When It Comes to Biologicals, What’s Old Is New Again

Editor’s Note: As we mark the first 25 years of the 21st century, CropLife reflects on the innovations, challenges, and transformations that have shaped ag retail — honoring our past while looking ahead to agriculture’s promising future. In this article, we explore the resurgence of biologicals, their evolving role in crop production, and how science is driving renewed trust and adoption across the industry.

Historians suggest agriculture appeared between 10,000 and 15,000 years ago. Not long after, growers learned adding a variety of biological products improved the health of their crops.

If growers back then could somehow see how today’s counterparts perform, they would, no doubt, be amazed. Nothing about how they operated thousands of years ago would likely be considered simple.

Early inputs included manure, plant extracts, and compost to improve the soil quality. It’s entirely understandable. After all, it’s not like they had much else to use. In the past 25 years, biological products have improved and now comprise pesticides, stimulants, and fertilizers, all of which are backed by science and tested in real-world environments. That certainly wasn’t always the case.

In the 17th century farmers used nicotine to control plum beetles. Some two centuries later, Agostino Bassi, an Italian entomologist, is credited with the discovery that microorganisms can be the cause of disease learned that muscardine disease in silkworks was caused by fungus that would be named in his honor, Beauveria bassiana.

In the early part of the last century, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), soil-dwelling bacterium was introduced as an effective biological agent to battle beetles, and nematodes among other insects.

Market Growth

According to an article that appeared in CropLife^® Magazine in 2014 the biocontrol market reached $1.7 billion. That same article predicted that the segment would hit $7 billion by this year. That growth would come from regulatory pressures, sustainability, and consumer desire for organic produce. As is often the case when predicting the future the figure was off. According to Fortune Business Insights, the segment hit $15.29 billion in 2024, $17.43 billion this year, and will surpass $44 billion by 2032.

It’s little wonder that companies that produce crop inputs are interested in producing or expanding their biological offerings.

Scientific Backing

It’s one thing to know that a product works in a laboratory; it’s entirely another thing to know it works in the field.

The ability to prove the effectiveness of biological products has been a deal-changer for the segment.

“Our mission at Mosaic is to help the world grow the food it needs,” said Ross Bender, Director for New Product Development, at The Mosaic Co., when he spoke with CropLife in 2023.

Agriculture has evolved a lot over the last few decades. And how we manage crop nutrition is evolving too.

“What we have learned through the (advancement of) science and R&D is that there are new ways that we can manage crop nutrition to improve the efficiency, the effectiveness of it,” Bender says.

Efficiency, effectiveness, and improved yield are among the way growers measure the success of crop inputs.

“Some farmers are constantly looking for something on the cutting edge,” said Ron Geis, who was the Market Development Specialist at Corteva Agriscience in 2023. Biologicals did and continue to fit that mold.

Like many relatively new (perhaps we should say modern) tools, biologicals have seen their ups and downs. When times are tough many growers opt for tried-and-true solutions. When the outlook is promising many growers are willing to take a flier on biologicals. At the start of the last decade, CropLife spoke with Jason Haegele, an Agronomist with WinField United.

“With input prices on the rise, particularly around fertilizer, growers are looking for other low-cost alternatives that can potentially provide benefit,” Haegele said. “And in the case of biologicals, unlock nutrition that’s already in the soil.”

Echoing that sentiment we wrote: “Biologicals are not just the final frontier in agriculture. They are also coming to the rescue at a time when farmers, fighting evaporating profits, need them most.”

Widening Acceptance

Initially fruit/nut tree and specialty crop growers were the first to adopt biological solutions.

A survey CropLife Media Group published in 2022 showed the growth of the three segments of the biologicals market. In 2018, only 35% of retailers sold biofertilizers. Three years later 39% of retailers offered those products. The following year that number jumped to 50%. Biopesticides flowed the other direction. In 2018, 33% of retailers sold biological pesticides dropping to 31% in 2021 and 30% in 2022.

The most popular biological products for retailers were the third segment of the biological market. In 2018, 63% of retailers listed biostimulants as part of their offerings. That number ticked up to 64% in 2021 and 74% in 2022. So, what prevented those numbers from being higher? According to the 2022 survey 41% listed a lack of trust in performance as their reason from offering biologicals, while 18% thought they were too expensive. That said, 68% indicated they planned to increase their offerings. Only 13% said they had no plans to sell biological products.

In decades past, growers were often the victims of companies that promised more than they could deliver. In addition to the cost, that lack of trust was a major concern. Times have changed. In the past several years, biological manufacturers have tested their products in ways they do synthetic solutions.

According to Corteva’s Geis, biologicals — particularly biopesticides — offer the benefit of being more selective in targeting pests. “Take corn earworm, for instance,” he said. “Corn earworm is a serious pest because when it takes one bite out of a kernel, it ruins it. A biopesticide geared to control corn earworm would only control corn earworm, so any beneficial insects on the same plant won’t be harmed.”

To this end, many ag retailers promote the use of biologicals to their grower-customers. “We have a 300-plus acre research farm to test these kinds of products and identify the ones that can bring real value to the farmers,” said John D. Allen, in 2023, then Vice President of Agronomic Services at BRANDT. “Traditional, growers of fruit trees and specialty crops have been more receptive to these, but we want to get row crop growers to realize these best values, too.”

The Next 25 Years

“Biological technologies have emerged as a potential driving force in agriculture over the last quarter century and the future holds even more promise. With science-led, data-backed technologies coming down the pipeline, agriculture will have access to bioinsecticides, biofungicides, nutrient use efficiency, and carbon reduction technologies that bolster performance and ROI, much needed in today’s markets,” says Brent Smith, CEO and President, NewLeaf Symbiotics.