Biologicals

Beyond the Surfactant: Product Focuses on Water Optimization

Thu, 14 May 2026 17:08:30 GMT

Huma has announced the California registration of Surf-Max, a next-generation water optimizer and surfactant designed to help growers “make every drop count” amid tightening water allocations. Moving beyond traditional surfactants, Surf-Max is positioned as a water efficiency optimizer that reduces surface tension by 50%, ensuring moisture and nutrients reach the root zone instead of pooling or evaporating.

Official California Registration

The most significant news is that Surf-Max is now registered for use in California. This opens up access to 9.6 million acres of irrigated land where water scarcity is an issue. While previously available in other parts of the West and Southwest, this registration allows Huma to target the high-value specialty crop market in California directly.

Data-Driven Results: 7 Years of Significant Water Savings

The product is backed by a substantial seven-year research study from Spain (Agron) that demonstrated a 10% to 30% reduction in water use while maintaining consistent yields.

“Previously, this product was mainly marketed a surfactant, and then there’s been some recent research that’s come out of our distributor in Spain that says, holy cow, it’s really a water efficiency utilization tool,” says Fred Nichols, executive vice president, chief sales & marketing officer.

Specific highlights include:

22% water savings in lettuce
20% water savings in olives
15% water savings in tomatoes

“Making Water Wetter” with Micro Carbon Technology

Nichols describes the product as a “water efficiency optimizer” rather than just a traditional surfactant.

“There’s all kinds of surfactants on the market, and a lot of times, it’s the lowest price wins. This is not that. This is something totally different thanks to the Micro Carbon Technology,” Nichols says.

Powered by Huma’s proprietary Micro Carbon Technology, Surf-Max reduces water surface tension by 50%. This prevents pooling, puddling, and evaporation, instead creating a “wetting bulb” that moves water and nutrients horizontally and vertically into the root zone (down to about 15 inches).

“It’s a two-for-one. It’s a water optimizer, while being an excellent carrier with our humic-based liquid carrier. It delivers what you want, where you want it. And when you put that on with your fertigation, it will not pool, it will not puddle, which leads to higher evaporation,” Nichols says.

Enhanced Nutrient Density & ROI

Beyond hydration, the product acts as a high-efficiency carrier that improves nutrient uptake. Field results showed significant increases in nutrient density for processed tomatoes, including:

50% increase in phosphorus
28% increase in copper
11-17% increase in iron and manganese

Small Dose, Big Impact: One Pint Per Acre

Surf-Max is designed for modern irrigation systems, including drip tape and pivots, without the risk of clogging or equipment damage. It features an low use rate of just one pint per acre, making it an eco-friendly and cost-effective solution for growers looking to maximize their return on investment (ROI).

“This is an eco-friendly, biodegradable product that is a great fit for fertigation,” Nichols says.

Strategic Evolution for Huma

This launch represents a shift in Huma’s brand positioning. By moving beyond traditional soil amendments into “water optimization,” Huma is broadening its portfolio to provide diverse, technology-driven solutions for the “today’s reality” of restricted water allocations.

“In the past, this product was a modest product for us. But with the new registration, the long-term study from our distributor, and our better placement in market, we are changing the reach of this product,” Nichols says.

Soybean Gall Midge Emerges As Top-Tier Threat

Mon, 11 May 2026 20:19:27 GMT

Soybean gall midge is no longer just a curiosity or annoyance for many Midwest farmers. The pest is chewing into yield and profitability for soybean growers across parts of at least seven states – Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota.

Iowa State University Entomologist Erin Hodgson reports the pest’s footprint is significant, present in at least 42% of the 45.4 million acres of soybeans farmers harvested across the seven states in 2025.

“At least 19 million soybean acres are potentially impacted by this pest,” Hodgson says, noting that the pest continues to spread. Eight new counties were confirmed in 2025, with five of those being in Iowa .

According to a recent farmer survey led by University of Nebraska Entomologist Doug Golick, the pest has become a major threat in parts of Nebraska. “In the last year or two, soybean gall midge is approaching as near high of concern as herbicide-resistant weeds for survey respondents,” Golick says.

Since 2018, the soybean gall midge has spread to 185 total counties in seven states, including five new counties in Iowa this past year, according to Erin Hodgson, Iowa State University Extension entomologist and professor.

(Erin Hodgson)

Look For Small Orange Or White Larvae

Damage from the insect starts at the base of the soybean plants, largely out of sight. Adult midges emerge from the ground in May and June, then seek out tiny fissures in young soybean plants near the soil line to lay eggs, according to Thales Rodrigues da Silva, a master’s student at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

The larvae cause severe, localized yield losses from 20% to 100% loss along field edges and 17% to 50% reductions in entire fields average under heavy infestation, according to University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Extension. The larvae – small, orange worm-like pests – feed inside the base of the stem, causing plants to wither, die, and lodge (break), with damages sometimes extending 100+ feet into fields. Scouting for the pest should occur after the second trifoliate (V2) growth stage, according to the Crop Protection Network.

This damage in a soybean plant at the soil level shows the result of soybean gall midge larvae feeding.

(University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension)

Because the pest often feeds along field edges, the damage in affected plants is often mistaken for issues caused by compaction or herbicide injury, according to Stine Seed Company .

To confirm the pest’s presence, Stine agronomists recommend digging up compromised soybean plants and splitting open the stem. If white or orange larvae are found feeding within the inner layers, growers should check the Soybean Gall Midge Alert Network tracking system to determine whether the pest has been reported in their area. Next, they should contact their local Extension specialist to help confirm the diagnosis and report the finding if their county is not yet documented in their area.

Cultural Practices Show Promise

Unfortunately, there are few strategies to manage and control soybean gall midge, according to Tony Lenz, Stine technical agronomist.
With no labeled, consistently effective in-season insecticide program and no established treatment threshold, researchers are testing cultural and mechanical tactics that might give farmers at least partial relief.

Tillage ahead of planting — a tough sell in no-till systems — shows some promise in reducing early infestations in current-year soybean fields.

“Turns out that disking alone, at least in (our) study… did reduce infestation,” says Justin McMechan an entomologist and associate professor at UNL.

“There’s a significant reduction as we move from no-till to that… where it’s just disked and planted into, and then disking and hilling (a practice used in growing potatoes), which really is effective, because you’re covering up the infestation site,” McMechan adds.

He notes that even subtle changes in seedbed shape may help by covering fissures or altering microclimates at the stem base.

On planters running row cleaners, McMechan says adjustments at field edges might be one of the more accessible tools.

“There are not huge differences, but they are statistically significant,” he adds.

Field edge management has been another area of experimentation, including mowing or managing dense vegetation next to infested fields. Results are mixed, but McMechan says there are situations where mowing modestly cuts pressure.

“Nebraska saw on occasion where mowing would reduce infestation and lead to marginal yield benefit… we’re talking like 6-bushel differences,” he says, adding that weather and nearby corn canopy can override those gains.

There are no insecticides currently available to control soybean gall midge. A combination of cultural practices and mechanical efforts is likely the best option, for now, to stop or slow the pest.

(Justin McMechan)

Scientists Evaluate ‘Out-Of-The-Box’ Practices

Other work by researchers is pushing even further outside the box to find control measures. At UNL, graduate research assistant Kristin Heinrichs Stark is testing whether a biodegradable surface barrier called BioWrap can physically trap larvae in the soil and prevent emergence.

The work is early-stage and raises reasonable questions about cost and field-scale application rates, but it points to the kind of layered, non-chemical tactics Extension researchers say will likely be needed to address the pest.

Even as these cultural and physical strategies are developed, Hodgson reminds farmers that the ag industry still lacks any clear control option once larvae are inside the soybean stem.

“We really don’t have a treatment threshold, or a rescue treatment option at this time,” she says. “We know that the soybean gall midge certainly can cause yield losses, plant death, and that directly relates to yield. But we don’t really have great answers on like, how many plants does it take? How many larvae per plant (causes yield loss)?”

For now, farmers dealing with soybean gall midge are being asked to combine careful field scouting, crop rotation, and targeted cultural tactics to address the pest as the research community races to find answers and close those gaps.

Specialists from three Midwest universities provided the latest updates on soybean gall midge (SGM) this spring in a webinar, available at the link below:

Can Biologicals Fill The Gap From Reduced Fertilizer Use?

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 20:04:34 GMT

As thin margins and high fertilizer costs squeeze budgets, many corn and soybean growers are asking a hard question this spring: can biological products help out and pay their way in the field?

The answer depends on the goal, according to Connor Sible, University of Illinois field researcher and associate professor.

“Is the goal to get more out of what we’re already doing, enhance the yield in an already pretty intensive, progressive system?” he asks. “Or, are we trying to reduce inputs and then make up for that by maintaining yields with a biological?”

Sible studies high-yield corn and soybean systems and has spent years looking at how biologicals fit into real-world management. He says profitability hinges on getting a biological and a farming system to match. He offers two trains of thought on reaching a return-on-investment (ROI).

1. The Yield Response: Achieving a direct yield increase to offset the product cost.
2. The Efficiency Response: Improving nutrient uptake to maintain yields while reducing traditional inputs.

That framework for biological use underpinned the discussion during an Illinois Soybean Growers webinar on Tuesday: “Stretching Every Pound: Using Biologicals to Maximize Fertility During Input Shortages.” The program was hosted by the University of Illinois and Valent Biosciences.

Drew Harmon, Valent technical agronomist, provided an overview of row-crop farmers’ persistent struggles with accessing and covering the cost of fertilizer going into the 2026 season. He referenced recent American Farm Bureau and Bushel surveys showing the struggle underway across the Corn Belt and how the strain on farmers is changing their behavior.

(AFBF)

Nearly one-third of farmers Bushel surveyed said they will be doing more to manage costs and inputs this season.

(Bushel, Valent BioSciences)

“A lot of people are considering cutting their fertilizer by about 25%,” Harmon says. He reports that on his own farm, where soil tests are “on the higher end of a maintenance plan,” he and his tenant “decided to cut back our P and K by about a third this year.”

