BIOLOGICALS

How do we sell them and who do we trust?

Biological crop input products for Western Canada are not a new topic, but they have been given a new life through the development of new products that could actually change the face of agriculture, as well as the desire from farmers to find new solutions to help boost crop production.

Biologicals have a history of being just another product to add to the pile, sometimes like “snake oil” and not considered a real solution. However, the technology with many of these products has HOW do we sell them, and who do we trusT? come a long way in the last 20 years, and they are poised to be the way of the future.

This advancement in biological technology has seen a boost in market production. Biologicals are projected to represent approximately 25 per cent of the overall crop protection market by 2035 with manufacturers of these products are coming out of the woodwork, and there are still questions about which products can be trusted.

“(Biologicals) can be effective at increasing crop grain yields, but their efficacy depends on the types of products,” claimed Connor Sible from the University of Illinois at the 2023 Ontario Agriculture Conference.

The majority of biologicals available currently fit into three main categories: biostimulants, biocontrols, and bionutrients.

Biostimulants are products that enhance plant growth, health, and productivity or provide other direct or indirect benefits to a plant’s development. Biostimulant products include adjuvants, amino acids, chitin/chitosan, biochemical materials, fulvic acid, microbial inoculants, and plant growth regulators.

Biocontrols are products that protect against or are used to directly control fungal and bacterial pathogens, insect pests, or weeds.

Bionutrients are microbial-based products that are used for fixing nitrogen, to improve nutrient availability and uptake, and to promote plant growth.

These types of products are not being positioned as a replacement to their non-bio counterpart. Each is meant to enhance the efficacy of other products, sustain the soil through natural processes, and give plants the best chance at thriving as they would in the ideal natural circumstances.

Being more efficient is going to become increasingly important in the decades to come. New tools are required to enhance global productivity to achieve the next level of sustainable crop production.

A survey from Corteva Agrisciences in 2023, answered by nearly 800 producers across Canada, showed that 95 per cent of farmers said sustainable crop inputs were important to them and 75 per cent said they were either using or were interested in learning more about biological and biostimulant products.

“Farmers are reading more about biologicals, they are seeing research results, and they are also seeing well-respected companies involved with biologicals, which helps to increase their level of trust,” Kristen Ratzlaff, seed applied technology leader with Corteva, told Grainews in August 2023.

From the actual farmer perspective, it seems like on paper they are hopeful, but in the end, it’s all about the truth and proof of the product’s efficacy. “As long as the product consistently increases yield, I’m all for it,” says Eric Loewen, a farmer in the Riverton, Manitoba area, which is the sentiment shared by most farmers.

So how can farmers sift through the barrage of new biological products coming their way?

It’s simple. Stick to what you know. Top global innovation manufacturers (Syngenta, Corteva Agriscience/Stoller Enterprises, FMC) have new biological products on the market.

With 11 research facilities across Canada and $4 million going into research and development each day, Corteva Agriscience along with their newly acquired Stoller Enterprises creates products to support Western Canadian agriculture; they are a name you can trust.

Syngenta promises their products are “Backed by science and proven through rigorous field testing.”

These companies are investing millions of dollars into biologicals, because there is something there. Crop input product manufacturers are working toward developing biological products to support the future of agriculture. Dealers and farmers will look to the future, as well.