Spencer Harris (green shirt) speaks with attendees at the Nutrien Ag Solutions crop plots at Ag in Motion on July 16, 2025.

Interest in biological crop inputs continues to grow

Nutrien exec shares thoughts on uptake and profitability of biological crop inputs

It was only a few years ago that interest in alternative methods such as biologicals to boost a crop’s nutrient uptake seemed to spike in popularity. But according to Spencer Harris, senior vice-president of global ag retail for Nutrien Ag Solutions, biologicals are not all that new for Nutrien — the global ag retailer has […] Read more

Spencer Harris , in the green shirt, speaks with attendees at the Nutrien Ag Solutions crop plots at Ag in Motion on July 16. Photo: Greg Berg

Interest in biological crop inputs continues to grow

Nutrien exec shares thoughts on uptake and profitability of biological crop inputs

It was only a few years ago that interest in alternative methods such as biologicals to boost a crop’s nutrient uptake seemed to spike in popularity. But according to Spencer Harris, senior vice-president of global ag retail for Nutrien Ag Solutions, biologicals are not all that new for Nutrien — the global ag retailer has been researching biological crop inputs for nearly two decades.

Spencer Harris (green shirt) speaks with attendees at the Nutrien Ag Solutions crop plots at Ag in Motion on July 16, 2025. Photo: Greg Berg

Interest in biological crop inputs continues to grow

Nutrien exec shares thoughts on uptake and profitability of biological crop inputs

It was only a few years ago that interest in alternative methods such as biologicals to boost a crop’s nutrient uptake seemed to spike in popularity. But according to Spencer Harris, senior vice-president of global ag retail for Nutrien Ag Solutions, biologicals are not all that new for Nutrien — the global ag retailer has […] Read more


A man's hand is using the small spoon built into the screw-on lid of a plastic tube to collect a small sample of soil in a field.

Demystifying biological inputs

A new partnership brings science-based field data to ag input listings to help growers sort fact from fiction

Biome Makers’ BeCrop Trials system measures changes in the soil microbiome after a product is applied. While the AgList/Biome Makers badge doesn’t validate efficacy, it signals a product has been through third-party field trials.




A woman waering a labcoat and blue latex gloves works under a ventilation hood in a lab.

VIDEO: Biologicals company celebrates ‘new beginning’

It’s pretty common to celebrate the milestones in life, and the folks at Saskatoon’s Novonesis lab and production facility are no different. The company, formerly known as Novozymes, specializes in plant biosolutions, and for one day during the recent Crop Production Show, it opened the doors to its state-of-the-art facility to mark a number of […] Read more

On-farm testing and public data is available on the efficacy of fertilizer supplements and biological products, but it can be difficult for producers to find the results.  |  File photo

Feds not expected to resume supplement testing

WINNIPEG — Some farmers and producer groups would like the federal government to restore testing of non-fertilizer supplements to prove they work before the products are commercialized. That’s unlikely to happen, says a fertilizer expert who has been in the industry for decades. The federal government stopped regulating non-fertilizer supplements in 2013, and efficacy testing […] Read more


The NFU report comes at a time when hundreds of novel supplements are now available to Canadian producers. | Screencap via nfu.ca

NFU calls for efficacy testing of non-fertilizer supplements

WINNIPEG — The federal government should re-instate efficacy testing for non-fertilizer supplements, says the National Farmers Union. The current system, where it’s unknown if products work or not, is a cost and a risk for Canadian growers, the NFU says in a report published Oct. 21. “‘Farmer buy-and-try’ should no longer be the norm for […] Read more

Catalera is a new entity in the world of biologicals, a generic term to describe crop protection and fertility products that are derived from bacteria, fungi, plant extracts and other natural organisms. | Catalera photo

Biologicals business receives funding boost

WINNIPEG — A Vancouver company with ambitions of making biologicals “the future” of crop protection and pest solutions has secured investment from a major player in Canada’s agricultural industry. On Tuesday morning, Catalera BioSolutions announced the initial close of its Series A funding round. S2G Ventures, a venture capital firm in Chicago, is leading the […] Read more