b'GLOBALGLOBAL INNOVATIONGLOBAL INNOVATIONGLOBAL INNOVATIONGLOBAL INNOVATION SHOWDOWN SHOWDOWN SHOWDOWN SHOWDOWN1 st 2 nd 3 rd 4 thPLACE PLACE PLACE PLACEGLOBAL INNOVATIONGLOBAL INNOVATIONGLOBAL INNOVATION SHOWDOWN SHOWDOWN SHOWDOWN1 st 2 nd 3 rdPLACE PLACE PLACEGLOBAL INNOVATIONGLOBAL INNOVATIONGLOBAL INNOVATIONCANADIAN SHOWDOWN SHOWDOWN SHOWDOWN TOP INNOVATION1 st 2 nd 3 rdPLACE PLACE PLACEHE DIDNT SET OUT TO CHANGE FARMINGst BUT HIS MICROBES JUST MIGHTGLOBAL INNOVATIONGLOBAL INNOVATIONGLOBAL INNOVATION SHOWDOWN SHOWDOWN SHOWDOWN1 2 nd 3 rdPLACE PLACE PLACEDale Overton created his microbial brew, EcoTea, in a garage. Now its taking over a million acres of farmland by storm.Marc ZienkiewiczAS ECOTEA HITS one million Canadianwhats practical, cost-effective, and good acres this year, it can be hard to believefor the soil, he says. We built a product the microbial seed treatment makingthat works, is easy to use, and gives a waves across Western Canada started in asolid net return. Thats our formula.garage back in 2007. What sets EcoTea apart isnt just the GLOBAL INNOVATIONGLOBAL INNOVATIONGLOBAL INNOVATION Winnipegs Dale Overton, a trainedproductits the mindset. Overton isnt SHOWDOWN SHOWDOWN SHOWDOWNecologist with a masters in quantita- an agronomist by trade; hes an ecologist, 1 st 2 nd 3 rd obsessed with how systems function.tive plant ecology and land reclamation,PLACEPLACE PLACEdidnt set out to become an agricultural entrepreneur. He simply followed theMicrobes, Not Magicscienceand the science pointed toWhats truly disruptive about EcoTea is microbes. its adaptability.During my masters, we realizedMost biologicals are built for narrow microbial communities were the engineuse casesspecific crops, soil types, or behind plant growth on contaminatedclimates. Not EcoTea. Overton calls this sites, says Overton. Thats when I gotits ecological dexterity.the ideawhat if we could actuallyOur product works on any crop, in build microbial communities to helpDale Overton is a trained ecologist with aany soil, under any conditions, he says. plants thrive, not just in reclamation, butmasters in quantitative plant ecology and landThats because we include a wide array anywhere? reclamation, and the creator of EcoTea. of microbes that plants can select from That curiosity became EcoTea: a livingbased on their needs. It mimics what blend of beneficial microbes and biostim- happens in nature.ulants that forms symbiotic relationshipsing mainstream agsparked EcoTeas with plants to improve nutrient uptake,evolution. In 2018, Overton developedWhats Next?drought tolerance, and overall resilience.a new seed coating capable of deliveringWith performance data in hand and the But getting from idea to industry impactan entire microbial community directlymillion-acre milestone in sight, Overton took more than a decade. onto the seed. says the next phase is visibility. Were EcoTeas early adopters includedToday, that breakthrough is scalingexpanding our dealer network, and more Kroeker Farms, among the largest potatofast. Were likely going to be on a mil- conventional retail outlets are picking up operations in the country. They werelion acres this year, he says. And thatsthe product as an alternative to tradi-using it on the organic side, because ourlargely been through word of mouth. tional seed treatments, he says.product is biological, Overton says. ButWere just getting started. Weve the more we worked with farmers, theRethinking Regenerative Ag spent years on R&D, and now were more it became clearmost agriculture,Overton is careful not to get caught upshifting into awareness. If you want a because of monocultures and tillage andin buzzwords like regenerative agri- product that works, is grounded in sci-the chemical treadmill, is basically a caseculture, which is often associated withence, and is better for your soil long term for reclamation. biological solutions. this is it, Overton says. That shift in perspectivefrom solv- Regenerative ag is a bit of a loadedWere not reinventing nature. Were ing environmental damage to optimiz- term. We just want to help farmers dojust working with it.JULY 2025SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA 13'