Cutting back fertilizer raises a practical question: how do crops still access enough nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) to perform and meet yield expectations?

One potential answer, Harmon and Sible say, is to use arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, or AMF, especially where phosphorus rates are being reduced.

Harmon explains that mycorrhizal fungi are essentially a beneficial relationship that the fungi have with a host crop such as corn or soybeans. The root system supplies carbon through root exudates and, “in return for that carbon, the mycorrhizal fungi exchange nutrients and water.”

Applied as a seed treatment or in-furrow, AMF spores germinate in response to root exudates and colonize roots, then spread out as fine hyphae – branching, thread-like filaments – through the soil. That network effectively enlarges the rooting zone.

“Utilizing the mycorrhizal hyphae can expand the amount of surface area that [the crop] has to interact with, and it can expand that area by upwards of 50%,” Harmon says. “What that does is increase the opportunities for P and K uptake through diffusion, and it also allows greater access to soil water.”

In fields with lighter soils or facing recurring drought stress, that extended reach can be important. Even as much of the Midwest moves out of formal drought classification, according to the most recent U.S. Drought Monitor, Harmon notes that “we still can get those stretches of heat stress or stretches of flash drought… where we can see strain on our plants for needing water.”

Harmon also lays out an economic example for a typical two-year corn–soybean rotation under a biennial maintenance plan for phosphorus and potassium.

Using removal rates, yield estimates and recent DAP and potash prices, he calculates that a 25% reduction in P and K could offer “savings of mid-$40-ish per acre over a two-year period.”

The cost of using AMF in that scenario, he says, is about $6 per crop or just under $13 per acre over two years.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are essentially a beneficial relationship that the fungi have with a host crop such as corn or soybeans. The root system supplies carbon through root exudates and, “in return for that carbon, the mycorrhizal fungi exchange nutrients and water,” according to Drew Harmon, technical services representative for Valent Biosciences.

(Valent)

“AMF can be a potentially economical tool that could help increase nutrient uptake efficiency for the P and K that we’re reducing,” Harmon says, “while still protecting yield and preserving the majority of the fertilizer savings that you were looking to do.”

Harmon and Sible emphasize, however, that biologicals are not replacements for good agronomy—or for basic fertility.

“I don’t know a biological today that will fix a pH,” Sible says, as a for instance. “If we have a pH issue in the system, we probably need to resolve that before we go looking at new practices.”

A similar principle applies to nitrogen. Sible says nitrogen-fixing products can be useful as “a third source” of N, but they do not remove the need for a sound base rate.

“We often see an early-season biomass bump and higher kernel number potential [resulting from the biological product],” he says.

But to turn that into yield, the corn plant must have the nutrient resources to fill ears, which means adequate nitrogen and in-season management such as late fungicide use and/or supplemental nutrients.

For many farmers, another option this season for consideration is organic acids. Such products are positioned as biostimulants that support nutrient use efficiency, improve stress tolerance, and contribute to early growth.

Across both AMF and organic acids, Sible reminds growers that many biologicals are living tools, whether bacteria or fungi, and must be managed that way.

“A happy plant probably indicates happy microbes. Just like we need good conditions for plant growth, we need good conditions for microbial growth,” he says. “Plants need water, microbes need water. Plants need nutrients, microbes need nutrients.”
Harmon offers a similar caution on having the right set of expectations for using a biological.

“These products are not silver bullets,” he says. “They’re not fertilizer. They’re not going to [deliver] crazy amounts of yields. The majority of time you’re seeing it [improve] somewhere around 5% to 7% if you do see a biological response.”

Maryland Farmer Turns Stringent Fertilizer Restrictions Into An Opportunity To Innovate

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 19:15:34 GMT

On the Delmarva Peninsula, where every pound of fertilizer applied is regulated, Maryland farmer Temple Rhodes is rebuilding his corn production system from the ground up — literally.

“We are in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, so all eyes are on us,” Rhodes says. “I am 50 miles from Baltimore, 50 miles from D.C., 67 miles from Philadelphia. We are in a hotbed of regulation.”

For the past 25-plus years, Chestnut Manor Farms has operated under a state-mandated nutrient management plan that caps how much nitrogen and phosphorus can be applied. Rhodes says participating in the program is not voluntary.

“It is forced on us with no incentive. You just have to do it,” he says. “So, we have to reinvent ourselves. We have to start looking at other ways to do things.”

Rhodes grows corn, soybeans and wheat, along with a few acres of grain sorghum. He also runs a cow-calf operation and backgrounds a couple hundred head of steers each winter on cover crops. The diversity helps, but the real transformation is happening in how he feeds his 1,700-acre corn crop.

From Front-Loading To Spoon-Feeding

For years, the standard practice was to front-load fertilizer before planting and hope enough stayed in place through the growing season. Under tighter rules and scrutiny, Rhodes says that approach no longer works.

“We used to put 100% of our nitrogen up front, then plant a crop on it and expect it to be there all along,” he says. “That is where we find out we are making a mistake. We are limited in how much fertility we can put on, so we better get it on at the right time, in the right place, or we are going to run out.”

Today, Chestnut Manor relies on what Rhodes describes as a systematic, layered approach that can include planter-applied fertilizer (in-furrow and 2x2 programs), split in-season applications of nitrogen, extensive cover crops and biologicals.

“When you take a systematic approach to all these things, it becomes a different animal,” Rhodes says.

Most of his corn is grown using a strip-till system with strips built in the spring. State rules prevent him from applying fertilizer in the fall, so he must work ahead of the planter using modest rates of nitrogen and then follow up with in-season applications.

“My end goal is to grow 225 bushels per acre,” he says. “I am going to put about 0.7 pounds of nitrogen per bushel on my crop. I can get away with that if I spoon-feed it correctly. If I put it all down up front, I am going to need about 1.25 pounds. I’m saving a lot of fertility by doing it this way.”

Rhodes says Maryland’s regulatory framework ensures he stays within strict application limits. The state’s phosphorus usage tool combines soil samples, yield history, location and soil type into an algorithm that dictates what farmers can apply.

“You put your soil samples in, you put your yield goal in, and it spits out what you can put on,” Rhodes says. “If you say your yield goal is 250 bushels but your APH is only 180, that is not how it works. Your APH and your yield goal have to be very similar, or you are not going to get to put on what you want. They are going to tell you what you can put on. Period.”

A New Technology Takes Root

Working under those constraints, Rhodes has become aggressive about testing new technologies that promise better nutrient efficiency and stronger root systems. Not one to be painted into a corner, Rhodes stays open to all ideas of what could work within the state’s mandated parameters. One of those is a biostimuant from NewLeaf Symbiotics.

The product is a non-GMO, naturally occurring bacteria known as PPFMs (Pink-Pigmented Facultative Methylotrophs), often called “M-trophs”. The PPFM-powered biostimulant is designed to improve crop yield, nutrient uptake, and stress tolerance, according to NewLeaf.

In the process of trialing the product, Rhodes shared the technology with XtremeAg, a group of seven farmers across the country who rigorously test new technologies in different environments.

“If we can test a product at multiple locations — a guy from Iowa, a guy from Maryland, a guy down South — and it works across everybody, that is big,” Rhodes says. “It is huge, because what works for me might not work for the guy in the Midwest. It all goes back to soil type and environment.”

Rhodes says what he was looking for from the biostimulant was stress mitigation and nutrient scavenging that can improve his current foundation for the future.

“I need a massive root system that can go out and get more nutrients, because I am limited on how many nutrients I can put on,” he says. “If I build a plant that scavenges more, that is a home run for us.”

Cutting Irrigation And Boosting Biomass

Rhodes farms a mix of acres, with about 25% irrigated and 75% dryland. After the first year of trialing the NewLeaf technology he found he didn’t need to run his irrigation system as frequently.

“The root system and the plant that it makes, I do not have anywhere near the stress,” he says. “When it’s hot and dry we would normally run the irrigation system, but I found I do not need to put on as much water.”

With irrigation costing about $125 per acre, every pass he eliminates adds up to a significant savings.

“If I make 12 passes a year, I can save $10 an acre just by not turning it on one time,” he says.

Beyond water savings, Rhodes estimates he is getting 30% more biomass in the plants.

“We actually cut corn stalks off at the ground and weighed them. We did not even measure the roots — just the plant itself. Thirty percent more biomass than my grower standard practice,” he says.

The biomass offers a payoff for grain production and nutrients for his cattle operation.

“I chop silage, so if I can add 30% more, that is 30% fewer acres I need to chop,” he reports. “It costs me by the acre, so 30% less is massive. And the nutrients in that plant are higher than in my grower standard practice. It all follows each other.”

Learning Curve And Next Steps

While the product delivers more biomass and higher yields, it did create new management challenges. Rhodes discovered the downside of building a much bigger plant on a tight nitrogen budget.

“In my system, I put about 30% of my nitrogen needs down with my strip till. I plant on top of it, everything looks great, it makes this massive system — and then I end up running out of nitrogen later in the season,” he recalls.

He spotted the problem at harvest, with many ears showing considerable tip-back of an inch or two. Rhodes figures the crop just “outran” his nitrogen program. Even so, the fields containing the experimental treatment still out-yielded his standard fields by an average of 11 bushels per acre.

The experience pushed him to rethink nitrogen application timing and total rate.

“I’m pulling some of the front-end nitrogen out and putting it into reproduction, so I do not run out at the end,” he says. “Instead of 0.7 pounds per bushel, maybe I can go to 0.8 or 0.9, maybe even one-to-one, and still be efficient because of what this product is doing.”

The results from the past two years of field testing are strong enough that Rhodes is no longer treating the technology as a small trial.
“We plant about 1,700 acres of corn, so it’s going on every acre of corn,” he says.

On a tightly regulated farm in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, Rhodes is betting that bigger roots, smarter fertilizer use and careful experimentation with nutrients will keep his operation profitable — all while staying within the rules.

Cut Through The Biological Noise To Find Real ROI

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 21:05:02 GMT

Biologicals are booming across the agricultural landscape, propelled by a surge of new products and high-octane promises. Yet, when the invoice arrives, farmers are often left with this nagging question: Did I actually need that?

