BioVerified: A growing trend and natural solution to crop protection.

Biologicals are a form of crop protection derived from natural materials or living organisms that are rapidly growing in popularity. Guests  Glenda Gehl, Vice President of R&D Crop Inputs at Land O’Lakes, and, Greg Culp, Vice President of Agronomy, Sales and Marketing at Mercer Landmark, join us to discuss how helping farmers sort through the numerous options and jump straight to a short list of products selected based on reliable product research and data.

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Transcript

 I think there's probably a lot of, uh, misconceptions around what we do in the ag industry using a biological product. It should be a bit comforting to know that we're, we're not only exploring the traditional chemistry we've done in the past, but we're also exploring, and I say we products that I think are a little more eco-friendly, that still provide some of the protection we're looking for.

That's what we're trying to do as farmers, is continue to raise more yield so we can feed the world. Tomorrow. It's never a guarantee unless we take care of today. We are a cooperative, grounded in 100 years of forward thinking ever since our beginning in 1921. It's the pursuit of a reliable food supply, a sustainable future, and vibrant communities for all of us.

Rooted in the promise of a brighter future. This is rooted in Tomorrow, the podcast by Land O'Lakes, Inc. I'm your host, Kim Olson. Join us for Stories of Innovators Change Make. And the modern entrepreneurs who work the land.

Biology. The name alone brings back memories of lab coats and goggles and maybe a frog experiment resulting in queasy classmates. But simply put, biology is just the study of living organisms. For the context of our episode today, biologicals are a form of crop protection consisting of natural materials or living organisms in the soil or environment around a field.

Protection against pests and the open elements. It's a newer method of managing a field that's rapidly growing in popularity. As a farmer, protecting your crop is everything, and the choices they make can greatly impact their year-end yields and profitability. The stakes are highs. So when new products or technologies come to market, we wanna be able to make the best recommendation possible because we know there are no do-overs in farming.

On the pod today, Glenda Gale. Glenda is the Vice President of r and d crop inputs at Land O'Lakes. We also have Greg Culp, the Vice President of Agronomy Sales and Marketing at Mercer Landmark, which is another farmer owned co-op in Salina, Ohio.

Alright, well, welcome to you both, Greg and Glenda. Um, I, this is such an interesting conversation for me. I, I feel like I'm going back to grade school, so. I was, you know, most folks are, um, definitely either math, science or uh, English social studies, and I was absolutely on the English, social studies side, journalism, major writer, all of those things.

When I think about, um, biology and physics and chemistry and science, uh, it's a little intimidating for me, and I, I'm sure it is for. A lot of our listeners, but today we're gonna, uh, we're gonna make it easy to understand and we're gonna just talk biology. Right? That was 10th grade for me. Did you guys take biology in high school?

Yes, I did. Yeah. 10th grade as well, or did we do it way earlier? Uh, I was first or second grade for me. Oh, good lord. Just kidding. No good habits. Yeah. No, it would've been about the same time. Greg, you're really an overachiever man. Yeah, it was 10th grade. I was actually just having flashbacks to my biology lab actually.

Kim? Yeah. In uh mm-hmm. In eastern Wisconsin. Yes, at my high school. Yeah, I remember that in, uh, in southern Minnesota as well. Um, well, I know both of you'll help us understand the growing, uh, biologicals market and how these products can impact crops and what farmers should know when deciding which ones to buy.

Um, so before we go too far down that road, which is where we'll, we'll end up, let's just start with the basics. Um, so Glenda, let's start with you. Uh, can you tell me what exactly are. Biologicals. Yeah. So when we think about biologicals in the agricultural market, um, we're really talking about products that contain living organisms, right?

Or, or things that are gonna have a direct or an indirect impact. To the biological process within the soil, the plant, or a pest that might be in a particular field. So in our world, we like to think about this in, in three different buckets, right? So we think about bio fertilizers, biostimulants, and bio controls.

But really the thing to remember about biologicals as we go through this whole conversation is that it's really a living organism, right? Which is mm-hmm. Which is what really that definition is. Okay. And, and how then do those living organisms relate to being used to protect a farmer's crops? Yeah, that's a great question.

