Thursday, November 10, 2016

The Big Boys and Their Bugs


What do Bayer, Dow Chemical, Monsanto, BASF, and Syngenta have in common? Obviously they are some of the largest players in the ag chem industry but on top of their corporate size, they also have a very strong and growing biological inoculant portfolio.

At this time the biological business is around the $218 million range and it is projected to go to about $420 million by 2020. That’s nearly double in a few short years. So what do they know that enables them to make such an aggressive projection? They know the biological system works and farmers are increasingly buying into it.

According to recent articles, ag chemical companies like the property called SAR, Systemic Acquired Resistance, which is triggered in the plants by certain biological players. SAR is a natural way that plants can defend themselves for insect and disease damage. Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria seem to be the main players that farms around the country are using. They provide the SAR as well as ISR, Induced Systemic Resistance, along with root and plant growth promoting nutrient mineralization and protections from many soil diseases.

Why do I bring this up? As we are into harvest, I’m sure you will see some things that could have gone better with your crop. Perhaps looking at a PGPR inoculant for 2017 is a good idea. And the interesting point to remember is that we at Ag Tech Services have been using PGPRs in our programs for the past 13 years. I guess that puts us ahead of some of the big boys.

Let us know if you are interested and we will get you up to speed well before next planting season.

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