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
Tag Archives biologicals
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
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
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
Farmer interest grows in plant biostimulants
Companies that make these products say more education is needed as producers continue to explore products’ potential
LANGHAM, Sask. — At 2 p.m. on July 17, Ryan Bonnett and many other people at the Ag In Motion farm show near Langham were seeking a place in the shade. The temperature was around 30 C and the word “hot” came up in most conversations at the show. The afternoon temperature was also on […] Read more
Biological certification program planned
WINNIPEG — There are dozens of choices in the vitamin and supplement aisles at grocery and drug stores, to the point where consumers can be overwhelmed by the options. What is ginkgo biloba and what does it do? Is it better than beta carotene? The world of biological products in agriculture is similar. With hundreds […] Read more
More investments in biologicals
WINNIPEG – The march towards biologicals is gaining speed.In the second week of July, Syngenta and Nufarm both announced collaborations with smaller biotech firms to build up their portfolio of biological products in the pipeline.Syngenta has partnered with Intrinsyx Bio, a Silicon Valley company, to develop a line of endophyte products.“Endophytes — small micro-organisms that […] Read more
Plants and bacteria: friends for 500 million years
WINNIPEG — Bacteria have been on earth for much longer than humans. The first ancestors of humans with the ability to walk on two legs arrived about four million years ago, says the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Related story: Yes, kids do need to get dirty In comparison, fossil evidence suggests that microbes and […] Read more
Biologicals are booming in Brazilian crop use
WINNIPEG — Brazil is known for its rainforests, the statue of Jesus that towers over Rio de Janeiro and the Carnival festival, the biggest party on the planet. In the world of agriculture, Brazil is known for soybeans and beef. But it’s also leading the pack in what may be the hottest area of innovation […] Read more
Microbiome revolution proposed
WINNIPEG — The hyperbole around biologicals and what they can do for crop production sounds like 10 million crickets in a suburban backyard. There’s a lot of noise around biologicals, and for good reason. Soil contains millions of bacteria, fungi and other microbes that perform vital functions for plants. As a result, global agri-science firms […] Read more