University of Illinois field researcher and assistant professor Connor Sible is on a mission to provide clarity. Drawing on a decade-plus of in-field study in corn and soybean systems, Sible offers a farmer-first filter to cut through the marketing noise. His research is helping growers determine where these tools offer a reliable return on investment — and where they fall flat.

“Start with your agronomy, then decide if a biological adds value on top,” he advises. “They’re not a shortcut around good fundamentals.”

One of the key reasons why farmers struggle to cut through the noise and identify which biological products will work for them results from the shear number of biological products in the marketplace. Another challenge is what this class of products is called. Academia and regulators use the term biostimulants. Ag media, companies and most farmers increasingly use the broader term biologicals.

The 2025 crop biostimulant list was capped at 450 companies. Sible notes that most companies offer multiple products, so if the chart were redrawn by product labels instead of company logos, it would “get out of control pretty quickly.” In his own review of just row-crop (corn, wheat, soy) products, he examined 155 products and found 139 unique microbial species used as active ingredients.

(Connor Sible Presentation)

The Baseline: Deliver on Fundamentals

For all the excitement surrounding biologicals, Sible encourages farmers to focus on unglamorous agronomic foundations first. He describes biologicals as next-step inputs; they can sharpen a high-performing cropping system, but they will not rescue one built on outdated practices.

“I do not know of a biostimulant or biological today that will fix your pH,” Sible says. “If you’ve got a soil pH issue, fix that first. Same with drainage, and same with using the same hybrid you’ve used for six years just because it’s still available.”

The Logistics: Is it Dead or Alive?

Once the fundamentals are solid, Sible says a practical next step is to consider whether a product is living or non-living.

Beneficial microbes — such as nitrogen-fixers, phosphorus-solubilizers, residue degraders, and many seed-applied inoculants — are alive. Many biostimulants — including humic and fulvic acids, certain enzymes, and kelp- or marine-based formulations — are not.

That distinction isn’t just academic; it determines whether a product has any chance of working by the time it reaches your field.

“If you’re buying something living, you’re buying a responsibility,” Sible says. “You have to keep it alive from delivery to application.”

He urges farmers to evaluate their shop conditions: Can you provide temperature stability? Is the product sitting against an uninsulated exterior wall? If the logistics of babysitting a living organism do not fit your management style, Sible suggests using only non-living biostimulants.

Nutrient Efficiency: Boosting Nitrogen

Few biological categories have generated as much buzz as nitrogen fixers. Sible’s work suggests they can play a role — but not the one many farmers might first imagine.

For a typical corn crop, about half the nitrogen comes from applied fertilizer and about half from soil organic matter and mineralization.

Biological N fixers are best thought of as a third source of nitrogen, he says, helping to cover shortfalls when fertilizer is lost or tied up, or soil mineralization doesn’t keep pace with crop demand.

From his data on a 230-bushel corn crop, the key number is 7 pounds of nitrogen per acre per day. That’s how much the plant must take up every day for about three weeks at peak demand. At 300 bushels, that jumps to around 9 pounds per acre per day. One of the questions farmers need to ask their retailer on a nitrogen-fixing biological they’re considering is, how much will it help provide during the key periods of demand?

Corn requires significant amounts of nitrogen during key growth stages to deliver a 230-bushel corn crop. The demand makes it hugely challenging for a biological to deliver sufficient N as a standalone product.

(Connor Sible)

Sible makes two critical points:

Don’t cut N and expect a biological to fully replace it.
When growers drop early-season nitrogen in hopes that microbes will fill the gap, his team often sees corn respond by reducing kernel set. The yield ceiling falls before the biological has time to colonize and contribute.
Placement and mode of action matter.
Products marketed as N fixers don’t all work the same way. Some colonize roots externally, some live inside the plant as endophytes, and some may enhance N assimilation rather than truly fixing atmospheric N. That affects:
- Whether they’re best applied in-furrow, on-seed or foliar.
- What they can be tank-mixed with.
- When they’ll begin supplying nitrogen.

Farmers trialing N-fixing products this season should treat them as insurance or a supplement and not a license to slash N rates across the board, Sible advises.

Phosphorus-Solubilizing Microbes

Soils often hold a high volume of total phosphorus, but much of it is locked in forms plants cannot access. Certain microbes can free up this nutrient by secreting weak organic acids that chelate soil cations away from phosphate.

In field trials, the most consistent benefits occurred when microbes were supplied in-furrow or very near the roots and applied alongside phosphorus fertilizer. Using “difference methods” to track uptake, Sible reports that baseline efficiencies often sat between 4% and 7%. With a P-solubilizing product, that jumped to the 7% to 11% range in some environments.

“It’s still not great, but it nearly doubled our efficiency in some environments,” he says. However, he cautions that cutting fertilizer back significantly and expecting microbes to “mine” the difference is not a reliable strategy.

The Carbon Battle: Residue Management

Residue degradation is where Sible sees some of the strongest opportunities for biologicals, especially in high-yield or no-till systems.

Every 10 bushels of corn adds about 440 pounds of residue; over a decade, a yield gain of 25 bushels can mean an extra half-ton of residue per acre.

The challenge is the high carbon-to-sulfur ratio in corn stalks, which ties up nutrients. Sible’s research has found that biological degraders are inconsistent on their own but show significant synergy when paired with nitrogen and sulfur.

“If you’re going to use these, understand they’re fighting an uphill battle against carbon,” Sible says.

He also stresses application timing: “Spray on cloudy days or in the evening to take advantage of overnight dew. You have to set the product up to succeed.”

Carbon and Humic Products

When evaluating humic acids and molasses-type products (sugar), Sible notes a clear divide between crops. In soybeans, results have been largely inconsistent. In corn, however, in-furrow carbon and humic products produced small but consistent yield gains that held up under economic analysis.

Sible attributes this to crop physiology. Corn makes major yield decisions twice: during early vegetative stages (kernel potential) and at pollination (kernel retention). Supporting the plant during these specific windows has offered a measurable response.

Soybeans, by contrast, adjust yield daily from flowering through seed fill, making them a much harder target for a single application of a biostimulant.

Stress-Mitigating Products

Sible sees value in some stress-mitigating products — often kelp or marine extracts — that claim to help crops tolerate drought, heat or other abiotic stress. He notes these materials are often rich in metabolites that help plants survive extreme fluctuations in temperature, moisture and salinity.

When applied to crop leaves, these materials can trigger stress-defense pathways.But they only work if they’re applied before the stress hits.

“You have to be proactive, not reactive,” Sible says. “If the corn is already curled or the soybean leaves are flipped over, it’s too late for these products to do much.”

He tells farmers to watch their 7- to 10-day forecasts and time applications ahead of expected heat waves or dry spells, adding that these products are ineffective as rescue treatments.

From Products to Purpose

Across all categories of biological products, Sible’s advice remains the same: define your “why.” If a product doesn’t clearly fit a specific goal — such as improving N efficiency at peak uptake or accelerating residue breakdown — it may not be worth the investment.

“There are some really exciting tools out there,” Sible says. “But the value comes when you use them precisely, not when you expect them to fix everything.”

As farmers evaluate biological products, Sible notes there are about 10 frequently used types of “active ingredients” that are better-understood, likely credible and worth evaluating. They include:

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens
Bacillus subtilis
Bradyrhizobium spp. (classic soybean inoculant – “the original biological”)
Azospirillum spp.
Trichoderma spp.
Azotobacter spp.
Several other Bacillus and related species are in the top-10 list, as well.

Sible’s framing of these for farmers’ consideration:
If a new product contains one or more of these top 10 species, it “fits the larger narrative of this market.”
If it has something totally different, it might be:
— a random/unproven one-off, or
— truly novel and promising – but in that case he suggests being more cautious and asking more questions.

New EPA-registered “Defense Activator” Targets Nematode Pressure

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 19:29:47 GMT

With EPA approval in hand, PI AgSciences introduces PHC68949, peptide-based novel approach to control plant-parasitic nematodes. Designed with short chains of amino acids, it’s technically a biological crop protection product, but its scientists say it provides next-level nematode suppression.

“It is a defense activator that helps the plant defend against plant-parasitic nematodes. Where a nematicide has activity on the nematode, this product gets the plant ready to defend itself and activates the pathways in the plant–thickening cell walls and roots,” says Wes Hays, North America commercial lead at PI AgSciences.

A biological that handles like a synthetic

Hays says this is an extra tool in the farmer’s toolbox with its new mode of action.

“It’s totally different than most products farmers use today. And its performance is extremely compelling. It’s very similar to most synthetic chemistries in the market for nematodes today–providing the consistency, shelf life and compatibility of a synthetic, but it’s a natural product.”

Approved for use on row crops and specialty crops, Hays says the use rate is low—1 to 2 ounces per acre, subject to state registrations and final product labels.

“There’s flexibility with application—in row crops, you can use it as a seed treatment or a foliar. For example, you can put this into your first post herbicide pass. And for specialties, it’s almost predominantly a foliar application, which opens up flexibility beyond drip irrigation or drench applications.”

Where and when to find this new product

With EPA approval, PI AgSciences is now working on state level label requirements. Limited quantities of the product will be available for 2026, with full commercial launch coming in 2027.

This is the company’s third active ingredient for the agricultural market. For commercialization of its products, PI AgScience partners with distributors in the industry including Wilbur Ellis, Helena and Brandt.

PI AgSciences is the agricultural division of India-based PI Industries, a global life sciences company that custom manufactures active ingredients and intermediates. And the recent product introductions are one result since the August 2024 acquisition of Plant Health Care, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.

EPA Expands New Leaf’s TS201 Label For At-plant Bioinsecticide Use in Corn, Soybeans, Cotton and Rice

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 15:35:48 GMT

As farmers focus on yield-robbing insects, new tools are being added to the toolbox. For the 2026 crop year, the EPA has registered NewLeaf Symbiotic’s TS201 bioinsecticide for use on corn, soybeans, cotton and rice. This product is applied at the time of planting in the planter box.

