With 27 companies already engaged and interested, The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) has announced its Biostimulant Certification Program at its InfoAg event.
Ed Thomas, TFI vice president of government affairs, explains the goal of the program is to provide a single application for all 50 states’ registrations and demonstrate the manufacturers have gone the extra mile. It isn’t measuring or certifying performance claims or efficacy. This program is inline with the structure of the CPDA’s adjuvant certification program.
The four takeaways of the biostimulant certification are:
- It’s voluntary
- It’s industry-driven, developed by the industry
- It does not certify efficacy
- It certifies the testing methods; demonstrates the product meets conformance standards for efficacy, safety and composition
Once applications are approved, the companies and products will be listed to an online directory hosted by TFI. In addition to being listed online, those products will also be given a distinct logo/marking to include on the packaging to show growers that the product has gone through the process of being certified.
The idea for this certification specific to biostimulants started in 2019. The development of the certification was driven by removing subjectivity from this certification.
The application will be accompanied by guidelines for efficacy, composition and safety; efficacy workbook; product performance lab testing; guidelines to support product composition; safety conformance guidance; sample guidance statements of conformance; and label examples.
Thomas says the application allows manufacturers to support their efficacy claims in two ways: research reports or literature.
The application is open to all manufacturers, however, TFI members receive a discount on the program pricing.
[InfoAg will be rebranded Agronomy Conference & Expo, Aug. 12 to 14, 2024, which will take place in St. Louis]
