New Insecticide/Nematicide Provides a Soil Safeguard
September 16, 2026 Most people across agriculture acknowledge that soil health is one of the keys to improving crop yields. ProFarm is introducing a new product to aid in this effort.
Called Neovo, it is a newly EPA-registered insecticide and nematicide for corn and soybeans with the active ingredient RinoTec Technology. According to Seth Little, Market Development Manager at ProFarm, the product is systemic in the root system and acts as a gut poison.
“Neovo is the next-generation, in-furrow insecticide and nematicide offering a unique mode of action for better resistance management, more effective pest management, a healthier soil profile, and superior grower and handler safety,” says Little. “If a belowground pest like corn rootworm consumes a very small amount of Neovo treated root tissue, this results in immediate cessation of feeding, and a slow death due to starvation. In addition, root exudates from crops treated with Neovo repel nematodes and mask the presence of a host crop.”
He adds that Neovo is important to ag retailers and their grower-customers because it can control pests such as corn rootworm that are known to be resistant to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) traits. Neovo replaces the synthetic insecticides currently mixed with liquid starter fertilizer. But in addition to controlling pests such as corn rootworm, wireworm, and grubs, Neovo also suppresses key nematode pests and helps disrupt their reproductive cycles.
From right: ProFarm’s Seth Little examines roots at a Nebraska Neovo Trial with Robert Blundell, Field Development Manager.
As for the active ingredient in Neovo, Little says it comes from a strain of bacteria called Burkholderia rinojensis. During fermentation of the bacteria, certain metabolites and compounds are produced which are insecticidal, nematicidal, and miticidal in nature. The company discovered a way to customize the fermentation process in order to express those desired compounds in a high enough concentration to compete with synthetic chemistries and Bt traits. Another innovation was discovering a process to gently kill the bacteria that does not degrade the marker compounds. The result is a shelf-stable, non-living biopesticide that performs as well and better than hazardous to handle synthetic pesticides.
The Ag Retailers’ View
Out in the field, Blake Heithoff, Precision Ag Manager at Kaup Seed & Fertilizer, Pilger, NE, says his company has been trying Neovo out for about one year now and the results have been encouraging.
Blake Heithoff of Kaup Seed & Fertilizer says Neovo has delivered encouraging gains in root development and plant health while offering a new chemistry option for managing resistance.
“I have the product placed in different growing conditions and farming practices,” says Heithoff. “From what I have seen, there has been a massive increase in root development and plant health.”
He adds that Neovo is easy to use with Kaup’s existing application programs since the product is a simple liquid in-furrow application that can fit into existing planting operations. It’s also compatible with fertilizer and crop protection tank mixes.
Then, says Heithoff, there’s how Neovo can help with resistance issues.
“Repeated use of pyrethroid insecticides leads us to resistance,” he says. “Neovo is a differentiated solution that gives a whole new chemistry to break up the year after year pyrethroid use on our corn-on-corn acres.”
Moving forward, ProFarm is actively expanding the use of Neovo. According to Little, ProFarm has a national ag retail partner for Neovo that the company will be announcing very soon. Growers across the Midwest will be able to purchase Neovo for the 2027 growing season.
Until now, adds Little, ProFarm has focused primarily on corn simply due to planter configuration, since Neovo needs to be applied in-furrow at planting, and most soybean drills and planters do not have liquid in-furrow capability. However, this doesn’t mean Neovo won’t find its way into soybean fields eventually.
“Neovo will be a great tool in the soybean cyst nematode (SCN) resistance battle for growers that have in-furrow capability or would plant soybeans with their corn planter if SCN is that big of an issue for their operation,” he says.
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