So when you think about that. What a lot of times is happening when we're thinking about these particular areas of products that farmers are exploring, that they are really used to protect the crops in different ways and, and in particular we think about the plant health. We think about the soil health, we think about.

Things that are actually already in the soil or things that are already, um, part of the plant's biology that we are enhancing a lot of times that is, um, how a farmer is using some of these products to, uh, to protect their crops. And, and is that kind of why farmers are interested in exploring the market because they're, they're already sort of doing.

Things like this. Yeah, absolutely. Because the, you know, they're really naturally occurring already and there's different microbial strains. So as we've, we've learned through our research and, and through, uh, technology, as we've learned more and more about all these different micro, um, biology pieces of, of the environment around the plant and within the plant, we've realized that by, um, enhancing certain pieces of that, um, farmers are gonna be ex.

Are gonna be able to exploit some of those benefits of, of the positive things that are, are already going on, um, in that growing environment and that condition sounds efficient. Um, Greg, you've been in the ag industry for about two decades, uh, in, in an Ohio state. Buckeye, if I read my background or correctly That's right, and I, I would just go, oh, and.

Hopefully there's an IO out there. I'd say Io io Greg. I lived in Ohio long enough to, to know that. Don't back out for that. Um, so, so tell me, I imagine you've seen lots of trends in the 20 years that you've been in the ag industry. Um, do you feel like this is another one or do you think it's something that, um, help farmers long term or somewhere in between?

What do you think? There's trends and I think there's fads, right? There's, there have been fads that have come and went, and I think, um, then there's trends. I mean, you think about what Roundup Ready technology did, and, and that revolutionized, uh, ag, at least in the US and, and around the globe, I think. But as we look at biologicals, I think there's a real opportunity.

Um, with consumers wanting more products that are, that are biologically driven, um mm-hmm. Not so much hard chemistry as we would call it, if there's op, if there's an opportunity for us to protect yield or enhance yield mm-hmm. Using a biological, there's certainly an interest there and I think, I think it's an exciting area that we, we see a lot of potential in.

So you're, you're actually out working, um, you and your team to get farmers to understand the impact of. Biologicals. Um, how, uh, how is that going? Are, are they skeptical? Are, um, are growers overwhelmed? Are they confused? How, how are you greeted when you kind of, um, bring up the subject and, and talk about how it might work?

So you used the word skeptical, overwhelmed, and confused. And I would say all three of those, depending upon the grower, oh boy. The grower that you're talking to. And I think maybe interested would be another word. Um, yeah. And, and the reason why I. Sort of identified with all three of those words is because it is sort of, um, a market that what is often referred to as the wild, wild west, I mean, it's not, not overly regulated.

So there's a lot of opportunity for, for companies to provide a, a product that just comes with a promise and maybe not a lot of data behind it. So that's, that's where some of the skepticism comes in. Um, but we're also in a. Considering the commodity markets we're in, it's a, you know, it's not, it's not super high commodity prices.

So really the best way out of that is more bushels. And so if we can help growers find more yield at the end of the year, that's where the opportunity to kind of, to help 'em grow through this downward cycle we're in. It'll come back up. But that's where we at. That's where we are today. And so, yeah, if we can help a plant.

Manage through stress or help it utilize nutrients more efficiently and in, in the end it provides a positive return on investment. Then growers are certainly interested in that and we're interested in promoting it. It, it does, Greg, as you were saying, it does seem like new biological companies and products are just like rolling out all the time.

We're seeing more and more and more of it. Um. Do either of you know how many, um, products are out there right now? Yeah, it's the last time we've done a scan there, were over 1200 companies worldwide. Oh geez. In this space with over 2000 products that are on the market. It really is, as Greg said, the wild, wild west right now.

Yeah. Yeah. And, and that's a big number. I, um, I would think if I am, uh, looking at that, um. In interested as, as Greg said, uh, the one thing I might think about is risk. Um, you know, we use, in ag, we use that word a lot. Um, and if, uh, you're a consumer, it might be hard for you to understand how much risk a farmer is taking by changing their practices or trying a new product.

