extensive pre-development work related
to a waste treatment/renewable energy production facility to treat the waste from KF’s approximately 6+ million chickens (planned
to expand to approximately 9-10 million) (and potentially other poultry operations and/or other waste streams) ('Kreider Renewable Energy
Facility' or ‘Kreider 2 Project’). On May 5, 2016, the Company executed a stand-alone joint venture agreement (“JVA”)
with Kreider Farms covering all matters related to development and operation of Kreider 2 system to treat the waste streams from Kreider’s
poultry facilities in Bion PA2 LLC (“PA2”). During May 2011 the PADEP certified a smaller version of the Kreider 2 Project
(utilizing our 2nd generation technology) under the old EPA’s Chesapeake Bay model. The Company anticipates that if and when new
designs are finalized utilizing our Gen3 Tech, a larger Kreider 2 Project will be re-certified for a far larger number of credits (management’s
current estimates are between 2-4 million (or more) nutrient reduction credits for treatment of the waste stream from Kreider’s
poultry pursuant to the amended EPA Chesapeake Bay model and agreements between the EPA and PA). Note that this Project may also be expanded
in the future to treat wastes from other local and regional CAFOs (poultry and/or dairy---including the Kreider Dairy) and/or additional
Kreider poultry expansion (some of which may not qualify for nutrient reduction credits). The Company has commenced discussions with
Kreider Farms regarding updating the JVA to reflect the capabilities of our Gen3 Tech platform and anticipates executing an amended (or
new) JVA during the current fiscal year. The Company anticipates if and when PA2 re-commences work on the Kreider 2 Project, it will
submit a new application based on our Gen3Tech. Site specific design and engineering work for this facility have not commenced, and the
Company does not yet have financing in place for the Kreider 2 Project. This opportunity is being pursued through PA2. If there are positive
developments related to the market for nutrient reductions in Pennsylvania, of which there is no assurance, the Company intends to pursue
development, design and construction of the Kreider 2 Project with a goal of achieving operational status for its initial modules during
the following calendar year. The economics (potential revenues and profitability) of the Kreider 2 Project, despite its proposed use
of Bion’s Gen3Tech for increased recovery of marketable by-products and sustainable branding, are based in material part the long-term
sale of nutrient (nitrogen and/or phosphorus) reduction credits to meet the requirements of the Chesapeake Bay environmental clean-up.
However, liquidity in the Pennsylvania nutrient credit market has not yet developed significant breadth and depth, which lack of liquidity
has negatively impacted Bion’s business plans and will most likely delay PA2’s Kreider 2 Project and other proposed projects
in Pennsylvania.
Note that while Bion believes that the Kreider 2 Project
and/or subsequent Bion Projects in PA and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed will eventually generate revenue from the sale of: a) nutrient
reductions (credits or in other form), b) renewable energy (and related credits), c) sales of fertilizer products, and/or d) potentially,
in time, credits for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, plus e) license fees/premiums related to a ‘sustainable brand’,
the Covid-19 pandemic has delayed legislative efforts needed to commence its development. However, the Company is currently engaged in
dialogue with the regional EPA office and the Chesapeake Bay Program Office regarding the potential of the Company’s Gen3 Tech Kreider2
Project (and other potential projects) to enable Pennsylvania to move forward toward meeting its Chesapeake Bay clean-up goals. We believe
that the potential market is very large, but it is not possible to predict the exact timing and/or magnitude of these potential markets
at this time.
15
Technology Deployment: Bion Gen3Tech
Widespread deployment of waste treatment technology,
and the sustainability it enables, is largely dependent upon generating sufficient additional revenues to offset the capital and operating
costs associated with technology adoption. Bion’s Gen3Tech business platform has been developed to create opportunities for such
augmented revenue streams, while providing third party verification of sustainability claims. The Gen3Tech platform has been designed
to maximize the value of co-products produced during the waste treatment/recovery processes, including pipeline-quality renewable natural
gas (biogas) and commercial fertilizer products approved for organic production. All processes will be verifiable by third parties (including
regulatory authorities and certifying boards) to comply with environmental regulations and trading programs and meet the requirements
for: a) renewable energy and carbon credits, b) organic certification of the fertilizer coproducts and c) USDA PVP certification of an
‘Environmentally Sustainable’ brand (see discussion below), and d) payment for verified ecosystem services. The Company’s
first patent on its Gen3Tech was issued during 2018. In August 2020, the Company received a Notice of Allowance on its third patent which
significantly expands the breadth and depth of the Company’s Gen3Tech coverage, and the Company has additional applications pending
and/or planned.
Bion’s business model and technology platform
can create the opportunity for joint ventures (in various contractual forms)(“JVs”) between the Company and large livestock/food/fertilizer
industry participants based upon the supplemental cash flow generated by implementation of our Gen3Tech business model, which cash flows
will support the costs of technology implementation (including servicing related debt). We anticipate this will result in substantial
long term value for Bion. In the context of such JVs, we believe that the verifiable sustainable branding opportunities (conventional
and organic) in meat will represent the single largest enhanced revenue contributor provided by Bion to the JVs (and Bion licensees).
The Company believes that the largest portion of its business with be conducted through such JVs, but a material portion may involve licensing
and or other approaches.
In parallel with technology development, Bion has
worked (which work continues) to implement market-driven strategies designed to stimulate private-sector participation in the overall
U.S. nutrient and carbon reduction strategy. These market-driven strategies can generate “payment for ecosystem services”,
in which farmers or landowners are rewarded for managing their land and operations to provide environmental benefits that will generate
additional revenues. Existing renewable energy credits for the production and use of biogas are an example of payment for ecosystem services.
Another such strategy is nutrient trading (or water quality trading), which will potentially create markets (in Pennsylvania and other
states) that will utilize taxpayer funding for the purchase of verified pollution reductions from agriculture (“nutrient credits”)
by the state (or others) through competitively-bid procurement programs. Such credits can then be used as a ‘qualified offset’
by an individual state (or municipality) to meet its federal clean water mandates at significantly lower cost to the taxpayer. Market-driven
strategies, including competitive procurement of verified credits, is supported by U.S. EPA, the Chesapeake Bay Commission, national livestock
interests, and other key stakeholders. Legislation in Pennsylvania to establish the first such state competitive procurement program passed
the Pennsylvania Senate by a bi-partisan majority during March 2019 but has not yet crossed the hurdles required for actual adoption.
The Covid-19 pandemic and related financial/budgetary crises have slowed progress for this and other policy initiatives and, as a result,
it is not currently possible to project the timeline for completion (or meaningful progress) of this and other similar initiatives (see
discussion below).
The livestock industry and its markets are already
changing. With our commercial-ready technology and business model, Bion believes it has a ‘first-mover advantage’ over others
that will seek to exploit the opportunities that will arise from the industry’s inevitable transformation. Bion anticipates moving
forward with the development process of its initial commercial installations utilizing its Gen3Tech, during the current 2023 fiscal year.
We believe that Bion’s Gen3Tech platform and business model can provide a pathway to true economic and environmental sustainability
with ‘win-win’ benefits for at least a premium sector of the livestock industry, the environment, and the consumer, an opportunity
which the Company intends to pursue.
The Livestock Problem
The livestock industry is under tremendous pressure
from regulatory agencies, a wide range of advocacy groups, institutional investors and the industry’s own consumers, to adopt sustainable
practices. Environmental cleanup is inevitable and has already begun - and policies have already begun to change, as well. Bion’s
Gen3Tech was developed for implementation on large scale livestock production facilities, where scale drives both lower treatment costs
and efficient co-products production, as well as dramatic environmental improvements. We believe that scale, coupled with Bion’s
verifiable treatment technology platform, will create a transformational opportunity to integrate clean production practices at (or close
to) the point of production—the primary source of the industry’s environmental impacts. Bion intends to assist the forward-looking
segment of the livestock industry to bring animal protein production in line with 21st Century consumer demands for meaningful sustainability.
16
In the U.S. (according to the USDA’s 2017 agricultural
census) there are over 9 million dairy cows, 90 million beef cattle, 60 million swine and more than 2 billion poultry which provides an
indication of both the scope of the problem addressed by Bion’s technology, as well as the size of Bion’s opportunity. Environmental
impacts from livestock production include surface and groundwater pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, ammonia, and other air pollution,
excess water use, and pathogens related to foodborne illnesses and antibiotic resistance. While the most visible and immediate problems
are related to nutrient runoff and its effects on water quality, the industry has recently been targeted by various stakeholder groups
for its impacts on climate change.
Estimates of total annual U.S. livestock manure
waste vary widely, but start around a billion tons, between 100 and 130 times greater than human waste. However, while human waste is
generally treated by septic or municipal wastewater plants, livestock waste – raw manure – is spread on our nation’s
croplands for its fertilizer value. Large portions of U.S. feed crop production (and most organic crop production) are fertilized, in
part, in this manner. Under current manure management practices, 80% or more of total nitrogen from manure, much of it in the form of
ammonia, escapes during storage, transportation, and during and after soil application, representing both substantial lost value and environmental
costs.
More than half of the nitrogen impacts from livestock
waste come from airborne ammonia emissions, which are extremely volatile, reactive and mobile. Airborne ammonia nitrogen eventually settles
back to the ground through atmospheric deposition - it ‘rains’ everywhere. While some of this nitrogen is captured and used
by plants, most of it runs off and enters surface waters or percolates down to groundwater. It is now well-established that most of the
voluntary conservation practices, such as vegetated buffers that ‘filter’ runoff (often referred to as “BMPs”
or “Best Management Practices” that have traditionally been implemented to attempt to mitigate nutrient runoff), are considerably
less effective than was previously believed to be the case. This is especially true with regard to addressing the volatile and mobile
nitrogen from ammonia emissions, because BMPs are primarily focused on surface water runoff, directly from farm fields in current production,
versus the re-deposition that takes place everywhere or groundwater flow.
Runoff from livestock waste has been identified in
most of our major watersheds as a primary source of excess nutrients that fuel algae blooms in both fresh and saltwater. Over the last
several years, algae blooms have become increasingly toxic to both humans and animals, such as the Red Tides on the Florida and California
coasts, and the Lake Erie algae bloom that cut off the water supply to Toledo, Ohio, residents in 2014. When the nutrient runoff subsides,
it leaves the algae blooms with no more ‘food’ and the blooms die. The algae’s decomposition takes oxygen from the water,
leading to ‘dead zones’ in local ponds, lakes, and ultimately, the Great Lakes, as well as the Chesapeake Bay, Gulf of Mexico,
and other estuary waters. Both the toxic algae blooms and the low/no-oxygen dead zones devastate marine life, from shrimp and fish to
higher mammals, including dolphins and manatees. U.S. EPA already considers excess nutrients “one of America’s most widespread,
costly and challenging environmental problems”. Nutrient runoff is expected to worsen dramatically in the coming decades due to
rising temperatures and increasing rainstorm intensity as a result of climate change.
Nitrate-contaminated groundwater is of growing concern
in agricultural regions nationwide, where it has been directly correlated with nutrient runoff from upstream agricultural operations using
raw manure as fertilizer. Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, California and Washington, and others, now have regions where groundwater nitrate levels
exceed EPA standards for safe drinking water. High levels of nitrate can cause blue baby syndrome (methemoglobinemia) in infants and affect
women who are or may become pregnant, and it has been linked to thyroid disease and colon cancer. EPA has set an enforceable standard
called a maximum contaminant level (MCL) in water for nitrates at 10 parts per million (ppm) (10 mg/L) and for nitrites at 1 ppm (1 mg/L).
Federal regulations require expensive pretreatment for community water sources that exceed the MCL; however, private drinking water
wells are not regulated, and it is the owners’ responsibility to test and treat their wells. Additionally, groundwater flows also
transport this volatile nitrogen downstream where, along its way, it intermixes with surface water, further exacerbating the runoff problem.
Like atmospheric deposition, the current conservation practices we rely on to reduce agricultural runoff are largely bypassed by this
subsurface flow.
17
Additionally, in arid climates, such as California,
airborne ammonia emissions from livestock manure contribute to air pollution as a precursor to PM2.5 formation, small inhalable particulate
matter that is a regulated air pollutant with significant public health risks. Whether airborne or dissolved in water, ammonia can only
be cost-effectively controlled and treated at the source-- before it has a chance to escape into the environment where it becomes extremely
expensive to ‘chase’, capture, and treat.
High phosphorus concentrations in soils fertilized
with raw manure are another growing problem. The ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus in livestock waste is fixed, and because manure application
rates are calculated based on nitrogen requirements, often phosphorus is overapplied as an unintended consequence. Phosphorus accumulation
in agricultural soils reduces its productivity, increases the risk of phosphorus runoff, and represents a waste of a finite resource.
Decoupling the nitrogen from the phosphorus would allow them to be precision-applied, independently of each other, when and where needed.
The livestock industry has recently come under heavy
fire for its impacts on climate change, which has become a rallying cry for the anti-meat campaign discussed above. Estimates of the magnitude
of those impacts vary widely, but the general consensus is that globally, livestock account for 14.5 percent of greenhouse emissions.
In the U.S. however, that number drops to 4.2 percent, due to the increased efficiencies of American beef production. The greatest impacts
come from direct emissions of methane from enteric fermentation (belches), methane and nitrous oxide emissions from the manure, with arguably
the largest being the massive carbon footprint of the synthetic nitrogen fertilizers used to grow the grains to feed the livestock.
For decades the livestock industry has overlooked
and/or socialized its environmental problems and costs. Today, the impacts of livestock production on public health and the environment
can no longer be ignored and are coming under increasing scrutiny from environmental groups and health organizations, regulatory agencies
and the courts, the media, consumers, and activist institutional investors. The result has been a significant and alarming loss of market
share to plant-based protein and other alternative products. Bion’s Gen3Tech platform was designed to resolve these environmental
issues and bring the industry in line with twenty-first century consumer expectations.