“TS201 uses a mode of action called induced systemic resistance (ISR) to deliver added defenses in-season,” Aaron Kelley, chief commercial officer for NewLeaf Symbiotics said in a press release. “ISR primes the plant’s natural defenses against a number of pests, making it quicker to react to known threats in season. You’re not waiting on your scout to start to fight against the threat, your plant is the first line of defense.”

NewLeaf lists TS201 for use in the following crops with protection against the following pests:

• Corn: Corn Rootworm, Root Knot Nematode, Wireworm, Fall Armyworm

• Soybeans: Stink Bugs, Root Knot Nematode, Soybean Looper

• Cotton: Root Knot Nematode, Thrips

• Rice: Rice Water Weevil

NewLeaf’s biological product portfolio builds on its development using Pink-Pigmented Facultative Methylotrophs (PPFMs). First launched in 2024, TS201 was registered as a corn bioinsecticide to repel corn rootworm larvae.

In company-reported results, NewLeaf says using TS201 with its Terrasym 450 biostimulant produced a corn yield gain of 8.7 bu./acre in 10+ acre field trials conducted across 91 locations from 2023–2025.

Double Take On Biologicals: How A Yield Champ Found An Application That Redeemed A Product Category

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 20:15:02 GMT

Indiana farmer Kevin Kalb leans into learning opportunities.

For 20 years, he’s entered high yield corn contests, and he actively uses those contest acres to apply to the rest of his production. In 2025, Kalb won a non-irrigated class for NCGA with 425 bu./acre.

“We’ve been in this high-yield game for a long time,” he says. “One year, we made 30+ trips in our contest field—but we find out a lot of products don’t work—it’s just a sales gimmick.”
Before the 2025 growing season, he says he’s tried more than 30 biological products. And he had all but written off the entire product category.

“It started five years ago. We had people coming up to ask us to try all these new biologicals, and we’d test strips every year, and we’d never see a benefit,” he says.

Unbeknownst to him, that was going to change after he gave the category one last shot.

“Then, NewLeaf called me and they went through what it does, and that did intrigue me. So, we took out a strip down in one of our contest fields with some of the best ground that we’ve got, and lo and behold.”

Lessons Learned, Lessons Applied

Where four out of five years Kalb is used to tackling tar spot a new disease has emerged as a yield robber—southern rust.

In 2016, he had his first run in with southern rust. In the most severe cases across his farm, yield was docked 100 bu.

“That hit us extremely hard. At the time, our program was one aerial application of fungicide, and we thought we were good,” he says. “This year, those farmers in Iowa had their first experience with Southern Rust. And it’s ugly.”

With the influx of southern rust in 2025, the new tool in his toolbox for this past growing season was a sample of NewLeaf’s TS601 biofungicide and Terrasym 450, which he applied in-furrow at the time of planting.

“Around the 4th of July, we really didn’t see much rust yet. But already in the season what we saw from the 601 was great big stalks–probably a quarter the size bigger than what our other ones were,” Kalb says.

That was his first evidence in how his perception of biologicals may be turning around. However, what came next flipped him 180 degrees.

“Then, southern rust came in. Compared to our normal fungicide application protocol, the biofungicide and biostimulant showed a 6 bu. increase,” Kalb says. “But the kicker is, it would have saved us almost $70 an acre. That was eye-opening, the input cost was so much cheaper with that product—it preserved yield and cut inputs.”

Kalb is convinced. So much so he’s planning to put TS601 and Terrasym 450 across all his acres.

“Normally, we test everything 3 years before we move it over into all of our production acres,” he says. “These are the first products that we’ve ever used that we switched to 100% of our acres for next year.”

What Does He Credit The Transformation In His Experience?

“I think everybody should have 10, 20, 30 acres on their farm where they sit there and play with different rates and this and that,” Kalb says. “And you can’t do it just one year. You’ve got to have several years.”

That’s how he’s translated high yield lessons to the rest of his production.

Kalb credits his focus on soil health, specifically soil microbes, that took his yield plateau from 350 bu. to bumping above 425 bu.

“We started cutting back on synthetic fertilizers and building out a low-salt crop fertility program,” he says.

He says his below-ground balance of bacteria and fungi populations may have actually hindered the performance of some previous biologicals he’s tried. But for TS601 and Terrasym 450, which colonizes around the roots and grows as the plant grows, it was a match.

“Like anything else, I think biologicals have had the benefit of improving with time—they’ve come a long way. I see now how they can not only bring yields up, but cut inputs down. The biggest question is the same question there’s been—finding the ones that work,” Kalb says.

BW Fusion Acquires Seed Care Company

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 22:27:50 GMT

Last year, CEO Darren Dillenbeck of BW Fusion told Farm Journal the company was in “a rapid-growth phase as a U.S.-based bionutritional leader.”

Just announced today, the company acquired Low Mu Tech, which will expand its footprint into seed care/
“This acquisition is a natural extension of our strategy to lead with innovation, data, and sustainability,” Dillenbeck stated in the company’s announcement. “Low Mu Tech’s Dust and Inclusion Carrier Technology gives us the platform to expand our seed care initiative and bring even more value to growers looking to replace outdated inputs with solutions that are better for their bottom line, their health, and the environment. This is how we farm now.”

The two companies already had a supplier relationship as BW Fusion’s BioBoost planter box treatment was made with Low Mu Tech’s technology.

Low Mu Tech was founded by Brian Tulley who said in the announcement he looks forward to having a greater scale for his company via BW Fusion.

Founded in 2019, BW Fusion previously merged with biological company Biodyne, and field data management platform Agronomy 365. Adding Low Mu Tech to the company illustrates the company’s ambition toward vertical integration across crop nutrition, biologicals, and data analytics.

Maximize Yields and Savings with Proven Nutrient Strategies

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 15:09:25 GMT

The outlook for fertilizer costs versus commodity prices for next season is a tough one for corn and soybean growers across the country.
With that fact in mind, we have compiled a number of our “best of” nutrient stories from 2025 for your consideration.

Our hope is one or more of the following five articles will help you reduce expenses, reallocate resources and build a solid fertility program for the 2026 that works well for your crops and gives you some peace of mind in the process.

26 Ways To Cut Costs Without Sacrificing Yields
If you made deep cuts to your fertility program this season, are you considering whether you can cut even deeper next year?

If so, be sure to check out this article: 26 Ideas To Cut Fertilizer Costs In 2026 . It offers a variety of suggestions from agronomists and other farmers on where you might be able to reduce product use and reallocate resources.

While there are no easy answers to address the cost of fertilizer and other inputs, having conversations with your suppliers and financial providers now can help you leverage your buying power and minimize potential impacts from marketplace uncertainties. For more insights, check out this article: Navigate 2026 Input Costs with A Proactive Strategy .

Reallocate Nutrients And Still Support Yields
Farmers know that nitrogen is the main gas that fuels corn yields. Other macronutrients and micronutrients such as zinc, iron, and manganese also contribute to yield performance. Be sure to check out our article 300-Bu. Corn Has a Big Appetite for N, P and K to learn more.

If you’re looking specifically at how to make phosphorus more efficient, be sure to check out our Farm Journal Test Plot article on the topic: 7 Tips To Make Your Phosphorus Work For You

Every agronomist says to soil test your fields to make sure they are up to the challenge of delivering profitable yields in the most cost-effective way possible. While you’ve probably heard that advice a thousand times, it’s still valuable.That’s where this article comes into play, which features national corn yield champions’ perspective: In This High-Stakes Farming Economy, Some Practices Still Deliver ROI

For even more ideas on how to create a fertility plan best-suited to your needs, check out:

The 4Rs of Fertility
Focus on fertility to prevent pollution and boost profits.

The Challenge of Nitrogen
In your quest for high yields, nothing is more crucial, or more difficult, than managing corn’s most important nutrient.

A Moving Target
Preventing corn from going hungry requires balancing nitrogen and other factors, from year to year and field to field.

The Great Escape
Stabilizers and controlled-release products help keep the Houdini of nutrients where your crop needs it.

In the “Lime” Light
Correct acidity to create diverse microbial populations, which decompose residue and release soil nutrients.

Potassium Insight
Drought emphasizes the value of this vital nutrient.

Growmark Expands St. Louis Manufacturing With Biologicals Production Plant

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 20:38:59 GMT

After acquiring AgraForm in 2024, Growmark continues to expand the St. Louis site with the construction of a biological crop input manufacturing plant. This announcement was made on Dec. 17.

“The scientific advancements in agricultural biologicals have introduced innovative methods for farmers to safeguard their plants and improve soil health with more sustainable options,” said Rod Wells, Growmark’s Senior Vice President of Strategy and Logistics. “It’s beneficial for both farmers and consumers when we enable farmers to grow healthier and stronger crops using these sustainable practices.”

Expected to be operational for production in 2027, the manufacturing facility will produce biostimulants, biopesticides, and biofertilizers. The company says it’s also building capacity to manufacture animal biological and waste treatment products.

Growmark says the demand for biological products, and therefore manufacturing of those products, has outpaced what companies are able to produce.

“As demand for biological products continues to grow across the ag industry, the construction of the new manufacturing plant will allow Growmark to provide high-quality biological products, made in the United States, to stakeholders throughout North America,” said Growmark Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Brad Drake. “It also allows Growmark to influence another critical point in the ag value chain to better serve its members and customers.”

Consolidation In the Biological Industry Continues as HGS BioScience Acquires NutriAg

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 19:29:22 GMT

Earlier this month, HGS BioScience (backed by Paine Schwartz Partners) announced the acquisition of NutriAg Ltd., which is a Toronto-based bionutritional company.

“This acquisition will bring scale and even more relevancy in distribution because we’ll be coming in with a bigger portfolio,” says Mike Steffeck, CEO of HGS BioScience. “There are so many suppliers–it’s a very fragmented segment. Retailers simply like working with bigger scale partners with more product depth and more R&D.”

Steffeck explains the new company builds on HGS’s humic acid-based products with NutriAg’s bionutritional product portfolio, which will result in one of the most complete product platforms spanning humics, fulvics, bionutritionals, carbohydrate chelation, amino acids, plant and seaweed extracts, and microbial technologies.