Um, Greg, can you put that into perspective for us? Well, uh, as a farmer myself, uh, risk is sort of in our blood. A little bit. I mean, there's a lot with it. Huh? There's a lot of faith involved too. I mean, you, you, yeah. You, you buy the fertilizer, you plant the crop. Then you, if you're not irrigated, you go, okay, God, now we need the rain.

We need the weather, and we need the sunshine. Mm-hmm. Um, so from a risk specifically around biologicals, um, it's not as great of a risk. I mean, when we look at the total input cost between fertilizer and seed and all the other crop protection products we use, the, the biological space is really just sort of the icing on the cake.

Mm. Mm-hmm. Um, but what I like about it is that that extra. Eight to 20, depending upon the product. Tho those, those extra dollars from an input standpoint could provide 20 to 40. I mean, the, the profit potential is certainly there. However, it may not be there. And that's where I think from a risk standpoint, if, if I'm going to invest additional dollars in my, in my crop, I wanna have some confidence that it's proven and that, and that, that at least, uh.

I have really good odds of having a positive return on investment. So that's, that's where partnering with Winfield's been helpful. Well, let's, um, let's talk about that. I, I wanna talk about the Winfield United Bio verified designation. Um, and Glenda, let's start with you on that. It's a. Program your team has worked on to help ag retailers and farmers get a clearer reference point when selecting biologicals.

Right. Um, can you, can you just kind of walk us through how bio verified works? Yeah, absolutely. So, um, bio Verified is something that, um, we brought forward. Just under a year ago because of all the things that we've been talking about. Right? There are, it's the wild, wild west right now. There are so many different companies out in this market, um, and they're making a lot of different claims and farmers are, are confused, but but interested, right?

So as we, as we really thought about what are the four key factors that. As we, um, think about making agronomic re recommendations and, and helping our, our retailers really with their growers at the farm gate level, what are those four areas that are really important? And one of them is, is uniqueness, right?

So is there a product that is out there that is unique, that fits, uh, a need that a farmer might have that, um, that they, they can't solve in a different way? Another thing that we think about is really what is a mode of action and how does it perform? What type of placement, um, is needed and, and does it cover a large geography or is it a very, very, very niche product?

Um, the other thing. The third thing that we really think through is the operational compatibility. And as Greg will probably tell you as a farmer himself, is while you are in the middle of planting and you are, are thinking about or you're trying a new product, if something doesn't fit into your operational system.

You're probably gonna leave that behind, right? Because you are in the, the heat of the battle. The, the timing is so important. Um, so we really, really think through the operational compatibility and, and frankly, the shelf life of some of these living organisms, right? Because, um, because that also comes into play here.

And then as we've been talking about, as Greg alluded to the economic return. Right, right. If, if the cost of that product, um, is, is high and we don't, um, and can't prove out with our data and insights that, um, that there is really a viable economic return when it's placed appropriately, um, it won't meet our, our bio verified, um, recommendations.

So how did you, you've got your criteria. How did you choose which products to test? So that, um, was, was even trickier, right? Because, um, there are so many out on the marketplace today and, and really what we did is we went back to, um, really what Winfield United is built on is our ability to. Um, have agronomic insights of how different products and, and interactions happen, um, within a growing season within that soil and within that plant to achieve the outcomes that a farmer is looking for.

So we, um, we went back and started to, to really think through the, the funnel of products that come into us. Um, whether they be our own products, um, that we wanna launch as a proprietary or whether they're partnered or vendored products that we work with, that we ultimately recommend to our retailers.

And we started to, um, look at the data that might have been available from the manufacturer or from our own internal testing and then, um, started to stack them up against those criteria as we started to vet them through. And as we got down into that funnel, we got to, um. To a set of products that we thought might have viability within the bio verified certification.

And is this limited to Winfield United products only? No, it's not. Which is really, I think what, um, is very unique about this program and I think something that our retailers, um, really count on us for is to be able to take the products that are. Totally out in the market today and say, okay. And, and I know, and maybe Greg, um, would use different language, but, you know, some of our, our retailers would say we have a, because of the, the rigor and the, uh, the data and the insights that we bring forward across the entire platform, um, a lot of our retailers will say, well, you're unbiased, right?