Going concern and management’s plans:
The consolidated financial statements have been
prepared assuming the Company will continue as a going concern. The Company has not generated significant revenues and has incurred
net losses of approximately $ 3,451,000
during the year ended June 30, 2021 and a net income of $ 8,292,000
for the year ended June 30, 2022. The net income for the year ended June 30, 2022 was largely due to a one-time, non-cash event of
the dissolution of PA-1 resulting in a gain of approximately $ 10,235,000
as well as a one-time gain of $ 902,490
from the sale of the Company’s ‘biontech.com’ domain pursuant to a purchase agreement during the period. The
Company incurred a net loss of $ 919,000
and $ 663,000 for the three
months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. At September 30, 2022, the Company has working capital and a
stockholders’ deficit of approximately $ 1,171,000
and $829,000,
1,171,021 respectively. These factors raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The
accompanying consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability or classification of
assets or the amounts and classification of liabilities that may result should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.
The following paragraphs describe management’s plans with regard to these conditions.
The Company continues to explore sources of additional
financing (including potential agreements with strategic partners – both financial and ag-industry) to satisfy its current and future
operating and capital expenditure requirements as it is not currently generating any significant revenues.
During the years ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the
Company received gross proceeds of approximately $ 1,737,000 and $ 5,209,000 , respectively, from the sale of its debt and equity securities.
During the three months ended September 30, 2022, the Company received
total proceeds of approximately $ 376,000 from the sale of its equity securities.
18
During fiscal years 2022 and 2021, the Company has
faced less difficulty in raising equity funding (but substantial equity dilution has gone along with the larger amounts of equity financing
during the periods) than was experienced in the prior 3 years except that during the first three months of the current fiscal year, the
Company has raised equity funds at a rate materially lower than the average rate during fiscal years 2021 and 2022. The Company anticipates
substantial increases in demands for capital and operating expenditures as it moves toward commercial implementation of its 3G Tech and
development of JVs (including costs associated with additions of personnel to carry out the business activities of the Company) and, therefore,
is likely to continue to face, significant cash flow management challenges due to limited capital resources and working capital constraints
which have only recently begun to be alleviated. To partially mitigate these working capital constraints, the Company’s core senior
management and several key employees and consultants have been deferring (and continue to defer) portions of their cash compensation and/or
are accepting compensation in part in the form of securities of the Company and/or converting portions of their compensation and deferred
compensation to securities of the Company (Notes 5 and 7) and members of the Company’s senior management have made loans to the
Company from time to time. During the year ended June 30, 2018, senior management and certain core employees and consultants agreed to
a one-time extinguishment of liabilities owed by the Company which in aggregate totaled $ 2,404,000 . Additionally, the Company made reductions
in its personnel during the years ended June 30, 2014 and 2015 and again during the year ended June 30, 2018. The constraint on available
resources has had, and continues to have, negative effects on the pace and scope of the Company’s efforts to develop its business.
The Company has had to delay payment of trade obligations and has had to economize in many ways that have potentially negative consequences.
If the Company is able to continue its recent relative success in its efforts to raise needed funds during the remainder of the current
fiscal year (and subsequent periods), of which there is no assurance, management will not need to consider deeper cuts (including additional
personnel cuts) and curtailment of ongoing activities including research and development activities.
The Company will need to obtain additional capital
to fund its operations and technology development, to satisfy existing creditors, to develop Projects (including the Initial Project,
JV Projects (including the Dalhart Project), Integrated Projects and the Kreider 2 facility) and CAFO Retrofit waste remediation systems.
The Company anticipates that it will seek to raise from $ 20,000,000 to $ 80,000,000 or more debt and/or equity through joint ventures,
strategic partnerships and/or sale of its equity securities (common, preferred and/or hybrid) and/or debt (including convertible) securities,
and/or through use of ‘rights’ and/or warrants (new and/or existing) and or through other means during the next twelve months.
However, as discussed above, there is no assurance, especially in light of the difficulties the Company has experienced in many recent
years and the extremely unsettled capital markets that presently exist for small companies like us, that the Company will be able to obtain
the funds that it needs to stay in business, complete its technology development or to successfully develop its business and Projects.
There is no realistic likelihood that funds required
during the next twelve months (or in the periods immediately thereafter) for the Company’s basic operations, the Initial Project
and/or proposed JVs and/or Projects will be generated from operations. Therefore, the Company will need to raise sufficient funds from
external sources such as debt or equity financings or other potential sources. The lack of sufficient additional capital resulting from
the inability to generate cash flow from operations and/or to raise capital from external sources would force the Company to substantially
curtail or cease operations and would, therefore, have a material adverse effect on its business. Further, there can be no assurance that
any such required funds, if available, will be available on attractive terms or that they will not have a significantly dilutive effect
on the Company’s existing shareholders. All of these factors have been exacerbated by the extremely limited and unsettled credit
and capital markets presently existing for small companies like Bion.
Covid-19 pandemic related matters:
The Company faces risks and uncertainties and factors
beyond our control that are magnified during the current Covid-19 pandemic and the unique economic, financial, governmental and health-related
conditions in which the Company, the country and the entire world now reside. To date the Company has experienced direct impacts in various
areas including but without limitation: i) government ordered shutdowns which have slowed the Company’s research and development
projects and other initiatives, ii) shifted focus of state and federal governments which is likely to negatively impact the Company’s
legislative initiatives in Pennsylvania and Washington D. C., iii) strains and uncertainties in both the equity and debt markets which
have made discussion and planning of funding of the Company and its initiatives and projects with investment bankers, banks and potential
strategic partners more tenuous, iv) strains and uncertainties in the agricultural sector and markets have made discussion and planning
more difficult as future industry conditions are now more difficult to assess and predict, v) constraints due to problems experienced
in the global industrial supply chain since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, which have delayed certain research and development testing
and have delayed and/or increased the cost of construction of the Company’s initial 3G Tech installation as equipment/services remain
difficult to acquire in a timely manner, vi) due to the age and health of our core management team, many of whom are age 70 or older and
have had one or more existing health issues (including brief periods of Covid-19 infection), the Covid-19 pandemic places the Company
at greater risk than was previously the case (to a higher degree than would be the case if the Company had a larger, deeper and/or younger
core management team), and vii) there almost certainly will be other unanticipated consequences for the Company as a result of the current
pandemic emergency and its aftermath.
19
2. SIGNIFICANT
ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Principles of consolidation :
The consolidated financial statements include the
accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Bion Integrated Projects Group, Inc., Bion Technologies, Inc., BionSoil, Inc.,
Bion Services, Bion PA2 LLC and Bion 3G-1 LLC (“3G1”); and its 58.9 % owned subsidiary, Centerpoint Corporation (“Centerpoint”).
All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Bion PA1 LLC was dissolved on December 29, 2021 (See
Note 5). Its operating losses are included in the consolidation through December 29, 2021.
The accompanying consolidated financial statements
have been prepared without audit pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
The consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments (consisting of only normal recurring entries) that, in the opinion of management,
are necessary to present fairly the financial position at September 30, 2022, and the results of operations and cash flows of the Company
for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021. Operating results for the three months ended September 30, 2022 are not necessarily
indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending June 30, 2023.
Cash and cash equivalents :
The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with an original
maturity of three months or less to be cash and cash equivalents. As of September 30, 2022 and June 30, 2022 there are no cash equivalents.
Property and equipment :
Property and equipment are
stated at cost and are depreciated, when placed into service, using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the related
assets, generally three to twenty years. The Company capitalizes all direct costs and all indirect incrementally identifiable costs related
to the design and construction of its Integrated Projects such as consulting fees, internal salaries and benefits and interest. The Company
reviews its property and equipment for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an
asset may not be recoverable. An impairment loss would be recognized based on the amount by which the carrying value of the assets or
asset group exceeds its estimated fair value, and is recognized as a loss from operations.
Patents :
The Company has elected to expense all costs and
filing fees related to obtaining patents (resulting in no related asset being recognized in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets)
because the Company believes such costs and fees are immaterial (in the context of the Company’s total costs/expenses) and have
no direct relationship to the value of the Company’s patents.
Stock-based compensation :
The Company follows the provisions of Accounting Standards
Codification (“ASC”) 718, which generally requires that share-based compensation transactions be accounted and recognized
in the statement of operations based upon their grant date fair values.
Derivative Financial Instruments :
Pursuant to ASC Topic 815 “Derivatives and Hedging”
(“Topic 815”), the Company reviews all financial instruments for the existence of features which may require fair value accounting
and a related mark-to-market adjustment at each reporting period end. Once determined, the Company assesses these instruments as derivative
liabilities. The fair value of these instruments is adjusted to reflect the fair value at each reporting period end, with any increase
or decrease in the fair value being recorded in results of operations as an adjustment to fair value of derivatives.
20
Options :
The Company has issued options to employees and consultants
under the 2006 Plan to purchase common shares of the Company. Options are valued on the grant date using the Black-Scholes option-pricing
model. The expected volatility is based on the historical price volatility of the Company’s common stock. The dividend yield represents
the Company’s anticipated cash dividend on common stock over the expected term of the stock options. The U.S. Treasury bill rate
for the expected term of the stock options was utilized to determine the risk-free interest rate. The expected term of stock options represents
the period of time the stock options granted are expected to be outstanding based upon management’s estimates.
Warrants :
The Company has issued warrants to purchase common
shares of the Company. Warrants are valued using a fair value based method, whereby the fair value of the warrant is determined at the
warrant issue date using a market-based option valuation model based on factors including an evaluation of the Company’s value as
of the date of the issuance, consideration of the Company’s limited liquid resources and business prospects, the market price of
the Company’s stock in its mostly inactive public market and the historical valuations and purchases of the Company’s warrants.
When warrants are issued in combination with debt or equity securities, the warrants are valued and accounted for based on the relative
fair value of the warrants in relation to the total value assigned to the debt or equity securities and warrants combined.
Concentrations of credit risk :
The Company's financial instruments that are exposed
to concentrations of credit risk consist of cash. The Company's cash is in demand deposit accounts placed with federally insured financial
institutions and selected brokerage accounts. Such deposit accounts at times may exceed federally insured limits. The Company has not
experienced any losses on such accounts.
Noncontrolling interests :
In accordance with ASC 810, “Consolidation”,
the Company separately classifies noncontrolling interests within the equity section of the consolidated balance sheets and separately
reports the amounts attributable to controlling and noncontrolling interests in the consolidated statements of operations. In addition,
the noncontrolling interest continues to be attributed its share of losses even if that attribution results in a deficit noncontrolling
interest balance.
Fair value measurements :
Fair value is defined as the price that would be received
to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date in the
principal or most advantageous market. The Company uses a fair value hierarchy that has three levels of inputs, both observable and unobservable,
with use of the lowest possible level of input to determine fair value.
Level 1 – quoted prices (unadjusted) in active
markets for identical assets or liabilities;
Level 2 – observable inputs other than Level
1, quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in
markets that are not active, and model-derived prices whose inputs are observable or whose significant value drivers are observable; and
Level 3 – assets and liabilities whose significant
value drivers are unobservable.
21
Observable inputs are based on market data obtained
from independent sources, while unobservable inputs are based on the Company’s market assumptions. Unobservable inputs require significant
management judgment or estimation. In some cases, the inputs used to measure an asset or liability may fall into different levels of the
fair value hierarchy. In those instances, the fair value measurement is required to be classified using the lowest level of input that
is significant to the fair value measurement. Such determination requires significant management judgment.
The fair value of cash and accounts payable approximates
their carrying amounts due to their short-term maturities. The fair value of the loan payable is indeterminable at this time due to the
nature of the arrangement with a state agency and the fact that it is in default. The fair value of the redeemable preferred stock approximates
its carrying value due to the dividends accrued on the preferred stock which are reflected as part of the redemption value. The fair value
of the deferred compensation and convertible notes payable - affiliates are not practicable to estimate due to the related party nature
of the underlying transactions.
Lease Accounting :
The Company accounts for leases under ASC 842, Leases (“ASC
842”). Accordingly, the Company will determine whether an arrangement contains a lease at the inception of the arrangement. If a
lease is determined to exist, the term of such lease is assessed based on the date on which the underlying asset is made available for
the Company’s use by the lessor. The Company’s assessment of the lease term reflects the non-cancelable term of the lease,
inclusive of any rent-free periods and/or periods covered by early-termination options which the Company is reasonably certain of not
exercising, as well as periods covered by renewal options which the Company is reasonably certain of exercising. The Company also determines
lease classification as either operating or finance at lease commencement, which governs the pattern of expense recognition and the presentation
reflected in the consolidated statements of operations over the lease term.
For leases with a term exceeding 12 months,
a lease liability is recorded on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet at lease commencement reflecting the present value of
its fixed minimum payment obligations over the lease term. A corresponding right-of-use (“ROU”) asset equal to the initial
lease liability is also recorded, adjusted for any prepaid rent and/or initial direct costs incurred in connection with execution of the
lease and reduced by any lease incentives received. For purposes of measuring the present value of its fixed payment obligations for a
given lease, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate, determined based on information available at lease commencement, as rates
implicit in its leasing arrangements are typically not readily determinable. The Company's incremental borrowing rate reflects the rate
it would pay to borrow on a secured basis and incorporates the term and economic environment of the associated lease.
Revenue Recognition :
The Company currently does not generate revenue and
if and when the Company begins to generate revenue the Company will comply with the provisions of ASC 606 “Revenue from Contracts
with Customers”.
Income (Loss) per share :
Basic income (loss) per share amounts are calculated
using the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted income (loss) per share assumes the
conversion, exercise or issuance of all potential common stock instruments, such as options or warrants, unless the effect is to reduce
the income (loss) per share or increase the earnings per share. During the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, the basic and
diluted income (loss) per share was the same, as the impact of potential dilutive common shares was anti-dilutive.
