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 moreTag Archives biologicals — page 2
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
Biological nitrogen-fixing products fail test
WINNIPEG —Dave Franzen is a straight shooter. If he doesn’t know the answer, the North Dakota State University soil scientist will admit it. If he does, he’ll tell you. As an example, in the summer of 2022 researchers from land grant universities across the north-central United States studied commercially available, biological nitrogen-fixing products to see […] Read more
EcoTea takes broad approach
Most companies that marketing crop enhancement biologicals promote the fact that their products are very narrowly focused. But one company takes the opposite approach, fostering a broad biological band of bugs. Overton Environmental is a Winnipeg company that provides crops with a concoction of 70,000 bacteria, 30,000 fungi plus protozoa. They call it EcoTea. Third-party […] Read more