And, and you bring, mm-hmm. Information and things forward. Now, I will say we probably do have a bias. We have a bias towards good data and science and things that are gonna really help our retailers and our farmers, right? Yeah. Um, but with that, you know, we have been able to find products that are within our portfolio proprietary products.

Um, I, I always joke that, um, our ascend brands are, are really kind of the OG in this area, right? They're plant growth regulators that we've had in our lineup. For a while, um, that meet the criteria for, for bio verified, but there's also, um, a total of 11 products in, in the bio verified, um, portfolio today that, that we recommend that are, um, you know, out of those, there are, are several that are products that are coming forward from our basic manufacturing partners.

Interesting. So, um, if I go back, um, to your criteria again, so uniqueness. Uh, performance and placement, operational compatibility, economic return. Now, I wanna I wanna ask you, Greg, of these four, um, which of the criteria kind of best addresses the questions and concerns that you're hearing from your growers?

Is, is one something, one of those criteria, one that they're most interested in, or are they interested in all four, or, or how does that play out for you in the field? Well, I would say that. The, if, if I have to rank them. The first one comes to mind is ROI. I mean, we, we do what we do because we want to, we want to have a sustainable farm that that's, that's here for generations.

And part of sustainability is, is certainly around doing things that are friendly for the environment, but it's also we want to be economically sustainable. So ROI certainly comes to the top of the list. If, if it's, if it's just that and it's not easy to use or it doesn't fit into our current process, and I think, you know, from a farmer and from an ag retailer standpoint, it has to fit in with our operational processes.

I mean, we have sure, only a certain number of rigs and a lot of acres to get over. And if we have to, uh. Make a major change because we wanna slip one product in for two growers. Uh, it's, it's gonna be difficult for us to do. Yeah. Or, you know, from a mixing standpoint, if I have a biological that's going on a in a row starter and it turns to jelly, that's a hard day when you, as you know, from a farming standpoint, you only have a limited number of days to get it done.

So those things cut you up. So ROI, and I guess my second place would be operational efficiency. Yeah, that makes sense. Um, is there, uh, when you think about the bio verified program and talk to your sellers, um, do you think it helps build trust? Is there an example of a product that you've, you've really liked or seen a lot of your growers implement in the field?

Yeah, absolutely. It builds trust and I think maybe the one thing that every. Ag retail seller probably puts top of mind is I want my growers to trust me. Mm-hmm. We wanna be the trusted advisor. Right? So if I'm gonna make a recommendation and one of my customers is, one of our customers is gonna say, okay, if you say so, um, and then it doesn't do what we promise.

We have a problem. Yeah, so, so knowing that it's gone through the testing that Glenda described earlier from the lab to the, to the little small plot testing, to large plot testing. And then, and then it's analyzed and then we say, okay, 87% of the time it's a positive return on investment. Okay, we'll, we'll try it.

And so we, we had that with, uh, yield on mm-hmm. Uh, a few, maybe a year or two ago, and we. Actually, that's kind of what sold me on it or sold our team on it was really, it was, it was proven. And so when you go to a grower and you kind of briefly explain how it works and how it helps the plant metabolize more nutrients more efficiently and um, and you mentioned earlier that you know, you, you.

Maybe didn't love biology. There's a lot of farmers that, that don't either, and they're going, okay, I, I trust you to help me make a wise recommendation. Yeah. I may not under not understand all the science behind it. Mm-hmm. And quite honestly, I may not understand all the science behind it, but I know there's really smart folks in the Winfield Research Lab and within their.

Their whole agronomy organization that do understand it really well. And so when they, when it's proven, we trust it, we used it, and guess what? It worked. And so we've seen positive yield responses in soybeans and corn, and we even had some really great responses in wheat over the past year. And so we're, we're tickled with it.

Um, another example, we haven't tremendously sold a lot of this, this next product, but because of what happened with Yield on, we knew that we were having a. A dry season early on in the spring. Mm-hmm. And we were looking at Voya grow, and we were, we were prepared, we were getting ready to place orders, and then of course it rained.