The following table represents the warrants and options
(as if exercised) and convertible securities (as if converted) that have been excluded from the calculation of basic income (loss) per
share:
Schedule of anti dilutive securities
September
30,
2022
September
30,
2021
Warrants
19,873,801
21,802,822
Options
11,201,600
10,471,600
Convertible debt
10,793,421
10,462,498
Convertible preferred stock
—
20,250
22
The following is a reconciliation of the denominators
of the basic and diluted income (loss) per share computations for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021:
Schedule of earnings per share, basic and diluted
Three months
ended
September 30,
2022
Three months
Ended
September 30,
2021
Shares issued – beginning of period
43,758,820
41,315,986
Shares held by subsidiaries (Note 7)
( 704,309 )
( 704,309 )
Shares outstanding – beginning of period
43,054,511
40,611,677
Weighted average shares issued
during the period
397,335
108,015
Diluted weighted average shares –
end of period
43,451,846
40,719,692
Use of estimates :
In preparing the Company’s consolidated financial
statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, management is required to make
estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities
at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results
could differ from those estimates.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements :
The Company continually assesses any new accounting
pronouncements to determine their applicability. When it is determined that a new accounting pronouncement affects the Company’s
financial reporting, the Company undertakes a study to determine the consequences of the change to its consolidated financial statements
and assures that there are proper controls in place to ascertain that the Company’s consolidated financial statements properly
reflect the change
3. PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT :
Property and equipment consist of the following:
Schedule of property and equipment
September
30,
2022
June
30,
2022
Machinery and equipment
$ —
$ —
Buildings and structures
—
—
Computers and office equipment
13,598
13,598
3G project construction in process
3,245,604
2,892,222
Property and equipment, gross
3,259,202
2,905,820
Less accumulated depreciation
( 10,592 )
( 10,262 ))
Property and equipment, net
$ 3,248,610
$ 2,895,558
The 3G project began in July of 2021, with a lease
signed on land October 1, 2021 (Note 9). Once the lease commenced the Company moved into construction phase. The balance for 3G construction
in process includes $ 62,688 for capitalized interest and $ 135,648 in non-cash compensation as of September 30, 2022.
Management has reviewed the remaining property and
equipment for impairment as of September 30, 2022 and believes that no impairment exists.
Depreciation expense was $ 330 and $ 248 for the three
months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
23
4. DEFERRED
COMPENSATION :
The Company owes deferred compensation to
various employees, former employees and consultants totaling $ 654,349
and $ 528,640
as of September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Included in the deferred compensation balances as of September 30, 2022, are $ 459,627
and $ 5,000
owed Dominic Bassani (“Bassani”), the Company’s Chief Operating Officer (who was Chief Executive Officer until
through April 30, 2022), and Mark A. Smith (“Smith”), the Company’s President, respectively, pursuant to extension
agreements effective January 1, 2015, whereby unpaid compensation earned after January 1, 2015, accrues interest at 4 %
per annum and can be converted into shares of the Company’s common stock at the election of the employee during the first five
calendar days of any month. The conversion price shall be the average closing price of the Company’s common stock for the last 10
trading days of the immediately preceding month. The deferred compensation owed Bassani and Smith as of September 30, 2021 was
$ 436,920
and 0 nil, respectively. The Company also owes various consultants and an employee, pursuant to various agreements, for deferred
compensation of $ 117,222 and $ 19,220 as of September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, with similar conversion terms as those
described above for Bassani and Smith, with the exception that the interest accrues at 0 % to 3 % per annum. The Company also owes a
former employee $72,500, which is not convertible and is non-interest bearing.
Bassani and Smith have each been granted the right
to convert up to $ 300,000 of deferred compensation balances at a price of $ 0.75 per share until June 30, 2024 into common shares (to be
issued pursuant to the 2006 Plan). Smith also has the right to convert all or part of his deferred compensation balance into the Company’s
securities (to be issued pursuant to the 2006 Plan) “at market” and/or on the same terms as the Company is selling or has
sold its securities in its then current (or most recent if there is no current) private placement. Smith also received the right to transfer
future deferred compensation to his 2020 Convertible Obligation at his election.
During the three months ended September 30, 2022, Smith elected to convert
$ 20,000 of deferred compensation into the 2020 Convertible Note.
The Company recorded interest expense of $ 4,551
($ 4,119 with related parties) and $ 4,032 ($ 3,949 with related parties) for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively,
related to deferred compensation.
5. LOANS PAYABLE :
Pennvest Loan and Bion PA1 LLC (“PA1”)
Dissolution
PA1, the
Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, was dissolved on December 29, 2021 on which date it owed approximately $ 10,010,000
under the terms of the Pennvest Loan related to the construction of the Kreider 1 System including accrued interest and late charges
totaling $ 2,255,802
as of that date. Through the date of the dissolution, PA1 was a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company and its assets and
liabilities were included on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet. At September 30, 2021, PA1’s total assets were
$ 297 and its total liabilities were $ 10,154,334
(including the Pennvest Loan in the aggregate amount of $ 9,939,148 ,
accounts payable of $ 214,235 and
accrued liabilities of $ 950 )
which sums were included in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet in its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30,
2021. Subsequent to the dissolution of PA1, its assets and liabilities are no longer consolidated and included in the
Company’s balance sheet. As of December 29, 2021, PA1’s total assets were nil 0 and its total liabilities were
$ 10,234,501 (including the Pennvest Loan in the aggregate amount of $ 10,009,802 , accounts payable of $ 212,263 and accrued
liabilities of $ 12,436 . The net amount of $ 10,234,501 was recognized as a gain on the legal dissolution of a subsidiary in other
(income) expense.
24
As background, the terms
of the Pennvest Loan provided for funding of up to $ 7,754,000 which was to be repaid by interest-only payments for three years, followed
by an additional ten-year amortization of principal. The Pennvest Loan accrued interest at 2.547 % per annum for years 1 through 5 and
3.184 % per annum for years 6 through maturity. The Pennvest Loan required minimum annual principal payments of approximately $ 5,886,000
in fiscal years 2013 through 2021, and $ 846,000 in fiscal year 2022, $ 873,000 in fiscal year 2023 and $ 149,000 in fiscal year 2024. The
Pennvest Loan was collateralized by PA1’s Kreider 1 System and by a pledge of all revenues generated from Kreider 1 including, but
not limited to, revenues generated from nutrient reduction credit sales and by-product sales. In addition, in consideration for the excess
credit risk associated with the project, Pennvest was entitled to participate in the profits from Kreider 1 calculated on a net cash flow
basis, as defined. The Company has incurred interest expense related to the Pennvest Loan of $ 123,444 and $ 246,887 for the years ended
June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Based on the limited development of the depth and breadth of the Pennsylvania nutrient reduction
credit market, PA1 commenced discussions and negotiations with Pennvest related to forbearance and/or re-structuring the obligations under
the Pennvest Loan during 2013. In the context of such negotiations, PA1 elected not to make interest payments to Pennvest on the Pennvest
Loan since January 2013. Additionally, the PA1 did not make any principal payments, which were to begin in fiscal 2013, and, therefore,
the Company classified the Pennvest Loan as a current liability through the dissolution of PA1 on December 29, 2021.
During August 2012, the Company
provided Pennvest (and the PADEP) with data demonstrating that the Kreider 1 system met the ‘technology guaranty’ standards
which were incorporated in the Pennvest financing documents and, as a result, the Pennvest Loan has been solely an obligation of PA1 since
that date. Note, however, the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as of June 30, 2021 reflects the Pennvest Loan as a liability
of $ 9,868,495 despite the fact that the obligation (if any) was solely an obligation of PA1 .
On September 25, 2014, the
Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (“Pennvest”) exercised its right to declare the PA1’s Pennvest Loan
in default, accelerated the Pennvest Loan and demanded that PA1 pay $ 8,137,117 (principal, interest plus late charges) on or before October
24, 2014. PA1 did not make the payment and did/does not have the resources to make the payments demanded by Pennvest. PA1 commenced discussions
and negotiations with Pennvest concerning this matter but Pennvest rejected PA1’s proposal made during the fall of 2014. PA1 made
a final proposal to Pennvest during September 2021 which proposal was also rejected by Pennvest. PA1 provided Pennvest with its financial
statements (which include a description of system status) annually. During the 2021 fiscal year, Pennvest’s auditors requested a
‘corrective action plan’ and PA1 informed Pennvest that “… there is no viable corrective action plan for the
Pennvest Loan (‘Loan’). The facility funded by the Loan has been shut down for many years (which has been disclosed in the
annual financial reports to Pennvest and in public filings by the parent of Bion PA 1, LLC) and the technology utilized in the facility
is now obsolete. The facility has not been commercially operated for approximately six years and has generated zero income. We recommend
that Pennvest take appropriate steps to remove and sell the equipment.” Pennvest responded favorably to the approach of selling
the equipment.
On December 29, 2021, the
Company approved and executed a ‘Consent of the Sole Member of Bion PA 1’ (the “Consent to Dissolution”) that
authorized the complete liquidation and dissolution of PA1. A Statement of Dissolution was filed by PA1 with the Colorado Secretary of
State on December 29, 2021.The liquidation value of Bion PA 1’s property is substantially below the current amount outstanding under
the Funding Agreement dated October 27, 2010 by and between PA1 and Pennvest, the only known secured creditor of PA1. Post-dissolution,
PA1’s activities will be limited entirely to activities required to properly distribute its net assets to creditors and wind down
its business.
PA1 and Pennvest agreed to
have the equipment sold by a third party auctioneer who arranged for the sale of its property and delivery of all proceeds (net of commissions
and customary costs of sale) to Pennvest. The auction took place during the period of May 13-18, 2022. The Company’s personnel assisted
PA1 with this process as needed at no cost to PA1. The net sum of $ 104,725 was realized from the asset sale, which sum was delivered
to Pennvest on June 15, 2022. Pursuant to agreement with Pennvest and Kreider Farms, the remaining unsold assets have been transferred
to Kreider Farms in order to complete the winding up of the Kreider 1 project.
Upon the complete distribution
of all assets of PA1, whether by transfer or sale and distribution of net proceeds as provided above, PA1 will use commercially reasonable
efforts to cause the cessation of all activities. No distributions of PA1’s assets will be made to the Company or its affiliates.
The Consent to Dissolution authorized Mark A. Smith, the Company’s President and the sole manager of PA1, to cause to be delivered
for filing the Statement of Dissolution, to give notice of the dissolution, and to take any other act necessary to wind up and liquidate
the business.
PA1 has made no payments
to vendors or other creditors in connection with the dissolution other than the payment to Pennvest described above. No distributions
or payments of any kind have ever been made to the Company, the sole member of PA1 since inception and no payment will be made to the
Company or any affiliate in connection with the dissolution.
For more information regarding
the history and background of the Pennvest Loan and PA1, please review our Form’s 10-K for the years from 2008 through 2021 including
the Notes to the Financial Statements included therein.
25
6. CONVERTIBLE NOTES PAYABLE
- AFFILIATES :
2020 Convertible Obligations
The 2020 Convertible Obligations, which accrue interest
at either 4 % per annum or 4 % compounded quarterly and effective January 1, 2020 are due and payable on July 1, 2024. The 2020 Convertible
Obligations (including accrued interest, plus all future deferred compensation added subsequently), are convertible, at the sole election
of the holder, into Units consisting of one share of the Company’s common stock and one half to one warrant to purchase a share
of the Company’s common stock, at a price of $ 0.50 per Unit until July 1, 2024. The original conversion price of $ 0.50 per Unit
approximated the fair value of the Units at the date of the agreements; therefore, no beneficial conversion feature exists. Management
evaluated the terms and conditions of the embedded conversion features based on the guidance of ASC 815-15 “Embedded Derivatives”
to determine if there was an embedded derivative requiring bifurcation. An embedded derivative instrument (such as a conversion option
embedded in the deferred compensation) must be bifurcated from its host instruments and accounted for separately as a derivative instrument
only if the “risks and rewards” of the embedded derivative instrument are not “clearly and closely related” to
the risks and rewards of the host instrument in which it is embedded. Management concluded that the embedded conversion feature of the
deferred compensation was not required to be bifurcated because the conversion feature is clearly and closely related to the host instrument,
and because of the Company’s limited trading volume that indicates the feature is not readily convertible to cash in accordance
with ASC 815-10, “Derivatives and Hedging”.
As of September 30, 2022, the 2020 Convertible Obligation
balances, including accrued interest, owed Bassani Family Trusts (and his donees), Smith and Edward Schafer (“Schafer”), a
director of the Company, were $ 2,620,941 , $ 1,335,199 and $ 503,813 , respectively. As of September 30, 2021, the 2020 Convertible Obligation
balances, including accrued interest, owed Bassani Family Trusts, Smith and Schafer were $ 2,526,492 , $ 1,253,335 and $ 485,658 , respectively.
During the three months ended September 30, 2022,
Smith elected to add $ 20,000 of his salary to his 2020 Convertible Obligations.
During the three months ended September 30, 2022,
Smith elected to convert $ 30,000 in principal of the 2020 Convertible Obligation to 60,000 units ( 60,000 common shares and 60,000 warrants)
and $ 20,000 of accrued interest of the 2020 Convertible Obligation to 40,000 units ( 40,000 common shares and 40,000 warrants).
The Company recorded interest expense of $ 41,367
and $ 40,560
for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The Company capitalized $ 30,688 and nil 0 related to the 3G
project for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
September 2015 Convertible Notes
During the year ended June 30, 2016, the Company entered
into September 2015 Convertible Notes with Bassani (now owned by Bassani Family Trusts), Schafer and a Shareholder which replaced previously
issued promissory notes. The September 2015 Convertible Notes bear interest at 4 % per annum, have maturity dates of July 1, 2024, and
may be converted at the sole election of the noteholders into restricted common shares of the Company at a conversion price of $ 0.60 per
share. As the conversion price of $0.60 approximated the fair value of the common shares at the date of the September 2015 Convertible
Notes, no beneficial conversion feature exists.
