Loveland and Ascribe Bioscience Expand Collaboration
Loveland Products and Ascribe Bioscience are continuing their work together in the U.S. market - which began in 2023 - to include additional proprietary Phytalix premixes.
Phytalix is a biofungicide derived from small molecules in the soil microbiome that prime the plant’s innate defenses. It offers broad-spectrum disease control and improved plant health.
“Phytalix’s compatibility with existing crop protection products represents a breakthrough for biological solutions, allowing us to deliver products that are more effective across millions of acres in the U.S.,” says Casey McDaniel, vice president of Loveland Products.
Jay Farmer, co-founder and CEO of Ascribe Bioscience adds, “We’ve seen outstanding field performance from Phytalix-based combinations and has the potential to have real economic value for growers.”
This collaboration is part of a broader effort by Nutrien Ag Solutions to build a differentiated portfolio of proprietary crop protection products through its Loveland Products brand. Product submissions to the EPA in the U.S. are anticipated by the end of 2025.
Research Partnership Evaluates Digital Agronomic Solutions
A partnership between DigiFarmz and Agrellus will provide large-scale field trials to validate the use of DigiFarmz’ agronomic recommendations.
The collaboration began as a way to help DigiFarmz to expand its technology to the states of Iowa and Illinois. Agrellus will oversee the trials and measure the agronomic and economic benefits of the platform’s digital recommendations compared to traditional farming practices.
The trials will include supervised product application, technical visits through the whole season, qualitative and quantitative data collection at different crop stages and a comparative analysis of results. The plots will be significantly larger than those typically used in conventional research.
Agrellus will provide monthly updates, consolidating the findings into a certified final report. DigiFarmz, in turn, will grant access to its platform, and provide training and technical support to ensure the proper implementation of its technology in the trials.
This project aligns with ongoing research conducted at the University of Tennessee, the University of Illinois, and with farmers associated with WHIN (WHIN | Northwest Central Indiana Community Partnerships Inc.).