Proprietary brands include NutriAg’s PolyAldoCarbosate (PAC) platform and HGS’s HumiK ONE and GrowPlex brands. Steffeck also highlights the company’s sales include private label custom products developed with and for retail partners.

“We want to work with the customers how they want to work with us,” he says.

Steffeck highlights how the company now has 10 manufacturing sites across North America to be a strategic partner and technical supplier.

Building the business bigger has been a theme for HGS as it has grown and expanded with a series of acquisitions in the past three years. This acquisition of NutriAg continues to build a stronger geographic footprint for the company in North America as well as with its international business in markets such as South America and southeast Asia.

In the company’s announcement NutriAg President and CEO Martin Bloomberg added: “Joining HGS is the next chapter for NutriAg. Our combined capabilities make us the partner of choice for both retailers and farmers. Retailers gain one trusted source – a complete product portfolio and a market-leading innovation engine. Farmers gain proven, field-tested products that drive resilience, productivity, and profitability.”

Valent BioSciences LLC, MGK, and Valent North America Now Unified Under One Sumitomo Subsidiary

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 18:14:11 GMT

A new company will be formed as Sumitomo aligns three of its subsidiaries-- Valent BioSciences LLC, MGK, and Valent North America—under the name Sumitomo Biorational Company.

Sumitomo Biorational Company LLC (SBC) is expected to formally launch in April 2026, be headquartered in Libertyville, Illinois, and by led by Dr. Shinsuke (Shin) Shojima, who has been appointed President and CEO.

The company says its strategy is for SBC to be Sumitomo’s global center of excellence for biorational innovation. It’s expected to accelerate the company’s capabilities in providing integrated, sustainable biorational solutions (from sources such as microbials and botanicals) to its customers.

Company leaders provided these statements in the company’s news release:

“Valent BioSciences has a long and successful history of pioneering biorational technologies. With SBC, we build on that foundation by creating a Global Center of Excellence that accelerates the next wave of sustainable innovation for customers worldwide.” Salman Mir, President and CEO of Valent BioSciences
“MGK has successfully developed and commercialized botanical technologies for more than 120 years. SBC strengthens our ability to bring innovative botanical solutions to market more quickly, meeting the critical needs of our customers and communities.” Steve Gullickson, President and CEO of MGK
“Valent North America is committed to providing consistent, effective services that enable our businesses to focus on what matters most – delivering innovative sustainable solutions to meet our customer’s needs. By combining our collective strengths through SBC, we are creating a Global Center of Excellence that delivers integrated solutions to drive productivity and sustainability for our customers.” Andy Lee, President and CEO of Valent North America.

Notable, Valent U.S.A. LLC will continue to operate separately and maintain its focus on regional sales and marketing.

Alltech Breaks Ground on Domestic Expansion for Biofertilizer Production

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 16:13:50 GMT

Earlier this month, Alltech Crop Science broke ground on a new 15,000 square foot facility that will expand its manufacturing at the company’s corporate headquarters in Nicholasville, Kentucky. The $4.6 million project was supported by a $2.34 million grant from the USDA Fertilizer Production Expansion Program (FPEP).

FPEP grants are awarded to expand the domestic manufacturing and processing of fertilizer and nutrient alternatives and their availability. You can view the awarded FPEP grants here.

This is Alltech’s first U.S. manufacturing plant focused solely on producing crop science products, and it’s expected to produce around 66,000 gallons of product a month.

Dr. Steve Borst, Alltech crop science vice president, says the project will be complete in the next five years, per the grant term.

“This expansion project will enable us to expand the current volumes that we are doing here, as well as support new innovations, new technologies we will be launching in the near future,” Borst says.

(Alltech)

Alltech started its crop science business over 30 years ago. In addition to U.S. production, the company also makes its products in Brazil and Spain.

“This project provides us the opportunity to really focus on domestically providing domestic jobs here and local manufacturing,” he says. “A lot of our inputs are customizable in how we provide them to our customers, so if we have a change in the market, having a domestic footprint will allow us to pivot and provide a direct solution to combat that challenge.”

Borst says Alltech sees biologicals, including biofertilizers, as a growth market.

“It has been exciting to see a focus on how promoting quality is promoting the opportunity to decrease dependency on synthetic inputs,” Borst says. “In the evolution of the market over the last 10 years, we’ve found how biological fit into overall programs.”

Borst explains Alltech’s product portfolio starts with a fermentation process–bacteria, yeast, or fungi.

“That’s our core competency. All of our technologies stem from a microbial fermentation process,” he says.

The Nicholasville expansion will result in production of all of Alltech’s crop science products.

Alltech’s biofertilizer is based on an amino acid technology which provides increased nutrient uptake.

Borst says the company recently launched a bionematicide in Brazil, and that along with other biopesticides will be developed for regulatory approval for use in the U.S.

Alltech Crop Science provides white labeled products for retail and distribution, and Borst says another benefit to the business in this expansion will be able to produce more technologies for those white labeled lines as well.

Momentum and Milestones: NewLeaf Aims to Double Sales Next Year

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 15:27:57 GMT

With more than 10 years of research and four years of commercial availability, NewLeaf Symbiotics is continuing to chart its own course in bringing row crop and specialty solutions via pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophs (PPFMs).

Its trajectory includes product placement on just under 1 million acres four years ago to having product on more than 8.5 million acres in 2025. Next year’s goal is to double that.

“We’re focused on the next thing, not just the right now,” says Brent Smith, CEO at NewLeaf Symbiotics. “But the right now feels pretty good”

The company recently opened a new formulation office with a larger footprint, advanced laboratories, and strategic location in St. Louis.

“Our success is because we got good at consistency with a tricky microbe class,” Smith says. “The focus is: formulation, optimization and performance. With that we will continue to be consistent.”

The company chose a novel go-to-market in licensing its technologies to partner companies for product placement and sales. Currently, it has a handful of technologies available via 100 commercially available products. The portfolio includes an EPA-registered bioinsecticide and biostimulants for row crops including corn, soybeans, cotton and peanuts, as well as a vegetative transfer biostimulant. Leaders says there’s more to come with launches for 2026, pending regulatory approval.

“We’ve found traction commercially,” says Aaron Kelley, chief commercial officer. “We have three launches in 2026, an EPA-registered biofungicide, nitrogen use efficiency technology, and a specialty biostimulant for transplant vegetables.”

Kelley credits trust built over time for the product growth. He points to the 70% win rate the company boosts as well as a two-year shelf life for its products.

“Every technology that becomes commercially available from NewLeaf has been field tested with multi-year, multi-location, plots of 10+ acres. We want our partners to have confidence in the products they are recommending to their customers.”

Kelley says biologicals can help farmers thread the needle with integrated pest management and layered crop protection.

“It’s been an interesting development to see how people are seeing biologicals as part of integrated pest management,” he says. “And there’s still more to learn and more yield to gain when our technologies are used along with others.”

New Seed Treatment Offers A Solution to Soybean Cyst Nematode

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 15:36:40 GMT

As farmers and retailers battle soybean cyst nematode (SCN), the emphasis continues to be on using an integrated strategy including resistant soybean varieties, crop rotation with non-host crops, and maintaining good soil fertility.

Now, farmers and retailers have a new tool available for use next spring: biotrinsic Nemora FP, an EPA-registered soybean bionematicide seed treatment from Indigo Ag, Inc.

Jon Giebel, vice president North America Commercial-Biologicals at the company, reports the product contains a naturally occurring Pseudomonas oryzihabitans bacterium that colonizes roots and shoots. After only a few weeks, the microbes coating each seed multiply into the millions around the roots and begin supporting the crop. The microbes also colonize SCN eggs, reducing the number of juveniles that will hatch and injure plants.

“In trials, [Nemora] delivered improved plant health metrics and compelling yield potential while offering growers a biological option that can benefit soil health in the process,” Giebel says in a prepared statement.

SCN is the most costly pest in U.S. soybeans today, routinely reducing yields in affected fields by 5 bushels or more per acre, according to the Crop Protection Network.

This photo shows a Rhizobium nodule (blue arrow) and several white SCN females (red arrows) on neighboring roots. Note the size difference and that SCN are much smaller than nodules. This pest is the number one yield-limiting biotic agent of soybeans in North America, estimated to cause U.S. producers $1.5 billion a year. The reason this pest is so insidious is because SCN can cause up to 30% yield loss with no significant aboveground symptoms.

(Kyle Broderick)

October Is SCN Action Month
Indigo Ag announced its new product on Monday, which marks the third National Nematode Day .

The month of October is designated SCN Action Month. For the fifth year, BASF Agricultural Solutions and The SCN Coalition are partnering to provide farmers with the latest insights, tools and resources to effectively manage SCN and protect soybean yield potential heading into the 2026 growing season.

BASF and The SCN Coalition recommend farmers proactively sample fields post-harvest for soybean cyst nematode symptoms to safeguard crop health and maximize their yields, in preparation for next year.

“The most sustainable management approach to minimize SCN yield loss is a multi-faceted plan that can include growing nonhost crops in rotation with SCN-resistant soybean varieties and use of nematode-protectant seed treatments on the soybeans,” says Greg Tylka, Morrill professor, Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology at Iowa State University, in a statement.

New Seed Treatment Option Available For 2026
Giebel says Nemora is a microbial seed treatment in flowable powder (FP) format for soybeans and is available for planter-box treatment or through Indigo’s CLIPS delivery system. It contains a naturally occurring Pseudomonas oryzihabitans bacterium that colonizes roots and shoots.

How Nemora works:

It stimulates Induced Systemic Resistance (ISR) and forms a biofilm that supports robust root colonization.
The biological colony prevents eggs on the roots from hatching, slowing the soybean cyst nematode lifecycle without disrupting beneficial nematodes in the soil.
Once in the soil, the Pseudomonas active in Nemora recruits a diverse and specialized community of plant growth-promoting bacteria to aid in plant development.

What soybean growers can expect:

Direct impact on SCN lifecycle: Average 68% reduction in egg hatch.
Longer tap roots, more root biomass, and whiter roots.
Thicker plant shoots and improved emergence.
No interference with nodulation.
No phytotoxicity or halo effect.
Nemora can provide the same yield advantage as products like chemical solutions available on the market.