The balances of the September 2015 Convertible Notes
as of September 30, 2022, including accrued interest owed Bassani Family Trusts, Schafer and Shareholder, are $ 281,789 , $ 21,009 and $ 449,535 ,
respectively. The balances of the September 2015 Convertible Notes as of September 30, 2021, including accrued interest, were $ 172,765 ,
$ 20,354 and $ 434,419 , respectively.
The Company recorded interest expense of $ 6,366 and
$ 5,366 for the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, on the September 2015 Convertible Notes.
26
7. STOCKHOLDERS'
EQUITY :
Series B Preferred stock:
Since July 1, 2014, the Company had 200 shares of
Series B redeemable convertible Preferred stock outstanding with a par value of $ 0.01 per share, convertible at the option of the holder
at $ 2.00 per share, with dividends accrued and payable at 2.5 % per quarter. The Series B Preferred stock is mandatorily redeemable at
$ 100 per share by the Company three years after issuance and accordingly was classified as a liability. The 200 shares had reached their
redemption date and the Company approved the redemption of the Series B preferred stock during the year ended June 30, 2022. 200 shares
of Series B redeemable convertible Preferred stock were redeemed for $ 41,000 , which included the $ 21,000 in accrued dividend payable.
During the years ended June 30, 2022, and 2021, the
Company declared dividends of $ 1,000 and $ 2,000 respectively. The dividends are classified as a component of operations as the Series
B Preferred stock is presented as a liability in these financial statements. There is no liability at September 30, 2022.
Common stock:
Holders of common stock are entitled to one vote per
share on all matters to be voted on by common stockholders. In the event of liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, the
holders of common stock are entitled to share in all assets remaining after liabilities have been paid in full or set aside and the rights
of any outstanding preferred stock have been satisfied. Common stock has no preemptive, redemption or conversion rights. The rights of
holders of common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of any outstanding series of preferred
stock or any series of preferred stock the Company may designate in the future.
Centerpoint holds 704,309 shares of the Company’s
common stock. These shares of the Company’s common stock held by Centerpoint are for the benefit of its shareholders without any
beneficial interest.
During the three months ended September 30, 2022,
Smith elected to convert $ 30,000 in principal and $ 20,000 in accrued interest from the 2020 Convertible Obligation to 100,000 units at
$ .50 per unit, with each unit consisting of one share of the Company’s restricted common stock and one warrant to purchase one share
of the Company’s restricted common stock for $ 0.75 per share until December 31, 2024.
During the three months ended September 30, 2022,
74,834 warrants were exercised to purchase 74,834 shares of the Company’s common stock at $ 0.75 per share for total proceeds of
$ 56,125 .
During the three months ended September 30, 2022,
the Company issued 50,000 shares of the Company’s common stock to a consultant for services. The shares were issued at $ 1.60 per
share for a total value of $ 80,000 .
During the three months ended September 30, 2022,
the Company entered into subscription agreements to sell units for $ 1.00 per unit, with each unit consisting of one share of the Company’s
restricted common stock and one warrant to purchase one share of the Company’s restricted common stock for $ 0.75 per share with
an expiry date of December 31, 2024, and pursuant thereto, the Company issued 320,000 units for total proceeds of $ 320,000 .
Warrants:
As of September 30, 2022, the Company had approximately
20.6 million warrants outstanding, with exercise prices from $ 0.60 to $ 1.60 and expiring on various dates through November 9, 2026.
The weighted-average exercise price for the outstanding
warrants is $ 0.76 , and the weighted-average remaining contractual life as of September 30, 2022 is 2.2 years.
27
During the three months ended September 30, 2022,
Smith elected to convert $ 30,000 in principal and $ 20,000 in accrued interest from the 2020 Convertible Obligation to 100,000 units at
$ .50 per unit, with each unit consisting of one share of the Company’s restricted common stock and one warrant to purchase one share
of the Company’s restricted common stock for $ 0.75 per share until three years after the date of conversion.
During the three months ended September 30, 2022, the Company approved
the issuance of 150,000 warrants, in aggregate, to three new members of its Advisory Group for advisory and/or consulting services of
$ 15,000 , in aggregate. The warrants are exercisable at $ 1.50 to $ 1.60 and expire in August 2025.
During the three months ended September 30, 2022,
the Company approved the modification of existing warrants held by one former consultant and four investors, which extended certain expiration
dates. The modifications resulted in incremental non-cash compensation of $ 154,933 and interest expenses of $ 4,500 .
During the three months ended September 30, 2022, 74,834 warrants were
exercised to purchase 74,834 shares of the Company’s common stock at $0.75 per share for total proceeds of $ 56,126 .
Effective May 1, 2022, an entity affiliated with William
O’Neill (“O’Neill”) was issued 1,000,000 Incentive Warrants exercisable at $ 1.00 per share until April 30, 2026
of which up to 700,000 Incentive Warrants may be cancelled if O’Neill is not renewed at 13 months and/or fails to serve the entire
contract term thereafter. These warrants each have a 75 % exercise bonus if the terms set forth therein are met.
Stock options:
On April 7, 2022 the Company’s shareholders
approved the Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc. 2021 Equity Incentive Award Plan (the “ Equity Plan ”). The Equity
Plan provides for the issuance of options (and/or other securities) to purchase up to 30,000,000 shares of the Company’s common
stock. The Equity Plan was adopted and ratified by Board of Directors on April 8, 2022. Terms of exercise and expiration of options/securities
granted under the Equity Plan may be established at the discretion of the Board of Directors, but no option may be exercisable for more
than ten years. No grants have been made pursuant to the Equity Plan as of the date of this report.
The Company’s 2006 Consolidated Incentive Plan,
as amended during the year ended June 30, 2021 (the “2006 Plan”), provides for the issuance of options (and/or other securities)
to purchase up to 36,000,000 shares of the Company’s common stock. Terms of exercise and expiration of options/securities granted
under the 2006 Plan may be established at the discretion of the Board of Directors, but no option may be exercisable for more than ten
years. The 2006 Plan will be maintained to service grants already made thereunder (together with new grants, if any, to employees and
consultants who already has received grants pursuant to its terms,
On February 11, 2022, the Company granted 10,000 options
under the 2006 Plan to one consultant.
On April 29, 2022, the Company granted an aggregate
of 720,000 options under the 2006 Plan to seven employees/consultants/directors including: i) 50,000 options each to Schafer and Northrop
for service as directors, ii) 200,000 options to Bassani (now COO of the Company and formerly CEO) and iii) 200,000 options to Smith,
the Company’s President, which new option grants are included in the presentation below.
The Company recorded compensation expense
related to employee stock options of nil 0 and nil 0 for the three months ended 2022 and 2021, respectively. The Company granted nil
0 options during the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
28
A summary of option activity under the 2006 Plan for the three
months ended September 30, 2022 is as follows:
Schedule of option activity
Options
Weighted-
Average
Exercise
Price
Weighted-
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Life
Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
Outstanding at July 1, 2022
11,201,600
$ 0.80
2.7
$ 4,429,263
Granted
—
—
Exercised
—
—
Forfeited
—
—
Expired
—
—
Outstanding at September 30, 2022
11,201,600
$ 0.80
2.48
$ 5,757,755
The total fair value of stock options that
vested during the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 was 0 nil. As of September 30, 2022, the Company had no
unrecognized compensation cost related to stock options.
8. SUBSCRIPTION
RECEIVABLE - AFFILIATES :
As of September 30, 2022, the Company has three interest
bearing, secured promissory notes with an aggregate principal amount of $ 428,250 ($ 504,741 , including interest) from Bassani which were
received as consideration for purchases of warrants to purchase 5,565,000 shares, in aggregate, of the Company’s restricted common
stock, which warrants have an exercise price of $ 0.75 and have expiry dates ranging from December 31, 2024 to December 31, 2025. The promissory
notes bear interest at 4% per annum and are secured by portions of Bassani Family Trust’s 2020 Convertible Obligation and Bassani
Family Trust’s September 2015 Convertible Notes. The secured promissory notes are payable July 1, 2024.
As of September 30, 2022, the Company has an interest
bearing, secured promissory note for $ 30,000 ($ 34,987 including interest) from Smith as consideration to purchase warrants to purchase
300,000 shares of the Company’s restricted common stock, which warrants are exercisable at $ 0.60 and have expiry dates of December
31, 2024. The warrants have a 75% exercise bonus and the promissory note bears interest at 4 % per annum, and is secured by $ 30,000 ($ 35,361 ,
including interest) of Smith’s 2020 Convertible Obligations. The secured promissory note is payable on July 1, 2024.
As of September 30, 2022 the Company has two interest
bearing, secured promissory notes with an aggregate principal amount of $ 46,400 ($ 55,472 including interest) from two former employees
as consideration to purchase warrants to purchase 928,000 shares of the Company’s restricted common stock, which warrants are exercisable
at $ 0.75 and have expiry dates of December 31, 2024. These warrants have a 90% exercise bonus. The promissory notes bear interest at 4 %
per annum, are secured by a perfected security interest in the warrants, and are payable on July 1, 2024.
These secured promissory notes are recorded as
“Subscription receivable—affiliates” on the Company’s balance sheet pending payment.
9. COMMITMENTS
AND CONTINGENCIES :
Employment and consulting agreements:
Smith has held the positions
of Director, Executive Chairman, President and General Counsel of Company and its subsidiaries under various agreements (and extensions)
and terms since March 2003. On October 10, 2016, the Company approved a month to month contract extension with Smith which includes provisions
for i) a monthly salary of $ 18,000 until the Board of Directors re-instates cash payments to all employees and consultants who are deferring
compensation, ii) the right to convert up to $ 300,000 of his deferred compensation, at his sole election, at $ 0.75 per share, until December
31, 2022, and iii) the right to convert his deferred compensation in whole or in part, at his sole election, at any time in any amount
at “market” or into securities sold in the Company’s current/most recent private offering at the price of such offering
to third parties. Smith agreed effective July 29, 2018 to continue to serve the Company under the same basic terms on a month-to-month
basis. On May 1, 2022 Smith’s compensation was increased to $ 25,000 per month of which $5,000 a month is deferred. For the
three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, Smith was paid $ 60,000 and $ 54,000 , respectively, of cash compensation.
29
Since March 31, 2005, the
Company has had various agreements with Bassani (and/or Brightcap which provided his services during some of the initial years), now the
Company’s Chief Operating Officer (‘COO’) and formerly the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (‘CEO’),
(any reference to Brightcap or Bassani for all purposes are the same individual). The Board appointed Bassani as the Company's CEO effective
May 13, 2011. On February 10, 2015, the Company executed an Extension Agreement with Bassani pursuant to which Bassani extended the term
of his service to the Company to December 31, 2017, (with the Company having an option to extend the term an additional six months.) Pursuant
to the Extension Agreement, Bassani continued to defer his cash compensation ($ 31,000 per month) until the Board of Directors re-instates
cash payments to all employees and consultants who are deferring their compensation. During October 2016 Bassani was granted the right
to convert up to $ 125,000 of his deferred compensation, at his sole election, at $ 0.75 per share, until March 15, 2018 (which was expanded
on April 27, 2017 to the right to convert up to $ 300,000 of his deferred compensation, at his sole election, at $ 0.75 per share, until
June 30, 2024 (including extensions). During February 2018, the Company agreed to the material terms for a binding two-year extension
agreement for Bassani’s services as CEO. Bassani’s salary remained $ 31,000 per month, which will continue to be accrued in
part until there is adequate cash available. Additionally, the Company has agreed to pay him $ 2,000 per month to be applied to life insurance
premiums (which sums have been accrued as liabilities). On August 1, 2018, in the context of extending his agreement to provide services
to the Company on a full-time basis through December 31, 2022) plus 2 years after that on a part-time basis, the Company received an interest
bearing secured promissory note for $ 300,000 from Bassani as consideration to purchase warrants to purchase 3,000,000 shares of the Company’s
restricted common stock, which warrants are exercisable at $0.60 and have expiry dates of June 30, 2025. The promissory note is secured
by a portion of Bassani’s 2020 Convertible Obligations and as of September 30, 2022, the principal and accrued interest was $ 351,812 .
For the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, Brightcap was paid $ 75,000 and $ 60,000 , respectively, of cash compensation.
William O’Neill
(“O’Neill”) was hired as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) effective May 1,
2022. O’Neill had previously been working with the Company as a consultant and had been employed by the Company as its
CEO during 2010-2011. Bassani, CEO of the Company since 2011, has assumed the position of COO while retaining existing
operational management responsibilities and working with O’Neill on ‘commercialization’ of the Company’s
technology and work related to JVs (and other transactions) based on the Company’s GEN3 Technology and related matters.
Bassani’s compensation arrangements with the Company have not been altered in the context of the change of positions. The
Company and O’Neill have entered into a thirty-seven (37) month employment agreement (subject to Board renewal for the final
two (2) years during the 13th month) with compensation of $ 25,000
cash and $ 10,000
deferred compensation per month. An entity affiliated with O’Neill was issued 1,000,000 Incentive Warrants exercisable at
$1.00 per share until April 30, 2026 of which up to 700,000 Incentive Warrants may be cancelled if O’Neill is not renewed at
13 months and/or fails to serve the entire contract term thereafter. These warrants each have a 75% exercise bonus if the terms set
forth therein are met. For the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, O’Neill was paid $ 45,500
and 0 nil, respectively, of cash compensation.
