Over the past century, Canadian farmers have been quick to adopt the latest crop protection technology to overcome diseases, insects, weeds, and resistance challenges.
However, the environmental factors that harm plant growth, development, and overall productivity—abiotic stresses such as high temperatures and cloudiness, low temperatures and frost, water limitations, and nutrient loss in soil—have largely been accepted as “uncontrollable.”
That is until now. Designed to work side by side with evolving farming practices, Corteva Agriscience has developed an industry-leading biologicals portfolio to help Canadian growers take back control of their farms, enhance productivity and profitability, and preserve their acres for the future.
Getting to know biologicals
Biological products offer innovative, sustainable solutions to today’s biggest farming challenges. They consist of natural materials, such as living organisms like beneficial bacteria and enzymes inspired by nature.
Incorporating biologicals on the farm is like adding another tool to a farmer’s toolbox. Biologicals won’t replace synthetic chemistry, which will remain important tools for farmers to produce crops. Rather, they are designed to be a complementary solution to persistent challenges such as abiotic stress, resistance management and nitrogen loss in soil.
Harnessing nature to maximize the acre
Advancements in seed technology have helped boost the yield potential of many major crops. However, abiotic stresses continue to challenge farmers and there’s a rising global population to support.
Harnessing the unmatched tools of Mother Nature, biologicals are making our farms more productive, resilient, and sustainable, tackling challenges that conventional technology cannot. As a complementary solution to our existing farming practices, biologicals can support through three key functions:
- Optimizing plant productivity. Biologicals can improve plant performance by enhancing physiological processes, such as photosynthesis, and minimizing stresses from pests or the environment. For example, a biofungicide can provide additional pest protection, leading to improved pest management and resistance management. Meanwhile, a biostimulant can enhance the photosynthetic ability of a crop through stress management and nutrient use efficiency. A more favourable crop environment contributes to larger, more robust plants, resulting in more chlorophyll and photosynthesis.
- Next-level crop management. Farmers have largely accepted challenges such as heat stress, cold stress, water limitations/drought, phytotoxicity, hail damage, nutrient loss/deficiency, nodulation, hormone limitations, and growth regulation as uncontrollable. However, with biologicals, growers can take back some control, improve plant health and performance, and increase stability and peace of mind year to year.
- Sustainable production. Farmers work every day to balance bottom lines and production strategies, economic and environmental sustainability and business and consumer needs. Biological technology answers the call of consumers, maximizing natural resources so that farmers can sustainably feed a growing global population for decades to come.
Biologicals: a rapidly growing market
As growers seek new, proven options to increase production while minimizing uncertainty on their farms, biologicals are expected to represent about 25 per cent of the overall crop protection market by 2035 ¹
With 200 years of innovation in our history, $4 million of R&D spending each day, and 11 research facilities across Canada, growers can trust Corteva biological products to deliver consistent, proven performance in their fields.
Learn more at biologicals.corteva.ca.
100 years, 100 farmers, 100 questions
What if we could harness nature itself to nourish our crops and protect them from pests? This was one of the questions posed to 100 farmers as part of The Western Producer 100th Anniversary Market Research Project.
We are partnering with sponsors such as Corteva to offer a series of webinars which will present the answers and challenge participating farmers to offer their own insights from the field. Experts from the project itself and Corteva will be on hand to discuss specific questions.
Join us online by registering for this second event in the series on Thursday, April 18.
How Are Corteva Biologicals Unique?
- Proven, Predictable Performance. Our biologicals undergo years of testing to ensure they consistently deliver, giving you peace of mind about your crop protection and confidence in a strong harvest.
- Complement Evolving Farming Practices. Biological products offer cutting-edge, complementary solutions to persistent challenges, like resistance management and environmental impact, so you can leverage resources more effectively.
- Meet Changing Market Expectations. Look toward the future with products that will help you keep your operation viable, enhance marketability, meet consumer preferences, and boost ROI and profitability on your farm.
¹ https://investors.corteva.com/news-releases/news-release-details/corteva-agriscience-signs-agreement-acquire-stoller-group-one-0