New Tool Helps Farmers, Ranchers Identify Conservation Incentive Programs

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 12:49:38 GMT

Conservation incentive programs that fit your farm and specific agronomic practices and/or livestock are not always easy to identify and sign up for online.

But those hurdles could soon be problems in the past, thanks to a new online platform, the Conservation Connector, which was just launched this week by the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC)

The new tool allows farmers, ranchers, and farm advisers to easily evaluate conservation incentive programs and connect with technical support at one online site, according to Ryan Heiniger, CTIC executive director.

As a fourth-generation farmer, Heiniger says he knows firsthand how challenging it can be to identify programs, companies and the individuals in charge of them who can provide more details in a phone call or an email.

“You might visit four or five government offices and a dozen websites, only to collect bits and pieces of information on those programs that would be a good fit for you. Our goal with the Conservation Connector is to bring all of that under one roof, so to speak, to help farmers, ranchers and advisers more easily find what is available in their area and fits with their needs,” Heiniger says.

The platform currently has around 500 programs and service providers in the Midwest that are participating, Heiniger says. He notes the tool is continually updated with the latest program offerings from trusted agencies, organizations and conservation partners. In addition, Connector.ag has no associated costs for farmers, ranchers and advisers to use.

“I want to underscore that it’s free for farmers; none of the information is behind any kind of paywall,” he says. “It’s also free for people who want to create a listing.”

The Conservation Connector is easy to navigate – it’s searchable by geography, commodity, incentive type, and/or management practice.

“We’ve made it easy for people who are on a specific mission to filter through,” Heiniger says. “You might be in New York looking for help with pasture renovation, and you don’t want or need to see what programs are available in Iowa. So, you can default right to New York. Or, you can default to a specific crop. The filters can help you ratchet down to the specific information you want to dive deeper into.”

Heiniger says the idea for Conservation Connector originated from Houston Engineering, the Nature Conservancy, and Open Team, and the CTIC invested the past 18 months in developing it.

CTIC invites farmers, ranchers, technical service providers, and conservation partners across the country to explore the platform at Connector.ag . You can provide feedback about your experience to help inform future iterations of the platform here .

The Scoop Podcast: How Retailers Can Have Challenging Conversations with Farmers About Fertilizer

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 15:57:25 GMT

High input prices have escalated the scrutiny farmers are putting toward their fertilizer products, placements and rates.

Greg Sanford leads the sales team for Verdesian across several midwestern states, and he leans on his previous experience on the retail and wholesale side of the business to assist retailers today in these dynamic conversations with customers. His first job in the industry was at a single location co-op, where he says everyone was called to do a bit of everything in the name of customer service.

“You did what you had to do to get it done for the customer,” he says. “You built trust with customers that way when you deliver when you deliver on time, the right way.”

Fast forward to today, and from his professional relationships with retailers, Sanford says three things must be true of every crop nutrient product for it to find space in a retailers’ sales sheet:

1. Application method and timing fits the norm.

“Number one, we have to have products that can be easily applied. They have to go through a fertilizer blender, mix in a tank, go through a planter box, or be on seed. They need to be able to be both easy for the grower and the retailer,” Sanford says.

2. Agronomic performance and ROI

Sanford says performance in the field is a must-have for the farmers bottom line and the retailer’s reputation to supply agronomically viable products.

3. Profitability

“Let’s be honest, retailers have to be able to make a level of margin,” he says. “Retailers are out there competing on the price of glyphosate and urea, and we’re [Verdesian] tack-on products. So they have to bring value to the retailer to make up for what it took to get that business with the grower.”

Are biostimulants a growth category?

Sanford sees a growing future for biostimulants. One takeaway he shares with retailers is this category demands correct placement and timing. He cautions retailers to not dismiss biostimulants based on one year of side-by-side trials.

“The reality is every year is different. The weather’s different, the planting season is different, throughout the season what disease pressures we’re dealing with vary,” he says. “The retailers that have figured it out to be most successful to move biostimulants and return ROI for their growers are building it into a system.”

He encourages retailers to find ways to work biostimulants into existing practices and passes across the field as they explore how the category fits into their system.

“When we have a systems approach products fit into our passes, they fit economically for the grower, they’re going to increase our efficiency of fertilizer use, and they’re going to keep that plant healthy through the growing season and through grain fill,” he says. “I’ve watched retailers that embrace that sort of mentality, and it works really well.”

What is a growth segment for inputs for the future?

“The spaces that are going to expand are anything paired with a fungicide in the late season,” he says. “When we think about herbicides, protecting modes of action, and we’ve stacked modes of action on top of each other. Also, when we look at late season with a fungicide we’ve only got so many modes of action of fungicides we can use.”

Sanford says much like the pressures of herbicide resistance, reliance on a particular set of fungicide modes of actions leaves crops susceptible to develop issues. And with emerging diseases continuing to spread geographically—such as tar spot—the demand for control is increasing.

“I think when we find the right combination of a biostimulant that can give that plant an extra boost of whether it be antibodies or plant nutrition that’s going to help the plant’s going to naturally fight off those things along with the fungicide,” he says. “It’s almost like an additional mode of action.”

Specific to the team at Verdesian, Sanford says they are focusing on three keys to crop nutrition in the year ahead: return on investment, protect the marconutrients being applied, and stress mitigation.

As such Sanford says their sales conversations are being lead with:

1. Research

“We have products with a 30 year history in agronomic research. That’s an advantage in having some of these conversations,” he says. “We have the history and the proven technologies to have those conversations, even during difficult times.”

2. Ways to add bushels

“Our retailers built sheds to move tons. They don’t necessarily want and I don’t want to tell a grower to cut back. But we know growers are going to cut back,” he says. “So how do we have that conversation and what products can we pair with that to continue to maximize yields. The reality is we still have to grow a crop. We still have to have bushels that come out of the field so that these growers are making money and continuing to expand.”

Where Can Farmers Expect the Next Level-Up Technology in Biologicals?

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 18:04:48 GMT

With a 70-year track record of use, are crop biologicals poised for a parabolic growth spurt? Or have sales plateaued?

According to Dunham Trimmer analysis, the global biologicals market could reach $19.6 billion by 2027. Shane Thomas of Upstream Ag Insights shares his own analysis that biological sales could equal synthetic crop protection by 2043.

So what is required for those projections to come true?

Pam Marrone, co-founder of Invasive Species Corp. and previous founder of two additional biological businesses, dove deeper into the topic with certified crop advisers during a recent webinar hosted by the Science Societies.

She points to more than a handful of drivers for biological sales growth:

Improved grower ROI
Soil health benefits
Reduction of carbon dioxide
Ramped up scientific developments for efficacy and scale
Biodiversity
Labor safety and flexibility
Lower development costs and time frames (less than $5 million and three years to develop)
No pesticide residues
No resistance

“It’s important to keep in mind, with biologicals, their best use is in integrated programs with conventional crop chemistries,” she says. “More and more growers are seeing that when you incorporate biologicals into programs, you can get a higher return on investment. More than 70% of biologicals are used by conventional growers.”

Biologicals can be divided into three categories:

Biopesticides, biocontrols, bioprotections ($9 billion in global sales)
Biostimulants ($5 billion in global sales)
Biofertilizers/bionutrients ($2.5 billion in global sales)

There are up to 80 new biological active ingredients at the EPA, so what kind of new products — or biological breakthroughs — can farmers expect?

Marrone points to peptides, proteins, pheromones, and RNA interference.

One category she’s optimistic about but with a farther out horizon is bioherbicides, with product introductions expected a few years away.

“Herbicides are a tough one for biologicals. Why are there fewer companies? Why is this harder?” she says. “Well, broad-spectrum herbicides are cheap, even though there’s a lot of weed resistance.”

She points to the need for new modes of action encouraging more work and investment.

Another front she is watching is the predictability and measurability of biological use on soil health.

“It’s going to be important to look at the intersection of crop microbiomes and soil health. Microbes and plants signal each other,” she says. “We know plants recruit microorganisms to their rhizosphere (rootzone) from the pool of microbes available in the soil. So, let’s measure how adding microorganisms to the soil can help reduce time to become regenerative.”

Two Verdesian Products Receive Certifications

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 17:00:42 GMT

Verdesian announces two of its products have received industry certifications.

One of the newer designations for the crop input industry, last year The Fertilizer Institute announced its Certified Biostimulant label to confirm how products meet guidelines for efficacy, composition and safe use. Only a handful of products have received the certification, and the latest is Verdesian Primary ALPHA.

Primary ALPHA is a phosphite-free nitrogen management biostimulant with a proprietary blend of nitrogen, potassium, sulfur, boron, manganese and zinc co-developed with Los Alamos National Laboratory and UC Riverside. It’s designed for us in cereals, pulses, vegetables, grapes and tree nuts as a foliar or soil-applied product.

“This certification is a powerful endorsement of the science behind Primacy ALPHA,” said Amber Harrison, Product Marketing Manager at Verdesian Life Sciences, in the news announcement. “It reflects our commitment to proven, sustainable technologies that help crops thrive—especially under stress.”

Crop+ Organic received OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) certification. Crop+ Organic is a foliar biostimulant to plants tolerate abiotic stress such as drought, salinity, and extreme temperatures. Field trials have shown a 11% performance increase when Crop+ is used due to increased growth, enhanced nutrient uptake, and stronger root development.

“Organic growers need tools they can trust, not just for certification, but for performance in the field,” said Harrison, in the news announcement. “This certification is a major step forward in expanding Crop+ Organic’s reach and impact across organic systems.”

New Chassis For Application: Terrana Biosciences Emerges From Stealth Mode

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 10:40:00 GMT

The saying in real estate is location, location, location. And that applies for technology being unveiling by Terrana Biosciences.

Emerging from stealth mode after four years of development, this Flagship Pioneering company is taking the RNA expertise of cousin company Moderna, and creating crop protection solutions in parallel but distinctly different than cousin company Indigo Ag.