Execution/exercise bonuses:
As part of agreements the Company entered into with
Bassani and Smith effective May 15, 2013, they were each granted the following: a) a 50% execution/exercise bonus which shall be applied
upon the effective date of the notice of intent to exercise (for options and warrants) or issuance event, as applicable, of any currently
outstanding and/or subsequently acquired options, warrants and/or contingent stock bonuses owned by each (and/or their donees) as follows:
i) in the case of exercise by payment of cash, the bonus shall take the form of reduction of the exercise price; ii) in the case of cashless
exercise, the bonus shall be applied to reduce the exercise price prior to the cashless exercise calculations; and iii) with regard to
contingent stock bonuses, issuance shall be triggered upon the Company’s common stock reaching a closing price equal to 50% of currently
specified price; and b) the right to extend the exercise period of all or part of the applicable options and warrants for up to five years
(one year at a time) by annual payments of $.05 per option or warrant to the Company on or before a date during the three months prior
to expiration of the exercise period at least three business days before the end of the expiration period. Effective January 1, 2016 such
annual payments to extend warrant exercise periods have been reduced to $.01 per option or warrant. These exercise bonuses were subsequently
increased to 75%.
During the year ended June 30, 2021, the Company added
a 75 % execution/exercise bonus to the terms of 3,000,000 warrants held by a trust owned by Bassani.
As of September 30, 2022, the execution/exercise bonuses
ranging from 50 - 90 % were applicable to 10,966,600 of the Company’s outstanding options and 17,612,151 of the Company’s outstanding
warrants.
Effective May 1, 2022, an entity affiliated with O’Neill
was issued 1,000,000 Incentive Warrants exercisable at $ 1.00 per share until April 30, 2026 of which up to 700,000 Incentive Warrants
may be cancelled if O’Neill is not renewed at 13 months and/or fails to serve the entire contract term thereafter. These warrants
each have a 75 % exercise bonus if the terms set forth therein are met.
30
Purchase Order Agreement:
On
January 28, 2022 Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc. (‘Bion’), on behalf of Bion 3G1 LLC (‘3G1’), a wholly-owned
subsidiary, entered into a Purchase Order Agreement with Buflovak and Hebeler Process Solutions (collectively ‘Buflovak’)
in the amount of $ 2,665,500 (and made the initial 25 % payment ($ 666,375 )) for the core of the ‘Bion System’ portion (without
the crystallization modules which will be ordered and fabricated pursuant to subsequent agreements) of the previously announced
3G Tech Initial Project. This Purchase Order encompasses the core of Bion’s 3G Technology. On March 21, 2022 the Company received
progress notice re: completion of certain work in process and an invoice from Buflovak for the next 25 % payment ($ 666,375 ). On
June 6, 2022 the Company received progress notice re: completion of certain work in process and an invoice from Buflovak for the next
25% payment ($666,375) which was paid on July 5, 2022 bringing the aggregate payments to $ 1,999,125 as of the date of this report. No
invoices were received in the quarter ended September 30, 2022. Buflovak has worked with the Company on design and testing of its 3G Tech
over several years. The basic design for the Initial Project’s Bion System is complete and procurement/fabrication has now been
initiated. 3G1 is working in concert with Integrated Engineering Services, the primary site engineering firm for the facility, on
the integration of all project components/modules at the Initial Project site. Additional agreements have been entered into various professional
services providers (engineers, surveyors, etc.) for work related to the Initial Project.
Litigation:
A: Website: Domain Sale/Resolved
Litigation/Hacking/Theft
On March 23,
2022 the Company entered into an agreement to sell domain name <biontech.com> and other related assets to BioNTech SE (“BNTX”)
for the sum of $950,000 (before expenses related to the transaction) which sale was closed/completed on April 2, 2022 with a one-time
gain of $902,490. The Company has been using www.bionenviro.com as its primary website (and domain) since July 2021 due to the
events described below. The Company has not been using biontech.com as its primary website since July 2021 so domain name <biontech.com>
no longer represented a core asset of the Company.
As previously reported, on
Saturday morning, July 17, 2021, our historical website domain – biontech.com – and email services were compromised
and disabled. Research indicated that an unknown party had ‘hijacked’ the domain in a theft attempt. On September 10, 2021,
the Company filed a federal lawsuit ‘in rem’ to recover the <biontech.com> domain and the unknown ‘John Doe’
who hacked and attempted to steal the website. The litigation was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of
Virginia, Alexandria Division under the heading ‘Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc., Plaintiff, vs John Doe and <biontech.com>,
Defendants’ (Case No. 1:21-cv-01034), seeking recovery of the domain name and other relief as set forth therein.
On November 19, 2021, the
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division issued an order stating that “… ORDERED,
ADJUDGED and Decreed that plaintiff Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc. (‘plaintiff) Is the lawful owner of domain name <biontech.com>
….” under the heading ‘Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc., Plaintiff, vs John Doe and <biontech.com>, Defendants’
(Case No. 1:21-cv-01034). The Company has moved the domain name <biontech.com> to a new registrar and reactivated it for the Company’s
use (paired currently with its current bionenviro.com website).
No shareholder, sensitive
or confidential information was available to be breached which has limited damages from the hack/theft to date. However, the Company’s
email operations werebeen subject disruption and expenses were incurred related to the matter including legal fees.
The Company created ‘work-arounds’
as a result. These issues have been resolved and the Company has moved our website (and email) to a new domain: bionenviro.com. Website
access is now www.bionenviro.com. To send emails to Bion personnel, one uses the same name identifier previously used, but in the
address, substitute ‘bionenviro.com’ for “biontech.com’: For example cscott@biontech.com (no longer functional)
is cscott@bionenviro.com and mas@biontech.com (no longer functional) is now mas@bionenviro.com.
31
B: Pennvest Loan and Dissolution
of Bion PA1, LLC (“PA1”)
PA1, the
Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, was dissolved on December 29, 2021 on which date it owed approximately $ 10,010,000
under the terms of the Pennvest Loan related to the construction of the Kreider 1 System including accrued interest and late charges
totaling $ 2,255,802
as of that date. Through the date of the dissolution, PA1 was a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company and its assets and
liabilities were included on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet. At September 30, 2021, PA1’s total assets were
$ 297 and its total liabilities were
$ 10,154,334 (including the
Pennvest Loan in the aggregate amount of $ 9,939,148 ,
accounts payable of $ 214,235
and accrued liabilities of $ 950 )
which sums were included in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet in its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30,
2021. Subsequent to the dissolution of PA1, its assets and liabilities are no longer consolidated and included in the
Company’s consolidated balance sheet. As of December 29, 2021, PA1’s total assets were nil 0
and its total liabilities were $ 10,234,501
(including the Pennvest Loan in the aggregate amount of $ 10,009,802 ,
accounts payable of $ 212,263
and accrued liabilities of $ 12,436 .
The net amount of $ 10,234,501
was recognized as a gain on the legal dissolution of a subsidiary in other (income) expense.
As background, the terms
of the Pennvest Loan provided for funding of up to $ 7,754,000 which was to be repaid by interest-only payments for three years, followed
by an additional ten-year amortization of principal. The Pennvest Loan accrued interest at 2.547 % per annum for years 1 through 5 and
3.184 % per annum for years 6 through maturity. The Pennvest Loan required minimum annual principal payments of approximately $ 5,886,000
in fiscal years 2013 through 2021, and $ 846,000 in fiscal year 2022, $ 873,000 in fiscal year 2023 and $ 149,000 in fiscal year 2024. The
Pennvest Loan was collateralized by PA1’s Kreider 1 System and by a pledge of all revenues generated from Kreider 1 including, but
not limited to, revenues generated from nutrient reduction credit sales and by-product sales. In addition, in consideration for the excess
credit risk associated with the project, Pennvest was entitled to participate in the profits from Kreider 1 calculated on a net cash flow
basis, as defined. The Company has incurred interest expense related to the Pennvest Loan of $ 123,444 and $ 246,887 for the years
ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Based on the limited development of the depth and breadth of the Pennsylvania nutrient
reduction credit market, PA1 commenced discussions and negotiations with Pennvest related to forbearance and/or re-structuring the obligations
under the Pennvest Loan during 2013. In the context of such negotiations, PA1 elected not to make interest payments to Pennvest on the
Pennvest Loan since January 2013. Additionally, the PA1 did not make any principal payments, which were to begin in fiscal 2013, and,
therefore, the Company classified the Pennvest Loan as a current liability through the dissolution of PA1 on December 29, 2021.
During August 2012, the Company
provided Pennvest (and the PADEP) with data demonstrating that the Kreider 1 system met the ‘technology guaranty’ standards
which were incorporated in the Pennvest financing documents and, as a result, the Pennvest Loan has been solely an obligation of PA1 since
that date. Note, however, the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as of June 30, 2021 reflects the Pennvest Loan as a liability
of $ 9,868,495 despite the fact that the obligation (if any) was solely an obligation of PA1 .
On September 25, 2014, the
Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (“Pennvest”) exercised its right to declare the PA1’s Pennvest Loan
in default, accelerated the Pennvest Loan and demanded that PA1 pay $ 8,137,117 (principal, interest plus late charges) on or before October
24, 2014. PA1 did not make the payment and did/does not have the resources to make the payments demanded by Pennvest. PA1 commenced discussions
and negotiations with Pennvest concerning this matter but Pennvest rejected PA1’s proposal made during the fall of 2014. PA1 made
a final proposal to Pennvest during September 2021 which proposal was also rejected by Pennvest. PA1 provided Pennvest with its financial
statements (which include a description of system status) annually. During the 2021 fiscal year, Pennvest’s auditors requested a
‘corrective action plan’ and PA1 informed Pennvest that “… there is no viable corrective action plan for the
Pennvest Loan (‘Loan’). The facility funded by the Loan has been shut down for many years (which has been disclosed in the
annual financial reports to Pennvest and in public filings by the parent of Bion PA 1, LLC) and the technology utilized in the facility
is now obsolete. The facility has not been commercially operated for approximately six years and has generated zero income. We recommend
that Pennvest take appropriate steps to remove and sell the equipment.” Pennvest responded favorably to the approach of selling
the equipment.
32
On December 29, 2021, the
Company approved and executed a ‘Consent of the Sole Member of Bion PA 1’ (the “Consent to Dissolution”) that
authorized the complete liquidation and dissolution of PA1. A Statement of Dissolution was filed by PA1 with the Colorado Secretary of
State on December 29, 2021.The liquidation value of Bion PA 1’s property is substantially below the current amount outstanding under
the Funding Agreement dated October 27, 2010 by and between PA1 and Pennvest, the only known secured creditor of PA1. Post-dissolution,
PA1’s activities will be limited entirely to activities required to properly distribute its net assets to creditors and wind down
its business.
PA1 and Pennvest agreed to
have the equipment sold by a third party auctioneer who arranged for the sale of its property and delivery of all proceeds (net
of commissions and customary costs of sale) to Pennvest. The auction took place during the period of May 13-18, 2022. The Company’s
personnel assisted PA1 with this process as needed at no cost to PA1. The net sum of $ 104,725 was realized from the asset sale, which
sum was delivered to Pennvest on June 15, 2022. Pursuant to agreement with Pennvest and Kreider Farms, the remaining unsold assets have
been transferred to Kreider Farms in order to complete the winding up of the Kreider 1 project.
Upon the complete distribution
of all assets of PA1, whether by transfer or sale and distribution of net proceeds as provided above, PA1 will use commercially reasonable
efforts to cause the cessation of all activities. No distributions of PA1’s assets will be made to the Company or its affiliates.
The Consent to Dissolution authorized Mark A. Smith, the Company’s President and the sole manager of PA1, to cause to be delivered
for filing the Statement of Dissolution, to give notice of the dissolution, and to take any other act necessary to wind up and liquidate
the business.
PA1 has made no payments
to vendors or other creditors in connection with the dissolution other than the payment to Pennvest set forth above. No distributions
or payments of any kind have ever been made to the Company, the sole member of PA1 since inception, and no payment will be made to the
Company or any affiliate in connection with the dissolution.
For more information regarding
the history and background of the Pennvest Loan and PA1, please review our Form’s 10-K for the years from 2008 through 2021 including
the Notes to the Financial Statements included therein.
The Company currently is not involved in any other material litigation
or similar events.
Lease:
The Company entered into an agreement on September 23, 2021, to lease approximately
four acres of land near Fair Oaks, Indiana, for the development site of its Initial Project.
The future minimum lease payment under noncancelable operating lease with
terms greater than one year as of September 30, 2022:
Schedule of future minimum lease payments
Year ended June 30, 2023
$ 43,750
Year ended June 30, 2024
75,000
Year ended June 30, 2025
31,250
Undiscounted cash flow
150,000
Less imputed interest
( 17,888 )
Total
$ 132,112
The weighted average remaining lease term and discounted rate related to
the Company’s lease liability as of September 30, 2022 were 2.33 years and 10 %, respectively. The Company’s lease discount
rate is generally based on the estimates of its incremental borrowing rate as the discount rates implicit in the Company’s lease
cannot be readily determined.
33
10. SUBSEQUENT
EVENTS :
The Company has evaluated events that occurred subsequent
to September 30, 2022 for recognition and disclosure in the financial statements and notes to the financial statements.
On October 28, 2022 the Company entered into a subscription
agreement to sell 26,230 units for $ 1.00 per unit, with each unit consisting of one share of the Company’s restricted common stock
and one warrant to purchase one share of the Company’s restricted common stock for $ 0.75 per share with an expiry date of December
31, 2024 for total proceeds of $ 26,230 .
34
ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.
Statements made in this Form 10-Q that are not
historical or current facts, which represent the Company's expectations or beliefs including, but not limited to, statements concerning
the Company's operations, performance, financial condition, business strategies, and other information, involve substantial risks and
uncertainties. The Company's actual results of operations, most of which are beyond the Company's control, could differ materially. These
statements often can be identified by the use of terms such as "may," "will," "expect," "believe,"
anticipate," "estimate," or "continue" or the negative thereof. We wish to caution readers not to place undue
reliance on any such forward looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Any forward-looking statements represent management's
best judgment as to what may occur in the future. However, forward looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and important
factors beyond our control that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from historical results of operations and events
and those presently anticipated or projected.