And so the, the stress mitigation wasn't a necessary Sure. Uh, a thing to, to try to fix at that point. But because it's bio verified, because it's trusted, we were, we were confident that it was gonna work. Yeah. And that's great. I, it sounds like you're getting such good feedback on. Trust and, um, how things are working.

I'm sure that's really valuable. And probably Glenda valuable to you too, because the bio verified list will be evaluated annually, right? Is that, that's right. Is that correct's, um, is why is it important that you evaluate annually and that the lineup kind of evolves over time? I think, I think it's important for a couple reasons.

One, because there is new, there is still new technology that's coming. There's things, there's new things we're learning every day, and there's also new data and information and insights around. The ways in which certain products can be utilized. Right. And, and I think, and, and when I talk about the technology pieces, um, in particular around the operational side of things, right?

So there might be, for instance, a great product that meets a lot of the different criteria we've been talking about, but there's really not a great way for, um, our egg retailer or our farmer to actually apply it, right? Mm-hmm. And so the applicability of it just isn't there, but yet some new technology might have come forward.

That allows that to change and all of a sudden it does actually meet all those criteria. So, um, it really is important for us to continue to look at that list and not let it be stagnant because new technologies, new data and insights will continue to come as we get through additional growing seasons.

And as more entrants come into the market, there's a lot of organizations out there right now that are very interested in this space and, and they're really investing quite a bit, right? So we know that, um, these new discoveries will continue. And, and I think it's really important for us to, uh, to continue to keep updating that list and ensuring that our retailers and their growers have, um, the most recent information so that they can make the best choices.

When does the new list come out? Do you have a, a regular, uh, release date? Yeah. So since we just launched this, um, official program. Less than a year ago. I think the, uh, the plan right now is, and I don't wanna get, um, ahead of my marketing team here, but, um, I think the plan right now is December, and I think Greg will be, um, excited to learn that there will be a couple of new, um, products that I think will work in his, his geography, um, that will be part of that list that I think he'll be eager to learn about.

So, um, we're really excited about, um, it's like a sneak preview, Glenda. Yeah. Yeah, movie will be released. That's right. I'm liking your, uh, I'm liking your marketing approach here. Um, so we've spent most of the episode and we're wrapping up here, um, discussing how our system is working to help farmers make the best decisions possible when it comes to biologicals.

But I'd like to end by asking each of you kind of, why shouldn't average consumer care that farmers are taking an interest in a line of products like this? I'd be happy to start. I, I think if you're an average consumer out there, and I think there's probably a lot of, uh, misconceptions around what we do in the ag industry.

Mm-hmm. And, uh, I think this, using a biological product, it, it's, it should be a bit comforting to know that we're, we're not only exploring the traditional chemistry we've done in the past, but we're also exploring, and I say we, the, the folks in the, that are coming up with these new products, exploring, uh, products that I think are.

A little more eco-friendly that still provides some of the protection we're looking for. Um, that helps us add yield and add bushels. And at the end of the day, that's what we're trying to do as farmers, is continue to raise more yield so we can feed the world. And so if I'm an average consumer and I ate today, I'm pretty thankful that farmers are doing what they're doing.

And, and folks like Winfield and, and the companies that are coming up with these products, um, are looking at innovative ways to help farmers protect, yield, and improve, improve their bottom line. Great. Great. Great. That's a wonderful answer. Glenda, anything to add there? Yeah, I, I wholeheartedly agree with, with what Greg said, I think is important to.

To recognize for a, a general consumer to recognize that farmers, uh, and retailers are doing everything that they can to start to move away from, um, some of our more synthetic products and into products that are really naturally occurring and help with some of the regenerative practices and the things that we know.

And, and Greg mentioned it earlier in the episode, but, um. I think all the farmers that we work with are dedicated to a legacy of, of passing on their farms and their, and their land to the next generation. And that's good for our local communities. That's good for rural communities, that's good for the farmers and it's good for the consumer because we've got consistency in our food supply and, um, and safe.

A very safe food supply that's coming from these farmers that are continually looking for, for things that are gonna be better, um, better for them and for the environment. Great. Well, I'm gonna end it on that note. Thank you both so much for joining me. Really appreciate you taking the time. Thanks, Kim. It was a pleasure.

Yeah, thank you.

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