“Terrana is coming out of the Flagship Pioneering ecosystem in Boston, and Flagship has a long history of working on RNA,” Ryan Rapp Terrana Biosciences co-founder and CEO. “Probably the best known RNA company is Moderna, but we have a whole host of other ones within the ecosystem, and it’s helped allow us to have all this knowledge about RNA, but apply it to solve problems in agriculture.”

Rapp says RNA is a natural solution to deliver proteins and RNA molecules that can solve many agronomic issues.

“Plants have natural RNAs inside of them that have been evolving with plants for thousands of years. They’ve been largely ignored, because when people are thinking about RNA in plants, they’re usually trying to find things that are making plants sick,” he says. “What Terrana does is we actually look at all the things that everyone else has not had the time to look at and we begin working with those and what we’ve developed from that is a class of three products: prevent, protect and improve.”

Still in pre-commercial phase, Terrana is working on its portfolio of biological RNA-based products that can work like a chassis to carry and deliver protein building information directly to the plant. Protective effects provided by such technologies include anti-insect, nematicidal, antibacterial, and one key solution Terrana is focused on is antivirals.
“We’re looking at some of the vegetable species where today there are severe problems with viruses in the in glass houses and protected culture, particularly like tomatoes,” Rapp says. “We’re working to create viral products that can deliver resistance to several different viruses that when you get them, you kind of have to destroy the whole crop in the greenhouse.”

(Terrana Biosciences)

While the company’s first development focus is specialty crops, Rapp is eyeing opportunities in row crops as well.

“Think about Asian soybean rust in Brazil. You’ve got farmers that are growing three crops of soybean a year down there and spraying up to 16 times. We believe with the way that our technology works we could potentially reduce that to one spray per cropping cycle. So it’s basically three sprays per year,” he says.

New solutions to previously uncontrolled pests, improved application efficicacy and climate resilience are all benefits Rapp says are possible.

He points to cherry orchards in the Pacific Northwest requiring chill hours–hours below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. And farmers have observed warmer winters, which leads to poor flowering, poor fruit set and poor quality fruit.

“Farmers don’t have good options today—they could cut down the cherry trees, move north to Canada, or replace trees with new genetics,” he says. “Terrana’s product lets us do something completely different. We could go in during the summer, spray those trees with our RNA based product, and actually attenuate or turn down the amount of cold hours that they need so that they can go back to being productive farms that are setting high quality fruit. This keeps those flavor profiles, keeps the cherries that consumers have come to love, and gives the economics back to the farmer.”

Terrana is aiming to have commercially available products in the next few years, pending regulatory approval, that can be applied as sprayables or seed treatments. And the company says its RNA-based biologicals can be stored at ambient temperature and will be formulated as stand alone applications or for tank mixes.

3 Questions Every Farmer Should Ask About Biological Products

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 12:15:57 GMT

Pam Marrone, co-founder of Invasive Species Corporation, and previous founder of two additional biological businesses, shared her key takeaways with certified crop advisers during a recent webinar hosted by the Science Societies.

Marrone says there are three areas to evaluate before farmers make an application of a biological product:

Specific use instructions
Science
Data

Specific Use Instructions
“First, read the label,” she says. “When do I use it? What’s the timing? Is there any effect on soil? Can I tank mix it? Can I mix it with fertilizer? Can I mix with other pesticides? Some of the labels I’ve seen can be very specific, and others give you almost no information. So, that’s important. Read the label.”

In reviewing label information, identify if the product is registered with the EPA (which requires a higher level of requirements) or non-registered. Also, the specificity provided on the label is an indicator about the overall product quality and performance.

“There are products that are bugs in the jug, and they have a consortium of microbes in the jug or bag. If the product has 500 or 800, it should be proven why all those specifies are necessary, and if quality control is being done on all 500 species,” Marrone says.

Marrone has been working toward one national certification of products to eliminate any issues with heavy metals or human pathogens being included in formulations.

“Quality control measures need to be robust,” she says.

Science
Marrone says in order to draw a line between “snake oil” and reputable products, the manufacturer and the retailer should be able to explain the science behind the product.

“It’s no longer good enough to just say ‘we have the best microbes,’” she says.

For best placement and performance, Marrone emphasizes the importance of understanding how the biological works.

Data
Marrone encourages farmers to seek out significant proof of field data.

“Small plots don’t always work with biologicals,” she says. “And when you are looking at field data, know where the trials were conducted and what the consistency was.”

Marrone believes today’s biological industry has progressed to a new performance threshold.

“These days, you really want to see a win rate of at least 80%. So, 80% of the time you’re seeing a yield increase of at least 7% —anything below that is just noise,” she says. “I know companies today getting consistent 10% yield increases. That’s where the bar has been raised to.”

Pivot Bio Closes California Offices, Consolidates To Midwest

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 16:15:52 GMT

In 2011, Pivot Bio was started in Berkley, Calif. This week, the company announced it’s closing the headquarters there and consolidating its business closer to its row crop customers in the Midwest.

“We’ve spent the past year evaluating how and where we work best together and what we need to achieve our future growth plans,” says Chris Abbott, CEO of Pivot Bio. “Throughout history, the most transformative technology companies have fueled innovation by placing R&D, manufacturing and leadership side by side. When those teams collaborate in real time, it creates a flywheel of insight, invention and execution. That’s exactly the environment we’re building — one that strengthens collaboration, accelerates impact and positions Pivot Bio to lead the future of ag innovation from the field to the world.”

The biofertilizer company is consolidating its research and development to St. Louis and opening headquarters in a yet to be announced location.

The company is eliminating 62 jobs, according to a WARN notice filed with California, with some of those employees offered roles at the new locations.

Pivot Bio says this move isn’t downsizing but rather consolidation, and the Berkley, Calif., office is the only site being closed.

The company say as it approaches its 15th anniversary, it’s simultaneously approaching the milestone of having product applied on 15 million acres.

Pivot Bio announced a new chief technology officer, Travis Frey, who will lead the relocated R&D center and its team.

The Scoop Podcast: How Carbon Markets Have Changed

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 17:23:21 GMT

Farmer-facing carbon market opportunities have grown in the past six years—going from buzz-worthy to more than two dozen programs available.

Now, a new phase of carbon enrollment has emerged.

“The carbon markets are maturing. The next phase is product-based carbon programs,” says Thad England, director of U.S. strategic accounts with Groundwork BioAg.

Groundwork BioAg has a portfolio of mycorrhizal inoculants branded Rootella, and application of those products—available in dry and liquid formulations—enables growers to be enrolled in Rootella Carbon.

“Crop markets are tough. Revenue streams on the farm aren’t getting wider,” England says. “When I started my career, I wanted to help the largest amount of growers possible. I can some seed, chemical, and fertilizer and help them grow a good crop, but I can’t help them necessarily on a revenue stream standpoint, until now. This is a dawn of a new market for growers.”

Since 2023, the company established Rootella Carbon, which is a four-year enrollment where growers apply a Rootella product, and measurements of soil carbon are taken every year.

“The application cost is going to be roughly in that $10 per acre range. So it’s a four year commitment to spend about 10 bucks an acre,” he says. “What they can expect is a one to four ton sequestration per year. That’s a wide range. So an average, I’m going to be conservative and say that’s one ton which would be a VCU–verified carbon unit, also known as a carbon credit–and that ton is worth about $40.”

The Rootella Carbon program is structured for the company to revenue-share carbon credit sales, and the company covers all measurement expenses.

England says product-based programs provide growers an entry point into a carbon program without requiring a production practice change such as no-till. Instead, they are adding a product application, such as a soil amendment.

“It’s giving an option where a grower who has done a great job doing what they do, but they may not be eligible for other programs right now because of their current practices,” he says.

In all, Rootella products have grown from being applied on 20,000 acres just a few years ago to now being applied on more than 400,000 acres. Groundwork BioAg uses a network or partners and dealers to market their products.

Next Chapter: Merger For BW Fusion Also Ushers In First Ever CEO

Thu, 12 Jun 2025 15:08:00 GMT

In April 2025, Darren Dillenbeck joined BW Fusion as the company’s first CEO. Founded in 2019, BW Fusion recently merged with biological company Biodyne, and field data management platform Agronomy 365. With a background in agribusiness including FMC and Corteva (previously Dow AgriSciences) leadership roles, Dillenbeck shares what it’s like leading the company with its new identity, focus and capabilities. Here’s a Q&A with him:

Why did you change segments of the input industry to lead a biological company?
I was drawn to this segment because it’s at a pivotal moment in its evolution. After observing how many companies have tried, and often struggled, to find the right formula, BW Fusion’s culture, approach, and ethos really stood out. From my conversations with the team, their passion for innovation and collaboration was clear. It felt like joining a group that not only understands the science but is genuinely committed to making a difference, and that was compelling.

Tell us a bit about BW Fusion’s history.
BW Fusion traces its roots back over 30 years to Biodyne and Dr. Fred Farley’s pioneering work in isolating key soil microbes. His nephew, Gil Farley, recognized their agricultural potential and began integrating these biologicals into farming practices. From there, founders Grant Wells, Tim Weir, and Gil Farley spent several years assembling a talented team and refining the organization, laying the groundwork for the growth we’re experiencing today.

How does BW Fusion stand out in the biological space?
The biologicals market has grown rapidly, but results have often been inconsistent, largely due to variations in testing, interpretation, and follow-up. What sets BW Fusion apart is our integrated strategy centered on Agronomy 365. This platform turns complex soil-test data into clear, actionable recommendations for growers and dealers. Think of it as a treasure map: we pinpoint soil deficiencies or surpluses and guide growers directly to the solutions they need. That level of precision and support really differentiates us.

How is your company asking farmers to think differently about soil health?
Rather than simply calculating removal rates and matching them with macro‐nutrient inputs, we start by establishing an accurate baseline of your soil’s biological health. From there, we offer tailored recommendations that go beyond traditional fertility programs. It’s a more holistic, long-term approach that high-performing growers are already embracing. Over two to three seasons, they see measurable improvements in soil resilience and input-cost savings.