These factors include adverse economic conditions,
entry of new and stronger competitors, inadequate capital and limited ability to obtain financing, unexpected costs, failure (or delay)
to gain product certifications and/or regulatory approvals in the United States (or particular states) or foreign countries, loss (permanently
or for any extended period of time) of the services of members of the Company’s small core management team (many of whom are age
70 or older) and failure to capitalize upon access to new markets. Additional risks and uncertainties that may affect forward looking
statements about Bion's business and prospects include: i) delays and/or costs exceeding expectations relating to Bion's development of
the Initial Project, JVs and/or Projects, ii) the possibility that markets for nutrient reduction credits (discussed below) and/or other
ways to monetize nutrient reductions and other environmental benefits will be slow to develop (or not develop at all), iii) PA1’s
dissolution and its effect on how the Company is viewed, (if any), iv) the possibility that competitors will develop more comprehensive
and/or less expensive environmental solutions, v) delays in market awareness of Bion and our Systems, vi) uncertainties and costs increases
related to research and development efforts to update and improve Bion’s technologies and applications thereof, and/or vii) failure
of marketing strategies, each of which could have both immediate and long term material adverse effects by placing us behind our competitors
and requiring expenditures of our limited resources.
THESE RISKS, UNCERTAINTIES AND FACTORS BEYOND OUR
CONTROL ARE MAGNIFIED DURING THE CURRENT UNCERTAIN PERIOD RELATED TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND THE UNIQUE ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL, GOVERNMENTAL
AND HEALTH-RELATED CONDITIONS IN WHICH THE COMPANY, THE ENTIRE COUNTRY AND THE ENTIRE WORLD NOW RESIDE. TO DATE THE COMPANY HAS
EXPERIENCED DIRECT IMPACTS IN VARIOUS AREAS INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION: I) GOVERNMENT-ORDERED SHUTDOWNS WHICH HAVE SLOWED
THE COMPANY’S RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS AND OTHER INITIATIVES, II) SHIFTED FOCUS OF STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WHICH IS
LIKELY TO NEGATIVELY IMPACT THE COMPANY’S LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVES IN PENNSYLVANIA AND WASHINGTON DC, III) STRAINS AND UNCERTAINTIES
IN BOTH THE EQUITY AND DEBT MARKETS HAVE MADE DISCUSSION AND PLANNING OF FUNDING OF THE COMPANY AND ITS INITIATIVES AND PROJECTS WITH
INVESTMENT BANKERS, BANKS AND POTENTIAL STRATEGIC PARTNERS MORE TENUOUS, IV) STRAINS AND UNCERTAINTIES IN THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR AND
MARKETS HAVE MADE DISCUSSION AND PLANNING OF FUNDING OF THE COMPANY AND ITS INITIATIVES AND PROJECTS MORE DIFFICULT AS FUTURE INDUSTRY
CONDITIONS ARE NOW MORE DIFFICULT TO ASSESS/PREDICT, V) CONSTRAINTS DUE TO PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED IN THE GLOBAL INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY CHAIN
WHICH HAVE INCREASED ANTICIPATED PROJECT DEVELOPMENT COSTS, VI) DUE TO THE AGE AND HEALTH OF OUR CORE MANAGEMENT TEAM, MOST OF WHOM ARE
AGE 70 OR OLDER AND HAVE HAD ONE OR MORE EXISTING HEALTH ISSUES, THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC PLACES THE COMPANY AT GREATER RISK THAN WAS PREVIOUSLY
THE CASE (TO A HIGHER DEGREE THAN WOULD BE THE CASE IF THE COMPANY HAD A LARGER, DEEPER AND/OR YOUNGER CORE MANAGEMENT TEAM), AND VII)
THERE ALMOST CERTAINLY WILL BE OTHER UNANTICIPATED CONSEQUENCES FOR THE COMPANY AS A RESULT OF THE CURRENT PANDEMIC EMERGENCY AND ITS
AFTERMATH.
35
Bion disclaims any obligation subsequently to revise
any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated
or unanticipated events.
The following discussion and analysis should be
read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements filed with this Report.
BUSINESS OVERVIEW AND PLAN
Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc.'s ("Bion,"
"Company," "We," "Us," or "Our") was incorporated in 1987 in the State of Colorado. Bion’s
mission is to create extraordinary value for our shareholders and employees (all of whom own securities in the Company) while delivering
premium, sustainable products to our customers through ventures developing profitable, transparent, and sustainable solutions for livestock
agriculture.
Our patented and proprietary technology provides advanced
waste treatment and resource recovery for large-scale livestock production facilities (also known as “Concentrated Animal Feeding
Operations” or “CAFOs"). Livestock production and its waste, particularly from CAFOs, has been identified as one of the
greatest soil, air, and water quality problems in the U.S. today. Application of our third generation technology and business/technology
platform (“Gen3Tech”) can largely mitigate these environmental problems, while simultaneously improving operational/ resource
efficiencies by recovering high-value co-products from the CAFOs’ waste stream. These waste stream ‘assets’ –
nutrients and methane – have traditionally been wasted or underutilized and are the same ‘pollutants’ that today fuel
harmful algae blooms, contaminate groundwater, and exacerbate climate change.
Bion’s business model and technology platform
can create the opportunity for joint ventures s (in various contractual forms)(“JVs”) between the Company and large livestock/food/fertilizer
industry participants based upon the supplemental cash flow generated by implementation of our Gen3Tech business model, which cash flows
will support the costs of technology implementation (including servicing related debt). We anticipate this will result in substantial
long term value for Bion. In the context of such JVs, we believe that the verifiable sustainable branding opportunities (conventional
and organic) in meat will represent the single largest enhanced revenue contributor provided by Bion to the JVs (and Bion licensees).
The Company believes that the largest portion of its business with be conducted through such JVs, but a material portion may involve licensing
and or other approaches.
Bion’s Gen3 Tech was designed to capture and
stabilize these assets and produce renewable energy, fertilizer products, and clean water as part of the process of raising verifiably
sustainable livestock. All steps and stages in the treatment process will be third-party verified, providing the basis for additional
revenues, including renewable energy-related credits and, eventually, payment for ecosystem services, such as nutrient credits as described
below. The same verified data will be used to substantiate the claims of a USDA-certified sustainable brand that will support premium
pricing for the meat/ animal protein products that are produced in Bion facilities.
During the first half of 2022 Bion began marketing our sustainable
beef to retailers, food service distributors and the meat industry in the U.S. In general, the response has been favorable. During
July 2022, Bion announced a letter of intent (“Ribbonwire LOI”) to develop its first large-scale commercial project, a 15,000-head
sustainable beef cattle feeding operation together with the Ribbonwire Ranch, in Dalhart, Texas (with a provision to expand to 60,000
head) (“Dalhart Project”). The Dalhart Project (and/or other Gen3Tech beef joint venture projects) will be developed to produce
blockchain-verified, sustainable beef (with reduced the stress on cattle caused by extreme weather and temperatures and resulting higher
feed/weight gain efficiency) while remediating the environmental impacts associated usually associated with cattle CAFOs. Bion’s
patented technology will refine the waste stream into valuable coproducts that include clean water, renewable natural gas (RNG), photovoltaic
solar electricity and organic fertilizer products. We anticipate converting the Ribbonwire LOI into a definitive joint venture agreement
with Ribbonwire Ranch and creating distribution agreements with key retailers and food service distributors during the next six months.
36
Bion’s business model and technology platform can create
the opportunity for joint ventures (in various contractual forms)(“JVs”) between the Company and large livestock/food/fertilizer
industry participants based upon the supplemental cash flow generated by implementation of our Gen3Tech business model, which cash flows
will support the costs of technology implementation (including servicing related debt). We anticipate this will result in substantial
long-term value for Bion. In the context of such JVs, we believe that the verifiable sustainable branding opportunities (conventional
and organic) in meat will represent the single largest enhanced revenue contributor provided by Bion to the JVs (and, in some cases, Bion
licensees). The Company believes that the largest portion of its business with be conducted through such JVs, but a material portion may
involve licensing and or other approaches.
Bion’s Gen3Tech was designed to capture and stabilize
the assets contained in the livestock waste stream and produce renewable energy, fertilizer products, and clean water as part of the process
of raising verifiably sustainable livestock. All steps and stages in the treatment process will be third-party verified, providing the
basis for additional revenues, including renewable energy-related credits and, eventually, payment for ecosystem services, such as nutrient
credits as described below. The same verified data will be used to substantiate the claims of a USDA-certified sustainable brand that
will support premium pricing for the meat/ animal protein products that are produced in Bion facilities.
Our business plan is focused on executing multiple
agreements and letters of intent related to the “Bion Beef Opportunity” and commencing development of multiple sustainable
beef joint venture projects over the next twelve-eighteen (12-18) months while moving forward with the Initial Project (see below) and
the Dalhart Project (and/or other Gen3Tech beef joint venture projects). Bion also intends to pursue other opportunities in the livestock
industry enabled by our Gen3Tech business model. The Ribbonwire LOI announcement has generated significant interest within the livestock
industry (among ranchers, feedlot operators, farmers and other AG industry parties). We believe that this interest, combined with consumer
interest in ‘sustainable products’ and the growing enthusiasm among some livestock industry parties for environmental/sustainable/regenerative
practices, provides Bion (and its partners/venturers) with an opportunity to move forward with a truly sustainable solution in this industry
segment.
At present, there is essentially no traceable and
verifiable ‘sustainable beef’ available to the US market except for niche products. In response to consumer demand for transparency
and sustainability, Bion expects the meat industry in general, and beef specifically, to evolve towards using new technologies to deliver
these attributes in their products. While we anticipate a faster adoption of tracking, verification and sustainability technologies in
other perishable food categories like produce and dairy due to their harvest and production techniques, meat industry leaders have also
announced their willingness to move forward with initiatives in this area. Bion predicts that within approximately five years, consumers
will be able to track and verify claims including sustainability on 25% (or more) of the products merchandised in the meat department.
Bion believes that the retail market share of verifiably sustainable beef in the US will approach 7-10 % within three (3) years (end of
2025) and 25% in five (5) years (end of 2027) (approximately 2,000,000 cattle annually) (and more thereafter). If Bion can successfully
execute on its sustainable beef business plan, facilities utilizing Bion’s Gen3Tech platform will provide one-third (1/3) or more
of that premium market segment (and a higher portion of meat that is actually traceable and verifiably sustainable). Our goal is to have
multiple sustainable beef projects under development (within 3-5 distinct JVs) by the end of 2023. Our first commercial project is likely
to be the Dalhart Project but we anticipate commencing additional sustainable beef projects during 2023 as well. Our current target is
to have at least three (3) facility modules (15,000 head per module)(“Modules”) in development/under construction during 2023
in three (3) different JVs with the initial barns being populated with livestock by fall/winter 2024-25. Further expansion in the number
of distinct JVs is projected through 2025 aiming at 5-10 JVs in process --- each of which JVs will be pursuing development of multiple
Modules with targets of 12-15 populated Modules by the end of 2025 (approximately 2%-3% of the US beef market) and 30-45 Modules constructed
and populated by 2027-28 (approximately 6%-8% of the US beef market) with further expansion thereafter. Bion’s current goal is that
its Gen3Tech platform will be utilized to produce 33% of the verifiable “sustainable beef” category at the end of the period
(which will equal approximately 2 million cattle annually)(45 Modules).
During this five (5) year period, the Company also
anticipates having additional Gen3Tech projects underway in the pork/dairy/egg sectors of the US animal protein market.
37
During the next six months, the Company intends to
construct and begin operations of phase 1 of our Initial Project located near Fair Oaks, Indiana. Bion expects the Initial Project to
provide data that illustrates the effectiveness of our Gen3Tech in a commercial setting by the end of the 2 nd quarter in 2023
and supports development of the Dalhart Project (and/or other Gen3Tech beef joint venture projects) during 2023. We believe this
data will also provide additional potential stakeholders (cattle producers, cattle feeders, packers, distributors, retailers and financial
institutions) with the information they need to proceed with confidence in collaborating with Bion on multiple new projects (see below).
Bion is now focused primarily on: i) development/construction
of the Initial Project, our initial commercial-scale Gen3Tech installation, ii) development/construction of the Dalhart Project (and/or
other Gen3Tech beef joint venture projects), iii) developing applications and markets for its low carbon organic fertilizer products and
its sustainable (conventional and organic) animal protein products, and iv) discussions regarding initiation and development of agreements
and joint ventures (“JVs” as discussed below) (and related projects) based on the augmented capabilities of our Gen3Tech business
platform (in the sustainable beef and other livestock segments), while (v) continuing to pursue business opportunities related to large
retrofit projects (such as the Kreider poultry project JV described below) and vi) ongoing R&D activities.
There is no assurance that the Company will reach
or approach the goals/targets set forth above. Reaching such goals/targets will require access to very large amounts of capital (equity
and debt) as each module is projected to cost in excess of $50 million to construct and require mobilization of substantial personnel,
technical resources and management skills. The Company does not possess either the financial or personnel resources required internally
and will need to source such resources from outside itself.
For additional information regarding our ‘HISTORY,
BACKGROUND AND CURRENT ACTIVITIES’, see discussion in Notes to the Financial Statements (particularly Notes 1,3,5,and
9) included in this report and Item 1 in our annual report on Form 10-K.
COVID-19 PANDEMIC RELATED MATTERS:
The Company faces risks and uncertainties and factors
beyond our control that are magnified during the current Covid-19 pandemic and the unique economic, financial, governmental and health-related
conditions in which the Company, the country and the entire world now reside. To date the Company has experienced direct impacts in various
areas including but without limitation: i) government ordered shutdowns which have slowed the Company’s research and development
projects and other initiatives, ii) shifted focus of state and federal governments which is likely to negatively impact the Company’s
legislative initiatives in Pennsylvania and Washington D. C., iii) strains and uncertainties in both the equity and debt markets which
have made discussion and planning of funding of the Company and its initiatives and projects with investment bankers, banks and potential
strategic partners more tenuous, iv) strains and uncertainties in the agricultural sector and markets have made discussion and planning
more difficult as future industry conditions are now more difficult to assess and predict, v) constraints due to problems experienced
in the global industrial supply chain since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, which have delayed certain research and development testing
and have delayed and/or increased the cost of construction of the Company’s initial 3G Tech installation as equipment/services remain
difficult to acquire in a timely manner, vi) due to the age and health of our core management team, many of whom are age 70 or older and
have had one or more existing health issues (including brief periods of Covid-19 infection), the Covid-19 pandemic places the Company
at greater risk than was previously the case (to a higher degree than would be the case if the Company had a larger, deeper and/or younger
core management team), and vii) there almost certainly will be other unanticipated consequences for the Company as a result of the current
pandemic emergency and its aftermath.
