Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60AS THE WORLD’S food chain increases its focus on food quality, nutrition and “environmentally sustainable produc- tion,” the farm use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides is under greater scrutiny by the food chain and by regulators. It is becoming more difficult and costly to comply with regulatory requirements, and the number of new active chemical sub- stances is declining. At the same time, growers continue to search for ways to increase plant health and maximize yield, and they are increas- ingly turning to agricultural biologicals and natural products. What are Biologicals? Agricultural biologicals are living organisms, such as bacteria and fungi, which enhance plant health and pro- ductivity (biofertility), or protect plants from pests and diseases (biological pest control). Biofertility products are bacteria or fungi used as soil or seed inoculants to drive nutrition into the plant. Daniel Samphir, Seed Applied Solutions mar- Business-critical information for retailers selling seed and seed treatment products. SUPPORTED BY: BIOLOGICALS AND NATURAL PRODUCTS: TODAY AND TOMORROW, OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES 16 keting manager for Monsanto Canada says these products are well accepted and used by Canadian producers. “Canadian growers, particularly pulse and soybean growers, are very familiar with these products,” he says. “In fact, around 95 per cent of pea and lentil growers use inoculants to improve nutrient availability for plants.” According to Samphir there is great potential in this sector. “We are increasing our work to bring products to Canadian and other markets for cereals like corn and wheat,” he says. Monsanto BioAg offers a number of biofertility products including: • JumpStart, a fungal inoculant that grows along the root of the plant and helps to make soil-bound phos- phates available to the plant. • QuickRoots, a seed inoculant that helps release nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the soil making them more available to plants. • TagTeam LCO, an inoculant that provides phosphate and nitrogen by combining Pencillium bilaii, the active ingredient in JumpStart, with a nitrogen-fixing Rhizobium and the LCO molecule. With regard to biological pest con- trol products, companies investigate new uses for bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, yeasts and nematodes. Commonly called biopesticides, these naturally occurring organisms target insect pests and plant diseases. To increase the awareness of biope- sticides as effective products, 107 com- panies around the world, including nine in Canada, joined in 2000 to form the Biopesticide Industry Alliance (BPIA). The alliance exists to facilitate regulatory systems and to provide net- working opportunities for its members. The BPIA highlights the benefits of biopesticides, including the provision of more options for growers; the expan- sion of organic options; and meeting the requirements of large food retail- ers for more environmentally sustain- able food products. BPIA statistics show that 55 per cent of the biopes- Setting the confusion that is commonly associated with this sector of the industry aside, experts agree there’s tremendous growth potential and using “nature” naturally sits well with the public.