How are you looking to grow the company?
Unlike conventional crop-protection companies that compete most often on established acres, in the bionutritional space our focus is on building new partnerships and deeper relationships. We’re introducing a transformational value proposition. What excites me most is our remarkably low customer turnover. Year after year, growers stick with us because they trust our expertise and commitment. My goal is to double or even triple our footprint in the coming years, and I’m confident it’s achievable.

Now with its newly merged identity, what stage is the company in?
We’re in a rapid-growth phase as a U.S.-based bionutritional leader. Our results speak for themselves: positive returns, expanding market share, and abundant opportunity. What makes us unique is our vertical integration. From substantial R&D investments in our microbial portfolio (roughly 2 percent of revenue) to continuous enhancements in our software and technology. We’re on track to become the most respected name in bionutritionals, growing our products, volume and impact.

Is this space crowded with competition?
Competition in bionutritionals is actually a good thing. It validates the value of our industry and raises the bar for everyone. Healthy competition drives innovation, builds credibility, and ultimately benefits growers. As more companies highlight the advantages of biologicals, the entire sector advances.

Q&A with CEO in Crop Biologicals: Position and Placement for Success

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 15:00:00 GMT

Founder and CEO of Vivid Life Sciences Josh Krenz shares how he and the team built a business now marking its 10 year anniversary, and how the industry evolved under their feet as they set a foundation for its success.

What was the catalyst for founding Vivid Life Sciences?
Ten years ago, I looked at where the industry was and I felt like there was a gap and a changing time in the industry where there was opportunity for retailers to have more of their own branded product and control their portfolio when it came to micronutrients, biostimulants, and plant nutrition in general. At the time, margins on crop protection were really collapsing, so retailers were looking for place to build a business and micronutrients, plant growth regulators and biostimulants were not only profitable options but also good agronomic tools for growers.

What is your product portfolio today?
Primarily our business is private label, so we work with large retailers and wholesale distributors, and we take our expertise on how to position and utilize different technologies to create custom solutions for them. It all starts with good agronomics, and we’ve grown with those customers for the last 10 years ever since.

Who do you partner with today?
We work with a broad spectrum of different partners—some of our larger wholesale partners are Growmark and Winfield United, and we have independent retailers as partners as well, such as Finger Lakes Agronomy in New York. Our partners are mostly in row crops, but we also work in potatoes, strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, and watermelon.

Where are some of the most promising innovations happening in this product space?
Most of our commercial success is in the combination of micronutrients with biostimulants together versus looking at a standalone micronutrient product or a standalone biostimulant product. Where we’ve really helped retailers be successful and helped their growers be successful is when we’ve put together a package solution, and most times that package solution is in their own brand. Everything that we do is mostly liquid; we don’t deal in dry or bulk fertilizer, so smaller package, smaller amounts. Think about pints going across fields, not gallons. We primarily deal with liquid application in smaller packages. Specific to biostimulants, we’ve done a lot of work with seaweed extracts to come up with what ones actually work with the different combinations of micronutrients.
What’s been your biggest surprise with the business?
It may be what hasn’t changed. The grower needs to be serviced with local agronomic expertise and they need local agronomic folks to help them decide what products they’re going to use.The marketplace is really about service. It’s about expertise. You have to be as local as you can and customizing our products has been the evolution of that. Whereas it used to be your custom solution was one SKU that went across 48 states for one retailer. And what we’ve had to learn in the last 10 years is it might be multiple SKUs in the same product category, but it’s going to change based off of regionality, crop deficiency levels, farming type practices, all of those things.

Specific to biostimulants, how has that segment changed in the past decade?
When we were a startup, it was amazing how many startups there were in the in the biostimulant category. And there are very few that I can name that started 10 years ago that exist today. There was a lot of outside venture capital money that was put into agriculture and these start up companies. We were in this unique position as Vivid Life Sciences as we didn’t have one molecule that we had created and trying to market just one biostimulant. So all the single source companies or most of them didn’t make it.

How have you, as a leader of a business, navigated some of the issues that have been experienced with truth in advertising specific to this segment?
That hits key to heart on a lot of the issue here. There were a lot of single molecule companies that got venture dollars and they needed to turn a profit very quickly, so they skipped steps in the process. We’ve learned in the biostimulant it’s not a one year process, it’s a three to four year process for us to understand how a biostimulant works. If you’re going to position biostimulants in this marketplace, you have to understand the other agronomic and specifically nutritional components that are affected. So successful companies in this segment have an agronomic and nutritional core expertise first. Whenever a company has a goal of just adding another application or adding one molecule, that’s not how agriculture and farming works. We may still be a little bit of wild wild west in the biotimulant’s category as a whole, but it is not as bad as it was 10 years ago.

When you aren’t working, how do you spend your time?
Farming has always been at my roots as a fourth-generation farmer myself.Outside of work, I like to get my hands dirty on my own farm and put in a little tractor therapy.When not home, our family likes to spend time showing Highland cattle, Shetland sheep and Welsh cobb ponies.We also sell grass fed beef to our local community and the Twin Cities metro area.

Third Chinese National Accused of Smuggling Biological Materials into Michigan

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 15:02:21 GMT

Another Chinese national is accused of smuggling biological materials related to roundworms into the U.S. for work at a University of Michigan laboratory. This is the third such charge of a Chinese national by the U.S. federal government in a week.

Chengxuan Han is charged with smuggling goods into the United States and making false statements, according to a criminal complaint , said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan on Monday.

“The alleged smuggling of biological materials by this alien from a science and technology university in Wuhan, China — to be used at a University of Michigan laboratory — is part of an alarming pattern that threatens our security,” said U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., in a prepared statement. “The American taxpayer should not be underwriting a PRC-based smuggling operation at one of our crucial public institutions.”

On June 8, 2025, Han arrived at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport on a J1 visa. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers conducted an inspection of Han, during which Han made false statements about the packages and the biological materials she had previously shipped to the United States.

CBP officers also found that the content of Han’s electronic device had been deleted three days prior to her arrival in the United States.

At the conclusion of the border inspection, Han was interviewed by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and ICE HSI.

During this interview, Han admitted to sending the packages, admitted that the packages contained biological material related to roundworms, and admitted to making false statements to the CBP officers during her inspection.

“The FBI has zero tolerance for those who violate federal law and remains unwavering in our mission to protect the American people,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, in a prepared statement.

Han is pursing a doctoral degree from the College of Life Science and Technology in the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China, according to an affidavit filed with the complaint.

The Detroit Free Press reports Han made an initial appearance June 9 in federal court and was temporarily detained. A detention hearing is set for June 11, according to court records.

Less than a week ago, on June 4, AgWeb reported two Chinese nationals had been charged with trying to smuggle a fungus , Fusarium graminearum, into the United States.

Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, citizens of the People’s Republic of China, were charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the U.S., false statements and visa fraud.

Jian is currently in U.S. custody where she awaits a detention hearing June 13. Liu, who had attempted to enter the U.S., was returned to China following questioning by U.S. customs officers.

Your next read: Chinese Scientist Accused of Smuggling ‘Potential Agroterrorism Weapon’ Into the U.S.

Inside Ag Retail’s Supply Chain: How This Industry’s Distribution is Unique

Wed, 21 May 2025 11:00:00 GMT

Kyle Barton, procurement manager at Simplot Grower Solutions, along with his team manage the supply chain of crop protection, adjuvants, micronutrients, and biologicals for the company’s retail locations west of the Rocky Mountains.
In total, that’s over 100 supplier relationships.

Barton explains managing existing suppliers and entering distribution agreements with new suppliers presents unique challenges.

How does an ag retailer onboard a new product?

Barton says the process begins and ends with the customer.
“We really vet products out with our sales management team—region managers in their geographies, market managers who work with sales staff,” he says. “So if a product comes to us, we see how it fits into the portfolio—what benefit it’ll bring not only for us, but for our grower customers.”

One product segment Barton has seen grow in just a handful of years is the spectrum of biological products. He says proof of the scale of this is how major manufacturers have acquired smaller biological companies.

“It’s obvious there are more and more biologicals coming into the marketplace. We know the industry is going that way, and we know our customers are going to ask what’s our offering,” he says. “So internally, not only do we need a procurement plan for those products, but we also need to make sure we’re knowledgeable and can speak to the products and answer questions.”

What’s the biggest challenge right now?

Barton come on The Scoop podcast during one of the busiest times of year for his team—early spring—when there are lots of spot fires to be put out as planting season ramps up.

Longer term, he says the challenges of COVID’s supply chain hurdles persist, but maybe not in the exact same way.

“We’ve seen it the last few years we’ve kind of got out of this phase of never ending inventory from manufacturers and suppliers,” he says. “It’s no longer ‘Oh, I need to go pick up a pallet here’ because there is product on-hand. We’ve seen in the last few years, with the market dynamics with everything across the whole distribution channel, we’re seeing more and more vendors that are managing their inventory levels and not wanting to have a lot of carrying inventory.”

Heightening the need to closely manage inventories is the evolving discussion around global trade and tariffs.

“We have a 90 day pause, and it’s tough for us to navigate as the retailer. But I also understand on the manufacturer/supplier side. How do we manage our supply chain, our cost points, the inventory we’re going build when we don’t use it?” he says.

The ongoing price fluctuations are disruptive to planning, especially with tight margins at the farm gate.

“Economics at the farm gate aren’t great. It’s a challenge our sales team is dealing with as well,” he says.

How to assess the risk in ‘normal’ product procurement planning

Barton says elevating the discussions with farmer customers to improve the forecasting process has been informative to the business.

“When we sit down and meet with our sales managers and region managers, we’re trying to look for any changes and trends that they expect,” he says. “We look at three year averages for sales history.”

If those multi-year averages are consistent, Barton says they are more comfortable positioning product against those histories. When they see fluctuations, that’s when they really engage into a deeper conversation.

“If we see some fluctuations, that’s when sales management really helps find the right number. We may position a little bit of product here, but we’re going to kind of throttle it back and be less than the 3 year average. Or if two years ago was a abnormal year and last year is more like the history. If we don’t have the inventory built, it could bite us, but also it’s one of the risks we have to live with right now.”