38
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Revenue Recognition
The Company currently does not generate revenue
and if and when the Company begins to generate revenue the Company will comply with the provisions of Accounting Standards Codification
(“ASC”) 606 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers”.
Stock-based compensation
The Company follows the provisions of ASC 718,
which generally requires that share-based compensation transactions be accounted and recognized in the statement of income based upon
their grant date fair values.
Pursuant to ASC Topic 815 “Derivatives and Hedging”
(“Topic 815”), the Company reviews all financial instruments for the existence of features which may require fair value accounting
and a related mark-to-market adjustment at each reporting period end. Once determined, the Company assesses these instruments as derivative
liabilities. The fair value of these instruments is adjusted to reflect the fair value at each reporting period end, with any increase
or decrease in the fair value being recorded in results of operations as an adjustment to fair value of derivatives. As of September 30,
2022 and 2021, there are no derivative financial instruments.
Options:
The Company has issued options to employees and consultants
under its 2006 Plan to purchase common shares of the Company. Options are valued on the grant date using the Black-Scholes option-pricing
model. The expected volatility is based on the historical price volatility of the Company’s common stock. The dividend yield represents
the Company’s anticipated cash dividend on common stock over the expected term of the stock options. The U.S. Treasury bill rate
for the expected term of the stock options was utilized to determine the risk-free interest rate. The expected term of stock options represents
the period of time the stock options granted are expected to be outstanding based upon management’s estimates.
Warrants:
The Company has issued warrants to purchase common
shares of the Company. Warrants are valued using a fair value based method, whereby the fair value of the warrant is determined at the
warrant issue date using a market-based option valuation model based on factors including an evaluation of the Company’s value as
of the date of the issuance, consideration of the Company’s limited liquid resources and business prospects, the market price of
the Company’s stock in its mostly inactive public market and the historical valuations and purchases of the Company’s warrants.
When warrants are issued in combination with debt or equity securities, the warrants are valued and accounted for based on the relative
fair value of the warrants in relation to the total value assigned to the debt or equity securities and warrants combined.
Lease Accounting:
The Company accounts for leases under ASC 842, Leases (“ASC
842”). Accordingly, the Company will determine whether an arrangement contains a lease at the inception of the arrangement. If a
lease is determined to exist, the term of such lease is assessed based on the date on which the underlying asset is made available for
the Company’s use by the lessor. The Company’s assessment of the lease term reflects the non-cancelable term of the lease,
inclusive of any rent-free periods and/or periods covered by early-termination options which the Company is reasonably certain of not
exercising, as well as periods covered by renewal options which the Company is reasonably certain of exercising. The Company also determines
lease classification as either operating or finance at lease commencement, which governs the pattern of expense recognition and the presentation
reflected in the consolidated statements of operations over the lease term.
For leases with a term exceeding 12 months,
a lease liability is recorded on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet at lease commencement reflecting the present value of
its fixed minimum payment obligations over the lease term. A corresponding right-of-use (“ROU”) asset equal to the initial
lease liability is also recorded, adjusted for any prepaid rent and/or initial direct costs incurred in connection with execution of the
lease and reduced by any lease incentives received. For purposes of measuring the present value of its fixed payment obligations for a
given lease, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate, determined based on information available at lease commencement, as rates
implicit in its leasing arrangements are typically not readily determinable. The Company's incremental borrowing rate reflects the rate
it would pay to borrow on a secured basis and incorporates the term and economic environment of the associated lease.
39
THREE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2022 COMPARED
TO THE THREE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2021
Revenue
Total revenues were nil for both the three
months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021.
General and Administrative
Total general and administrative expenses
were $866,000 and $491,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Salaries and related payroll tax expenses were
$171,000 and $97,000, for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, representing a $74,000 increase. Consulting
costs were $118,000 and $152,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The $34,000 decrease in consulting
costs is due to the capitalization of Brightcap’s consulting expense to the 3G Project. Investor relations expenses were $249,000
and $86,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and the $163,000 increase is due to a new contract with
an investor relations firm and increased activity during the three months ended September 30, 2022 due to the resumption of investor conferences
and other matters. Legal costs were $8,000 and $25,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively due to less
outside legal activities in the quarter.
Depreciation
Total depreciation expense was $330 and $248 for
the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Research and Development
Total research and development expenses were $28,000
and $62,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, representing a $34,000 decrease due to less legal and
consulting costs allocated to research and development.
Salaries and related payroll tax expenses were
$3,000 and $7,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, as more salary expense was allocated to administrative
expense for the three months ended September 30, 2022. Consulting costs were $17,000 and $32,000 for the three months ended September
30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The decrease in consulting is due to capitalizing costs on the 3G project. The Company also incurred
$3,000 and $21,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively in legal costs related to patent applications
and renewals.
Loss from Operations
As a result of the factors described above, the
loss from operations was $895,000 and $553,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Other (Income) Expense
Other expense was $24,000 and $111,000 for the three months ended September
30, 2022 and 2021, respectively and was all attributed to interest expense for both periods. The decrease in interest expense is largely
due to there being no interest expense related to the Pennvest loan during the three months ended September 30, 2022 and capitalizing
interest of $31,000 to the 3G project.
Interest expense related to deferred compensation, loan payable and convertible
notes prior to capitalization was $52,000 and $112,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Interest
expense related to investor warrant modifications was $4,500 and nil for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021.
Net Loss Attributable to the Noncontrolling
Interest
The net loss attributable to the noncontrolling
interest was nil and $506 for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Net Loss Attributable to Bion’s Common
Stockholders
As a result of the factors described above, the
net loss attributable to Bion’s stockholders was $919,000 and $663,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively,
and the net loss per basic common share was $.02 and $.02 for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
40
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
The Company's consolidated financial statements for
the three months ended September 30, 2022 have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and
the settlement of liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business. The Report of our Independent Registered Public Accounting
Firm on the Company's consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended June 30, 2022 includes a "going concern"
explanatory paragraph which means that the auditors stated that conditions exist that raise substantial doubt about the Company's ability
to continue as a going concern.
Operating Activities
As of September 30,2022, the Company had cash of approximately
$1,898,000. During the three months ended September 30, 2022, net cash used in operating activities was $1,316,000, primarily consisting
of cash operating expenses related to salaries and benefits, and other general and administrative costs such as insurance, legal, accounting,
consulting and investor relations expenses as well as the purchase of property and equipment. Cash expenditures were offset by proceeds
from financing activities, primarily the exercise of warrants. As previously noted, the Company is currently not generating significant
revenue and accordingly has not generated cash flows from operations. The Company does not anticipate generating sufficient revenues to
offset operating and capital costs for a minimum of two to five years. While there are no assurances that the Company will be successful
in its efforts to develop and construct its Projects and market its Systems, it is certain that the Company will require substantial funding
from external sources. Given the unsettled state of the current credit and capital markets for companies such as Bion, there is no assurance
the Company will be able to raise the funds it needs on reasonable terms.
Investing Activities
During the three months ended September 30, 2022,
the Company invested $323,000 in the purchase of property and equipment, primarily related to project construction in process.
Financing Activities
During the three months ended September 30, 2022,
the Company received gross cash proceeds of $56,125 from the exercise of 74,834 warrants into shares of the Company’s common stock.
During the three months ended September 30, 2022,
the Company entered into subscription agreements to sell units for $1.00 per unit, with each unit consisting of one share of the Company’s
restricted common stock and one warrant to purchase one share of the Company’s restricted common stock for $0.75 per share with
an expiry date of December 31, 2024, and pursuant thereto, the Company issued 320,000 units for total proceeds of $320,000.
As of September 30, 2022, the Company has debt obligations
consisting of: a) deferred compensation of $654,000 and b) convertible notes payable – affiliates of $5,212,000.
Plan of Operations and Outlook
As of September 30, 2022, the Company had cash of
approximately $1,898,000.
The Company continues to explore sources of additional
financing to satisfy its current operating requirements as it is not currently generating any significant revenues. During fiscal
years 2022 and 2021, the Company has faced progressively less difficulty in raising equity funding (but substantial equity dilution has
resulted from the larger amounts of equity financing during the periods). However, the Company anticipates substantial increases in demands
for capital and operating expenditures as it moves toward commercial implementation of its 3G Tech and development of JVs and, therefore,
is likely to continue to face, significant cash flow management challenges due to limited capital resources and working capital constraints
which have only recently begun to be alleviated. As a result, the Company has faced, and continues to face, significant cash flow management
challenges due to material working capital constraints. To partially mitigate these working capital constraints, the Company's core
senior management and some key employees and consultants have been deferring all or part of their cash compensation and/or are accepting
compensation in the form of securities of the Company (Notes 5 and 7 to Financial Statements) and members of the Company's senior management
have from time to time made loans to the Company. During the year ended June 30, 2018 senior management and certain core employees and
consultants agreed to a one-time extinguishment of liabilities owed by the Company which in aggregate totaled $2,404,000. As of June 30
2022, such deferrals/loans totaled approximately $5,765,000 (including accrued interest and deferred compensation converted into convertible
obligations and convertible promissory notes but excluding conversions of deferred compensation into the Company's common stock by officers,
employees and consultants that have already been completed). The extended constraints on available resources have had, and continue
to have, negative effects on the pace and scope of the Company's effort to develop its business . The Company made reductions in its
personnel during the years ended June 30, 2014 and 2015 and again in 2018. The constraint on available resources has had, and continues
to have, negative effects on the pace and scope of the Company’s efforts to develop its business. The Company has had to delay payment
of trade obligations and has had to economize in many ways that have potentially negative consequences. If the Company is able to continue
its recent increased success in its efforts to raise needed funds during the remainder of the current fiscal year (and subsequent periods),
of which there is no assurance, management will not need to consider deeper cuts (including additional personnel cuts) and curtailment
of ongoing activities including research and development activities.
41
The Company will need to obtain additional capital
to fund its operations and technology development, to satisfy existing creditors, to develop the Initial Project, JVs, Projects (including
Integrated Projects) and CAFO Retrofit waste remediation systems (potentially including the Kreider 2 facility. The Company anticipates
that it will seek to raise from $20,000,000 to $80,000,000 or more (debt and equity) during the next twelve months. However, as discussed
above, there is no guarantee that we will be able to raise sufficient funds or further capital for the operations planned in the near
future.
The Company is not currently generating any significant
revenues. Further, the Company’s anticipated revenues, if any, from existing projects, JVs and proposed projects will not be sufficient
to meet the Company’s anticipated operational and capital expenditure needs for many years. During the year ended June 30, 2021
the Company raised gross proceeds of approximately $5,209,000 through the sale of its securities and paid commissions of approximately
$165,000, and anticipates raising additional funds from such sales and transactions. During the year ended June 30, 2022 the Company raised
gross proceeds for approximately $1,737,000 and paid commissions of approximately $18,600. However, there is no guarantee that we will
be able to raise sufficient funds or further capital for the operations planned in the near future.
Because the Company is not currently generating
significant revenues, the Company will need to obtain additional capital to fund its operations and technology development, to satisfy
existing creditors, to develop the Initial Project and subsequent Projects.
As indicated above, the Company anticipates that it
will seek to raise from $20,000,000 to $80,000,000 or more (from debt, equity, joint venture, strategic partnering, etc.) during the next
twelve months, some of which may be in the context of joint ventures for the development of one or more large scale projects. We reiterate
that there is no assurance, especially in the extremely unsettled capital markets that presently exist for companies such as Bion, that
the Company will be able to obtain the funds that it needs to stay in business, finance its Projects and other activities, continue its
technology development and/or to successfully develop its business.
See Item 2 below and Note 5 (“Pennvest Loan and Bion PA1 LLC (“PA1”)
Dissolution”) to the Financial Statements included in this report and the Company’s Forms 10-K for the year ended June
30, 2022 (and
the years 2009-2021) for discussion and more details related to the dissolution
of PA1, the Pennvest Loan and the
Kreider 1 project.
As indicated above, the Company anticipates that
it will seek to raise from $20,000,000 to $80,000,000 or more (from debt, equity, joint venture, strategic partnering, etc.) during the
next twelve months, some of which may be in the context of joint ventures for the development of one or more large scale projects. We
reiterate that there is no assurance, especially in the extremely unsettled capital markets that presently exist for companies such as
Bion, that the Company will be able to obtain the funds that it needs to stay in business, finance its Projects, JVs and other activities,
continue its technology development and/or to successfully develop its business.
42
There is extremely limited likelihood that funds
required during the next twelve months or in the periods immediately thereafter will be generated from operations and there is no assurance
that those funds will be available from external sources such as debt or equity financings or other potential sources. The lack of additional
capital resulting from the inability to generate cash flow from operations and/or to raise capital from external sources would force the
Company to substantially curtail or cease operations and would, therefore, have a material adverse effect on its business. Further, there
can be no assurance that any such required funds, if available, will be available on attractive terms or that they will not have a significantly
dilutive effect on the Company's existing shareholders. All of these factors have been exacerbated by the extremely limited and unsettled
credit and capital markets presently existing for companies such as Bion.
Covid-19 pandemic related matters:
The Company faces risks and uncertainties and factors
beyond our control that are magnified during the current Covid-19 pandemic and the unique economic, financial, governmental and health-related
conditions in which the Company, the country and the entire world now reside. To date the Company has experienced direct impacts in various
areas including but without limitation: i) government ordered shutdowns which have slowed the Company’s research and development
projects and other initiatives, ii) shifted focus of state and federal governments which is likely to negatively impact the Company’s
legislative initiatives in Pennsylvania and Washington D. C., iii) strains and uncertainties in both the equity and debt markets which
have made discussion and planning of funding of the Company and its initiatives and projects with investment bankers, banks and potential
strategic partners more tenuous, iv) strains and uncertainties in the agricultural sector and markets have made discussion and planning
more difficult as future industry conditions are now more difficult to assess and predict, v) constraints due to problems experienced
in the global industrial supply chain since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, which have delayed certain research and development testing
and have delayed and/or increased the cost of construction of the Company’s initial 3G Tech installation as equipment/services remain
difficult to acquire in a timely manner, vi) due to the age and health of our core management team, many of whom are age 70 or older and
have had one or more existing health issues (including brief periods of Covid-19 infection), the Covid-19 pandemic places the Company
at greater risk than was previously the case (to a higher degree than would be the case if the Company had a larger, deeper and/or younger
core management team), and vii) there almost certainly will be other unanticipated consequences for the Company as a result of the current
pandemic emergency and its aftermath.
CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS
We have the following material contractual obligations
(in addition to employment and consulting agreements with management and employees):
The Company entered into an agreement on September
23, 2021, to lease approximately four acres of land near Fair Oaks, Indiana, for the development site of its Initial Project.
The future minimum lease payment under noncancelable operating lease with
terms greater than one year as of September 30, 2022:
Year ended June 30, 2023
$ 43,750
Year ended June 30, 2024
75,000
Year ended June 30, 2025
31,250
Undiscounted cash flow
150,000
Less imputed interest
(17,888 )
Total
$ 132,112
The weighted average remaining lease term and discounted rate related to
the Company’s lease liability as of September 30, 2022 were 2.33 years and 10%, respectively. The Company’s lease discount
rate is generally based on the estimates of its incremental borrowing rate as the discount rates implicit in the Company’s lease
cannot be readily determined.
Through 3G1 the Company is in the process of developing
the Initial Project. See discussion above and in the Notes to our Financial Statements.
OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS
The Company does not have any off-balance sheet arrangements (as that term
is defined in Item 303 of Regulation S-K) that are reasonably likely to have a current or future material effect on our financial condition,
revenue or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
Not applicable.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures.
(a) Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures.
The term "disclosure controls and procedures" is defined in Rules
13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). This term refers to the controls
and procedures of a company that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it
files under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the required time periods. Our Chief Executive Officer
and Principal Financial Officer has evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operations of our disclosure controls and procedures
as of the end of the period covered by this quarterly report, and has concluded that, as of that date, our disclosure controls and procedures
were not effective at ensuring that required information will be disclosed on a timely basis in our reports filed under the Exchange Act,
as a result of the material weakness in internal control over financial reporting discussed in Item 9(A) of our Form 10-K for the year
ended June 30, 2022.
(b) Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting.
No change in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined
in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) occurred during the period covered by this report that has materially affected,
or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
43
PART II – OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings.
The Company is currently involved in no litigation matters except:
A: Website:
Domain Sale/Resolved Litigation/Hacking/Theft
On March 23,
2022 the Company entered into an agreement to sell domain name <biontech.com> and other related assets to BioNTech SE (“BNTX”)
for the sum of $950,000 (before expenses related to the transaction) which sale was closed/completed on April 2, 2022 with a one-time
gain of $902,490. The Company has been using www.bionenviro.com as its primary website (and domain) since July 2021 due to the
events described below. The Company has not been using biontech.com as its primary website since July 2021 so domain name <biontech.com>
no longer represented a core asset of the Company.
As previously reported, on
Saturday morning, July 17, 2021, our historical website domain – biontech.com – and email services were compromised
and disabled. Research indicated that an unknown party had ‘hijacked’ the domain in a theft attempt. On September 10, 2021,
the Company filed a federal lawsuit ‘in rem’ to recover the <biontech.com> domain and the unknown ‘John Doe’
who hacked and attempted to steal the website. The litigation was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of
Virginia, Alexandria Division under the heading ‘Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc., Plaintiff, vs John Doe and <biontech.com>,
Defendants’ (Case No. 1:21-cv-01034), seeking recovery of the domain name and other relief as set forth therein.
On November 19, 2021, the
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division issued an order stating that “… ORDERED,
ADJUDGED and Decreed that plaintiff Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc. (‘plaintiff) Is the lawful owner of domain name <biontech.com>
….” under the heading ‘Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc., Plaintiff, vs John Doe and <biontech.com>, Defendants’
(Case No. 1:21-cv-01034). The Company has moved the domain name <biontech.com> to a new registrar and reactivated it for the Company’s
use (paired currently with its current bionenviro.com website).
No shareholder, sensitive
or confidential information was available to be breached which has limited damages from the hack/theft to date. However, the Company’s
email operations werebeen subject disruption and expenses were incurred related to the matter including legal fees.
The Company created ‘work-arounds’
as a result. These issues have been resolved and the Company has moved our website (and email) to a new domain: bionenviro.com. Website
access is now www.bionenviro.com. To send emails to Bion personnel, one uses the same name identifier previously used, but in the
address, substitute ‘bionenviro.com’ for “biontech.com’: For example cscott@biontech.com (no longer functional)
is cscott@bionenviro.com and mas@biontech.com (no longer functional) is now mas@bionenviro.com.
44
B: Dissolution of Bion PA1, LLC (“PA1”)
PA1, the Company’s
wholly-owned subsidiary, was dissolved on December 29, 2021 on which date it owed approximately $10,010,000 under the terms of the Pennvest
Loan related to the construction of the Kreider 1 System including accrued interest and late charges totaling $2,255,802 as of that date.
Through the date of the dissolution, PA1 was a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company and its assets and liabilities were included on
the Company’s consolidated balance sheet. At September 30, 2021, PA1’s total assets were $297 and its total liabilities were
$10,154,334 (including the Pennvest Loan in the aggregate amount of $9,939,148, accounts payable of $214,235 and accrued liabilities of
$950) which sums were included in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet in its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30,
2021. Subsequent to the dissolution of PA1, its assets and liabilities are no longer consolidated and included in the Company’s
balance sheet. As of December 29, 2021, PA1’s total assets were nil and its total liabilities were $10,234,501 (including the Pennvest
Loan in the aggregate amount of $10,009,802, accounts payable of $212,263 and accrued liabilities of $12,436. The net amount of $10,234,501
was recognized as a gain on the legal dissolution of a subsidiary in other (income) expense.
As background, the terms
of the Pennvest Loan provided for funding of up to $7,754,000 which was to be repaid by interest-only payments for three years, followed
by an additional ten-year amortization of principal. The Pennvest Loan accrued interest at 2.547% per annum for years 1 through 5 and
3.184% per annum for years 6 through maturity. The Pennvest Loan required minimum annual principal payments of approximately $5,886,000
in fiscal years 2013 through 2021, and $846,000 in fiscal year 2022, $873,000 in fiscal year 2023 and $149,000 in fiscal year 2024. The
Pennvest Loan was collateralized by PA1’s Kreider 1 System and by a pledge of all revenues generated from Kreider 1 including, but
not limited to, revenues generated from nutrient reduction credit sales and by-product sales. In addition, in consideration for the excess
credit risk associated with the project, Pennvest was entitled to participate in the profits from Kreider 1 calculated on a net cash flow
basis, as defined. The Company has incurred interest expense related to the Pennvest Loan of $123,444 and $246,887 for the years ended
June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Based on the limited development of the depth and breadth of the Pennsylvania nutrient reduction
credit market, PA1 commenced discussions and negotiations with Pennvest related to forbearance and/or re-structuring the obligations under
the Pennvest Loan during 2013. In the context of such negotiations, PA1 elected not to make interest payments to Pennvest on the Pennvest
Loan since January 2013. Additionally, the PA1 did not make any principal payments, which were to begin in fiscal 2013, and, therefore,
the Company classified the Pennvest Loan as a current liability through the dissolution of PA1 on December 29, 2021.
During August 2012, the Company
provided Pennvest (and the PADEP) with data demonstrating that the Kreider 1 system met the ‘technology guaranty’ standards
which were incorporated in the Pennvest financing documents and, as a result, the Pennvest Loan has been solely an obligation of PA1 since
that date. Note, however, the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as of June 30, 2021 reflects the Pennvest Loan as a liability
of $9,868,495 despite the fact that the obligation (if any) was solely an obligation of PA1 .
On September 25, 2014, the
Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (“Pennvest”) exercised its right to declare the PA1’s Pennvest Loan
in default, accelerated the Pennvest Loan and demanded that PA1 pay $8,137,117 (principal, interest plus late charges) on or before October
24, 2014. PA1 did not make the payment and did/does not have the resources to make the payments demanded by Pennvest. PA1 commenced discussions
and negotiations with Pennvest concerning this matter but Pennvest rejected PA1’s proposal made during the fall of 2014. PA1 made
a final proposal to Pennvest during September 2021 which proposal was also rejected by Pennvest. PA1 provided Pennvest with its financial
statements (which include a description of system status) annually. During the 2021 fiscal year, Pennvest’s auditors requested a
‘corrective action plan’ and PA1 informed Pennvest that “… there is no viable corrective action plan for the
Pennvest Loan (‘Loan’). The facility funded by the Loan has been shut down for many years (which has been disclosed in the
annual financial reports to Pennvest and in public filings by the parent of Bion PA 1, LLC) and the technology utilized in the facility
is now obsolete. The facility has not been commercially operated for approximately six years and has generated zero income. We recommend
that Pennvest take appropriate steps to remove and sell the equipment.” Pennvest responded favorably to the approach of selling
the equipment.
On December 29, 2021, the
Company approved and executed a ‘Consent of the Sole Member of Bion PA 1’ (the “Consent to Dissolution”) that
authorized the complete liquidation and dissolution of PA1. A Statement of Dissolution was filed by PA1 with the Colorado Secretary of
State on December 29, 2021.The liquidation value of Bion PA 1’s property is substantially below the current amount outstanding under
the Funding Agreement dated October 27, 2010 by and between PA1 and Pennvest, the only known secured creditor of PA1. Post-dissolution,
PA1’s activities will be limited entirely to activities required to properly distribute its net assets to creditors and wind down
its business.
45
PA1 and Pennvest agreed to
have the equipment sold by a third party auctioneer who arranged for the sale of its property and delivery of all proceeds (net
of commissions and customary costs of sale) to Pennvest. The auction took place during the period of May 13-18, 2022. The Company’s
personnel assisted PA1 with this process as needed at no cost to PA1. The net sum of $104,725 was realized from the asset sale, which
sum was delivered to Pennvest on June 15, 2022. Pursuant to agreement with Pennvest and Kreider Farms, the remaining unsold assets have
been transferred to Kreider Farms in order to complete the winding up of the Kreider 1 project.
Upon the complete distribution
of all assets of PA1, whether by transfer or sale and distribution of net proceeds as provided above, PA1 will use commercially reasonable
efforts to cause the cessation of all activities. No distributions of PA1’s assets will be made to the Company or its affiliates.
The Consent to Dissolution authorized Mark A. Smith, the Company’s President and the sole manager of PA1, to cause to be delivered
for filing the Statement of Dissolution, to give notice of the dissolution, and to take any other act necessary to wind up and liquidate
the business.
PA1 has made no payments
to vendors or other creditors in connection with the dissolution other than the payment to Pennvest described above. No distributions
or payments of any kind have ever been made to the Company, the sole member of PA1, since inception and no payment will be made to the
Company or any affiliate in connection with the dissolution.
For more information regarding the history and background
of the Pennvest Loan and PA1, please review our Form’s 10-K for the years from 2008 through 2021 including the Notes to the Financial
Statements included therein.
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Not applicable.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity
Securities and Use of Proceeds.
During the quarter ended September 30,
2022, the Company sold the following restricted securities: a) 100,000 shares of common stock issued pursuant to our 2006 Consolidated
Incentive Plan (“Plan”) upon the conversion of debt, b) 50,000 shares issued to entities for services valued at $80,000 c)
74,834 shares of common stock issued pursuant to exercise of 78,834 warrants at $0.75/warrant and the Company received gross proceeds
of $56,126 and d) the Company sold 320,000 units at $1.00 per unit consisting of one share of the Company’s restricted common stock
and one warrant to purchase one share of the Company’s restricted common stock at $1.25 until December 31, 2023 and received
gross proceeds of $320,000. All of these transactions the Company relied on the exemptions in Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended, and/or under Rule 506 of Regulation D under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. See Notes to Financial Statements (included
herein) for additional details.
The proceeds
were utilized for general corporate purposes.
Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities.
Not applicable.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not applicable.
Item 5. Other Information.
Not applicable.
Item 6. Exhibits.
(a)
Exhibits required by Item 601 of Regulation S-K.
Exhibit
Incorporated by Reference
Filed/Furnished
No.
Description
Form
Exhibit
Filing Date
Herewith
31.1*
Certification of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
X
31.2*
Certification of Principal Accounting Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
X
32.1**
Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
X
32.2**
Certification of Principal Accounting Officer Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
X
101.INS*
Inline XBRL Instance Document - the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document.
X
101.SCH*
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
X
101.CAL*
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
X
101.DEF*
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
X
101.LAB*
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
X
101.PRE*
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
X
104*
Inline XBRL for the cover page of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, included in the Exhibit 101 Inline XBRL Document Set.
X
*
Filed herewith.
**
Furnished herewith.
46
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
BION ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Date: November 14, 2022
By:
/s/ Mark A. Smith
Mark A. Smith, President and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
Date: November 14, 2022
By:
/s/ William O’Neill
William O’Neill, Chief Executive Officer
47
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.