Why biologicals deserve the same performance-based thinking.
“Biologicals are a dime a dozen.” “They all work the same.”
These phrases could just have likely been uttered by an investor, ag insider, or farmer- but they perpetuate a false narrative. What’s more, the activity we’re seeing in the space suggests otherwise.
We wouldn’t dare say that all hybrids are equal. Imagine telling a farmer in 2026 that “all hybrids perform the same.” It wouldn’t go over well, nor would that be the reality based on a seed company’s years’ worth of product development or selection work. But if we rewound the clock 90-100 years, would those same statements have been made by early seed salesmen?
By most definitions, “biologicals” is a broad term for products that cover everything from fertility and nutrient availability, to plant growth and vigor stimulation, to pesticides. As the biologicals space has evolved to include more product categories, those of us in the space need to be clearer about how, where, and why our products work.
The industry is craving biologicals that work consistently. Biologicals continue to attract investment, partnerships, and strategic acquisitions, signaling long-term interest from farmers and major ag players. But there’s skepticism about market adoption.
New innovations are often dismissed as interchangeable before differentiation is clearly understood. That has happened with early hybrids, novel chemistry classes, and new trait platforms. So, how have those technologies succeeded despite this pattern? The answers lie in the combination of foundational technical and scientific work, developers understanding what need they were solving, and farmers seeing real differences in their own fields.
Biologicals Aren’t New. Precision Is.
Farmers have used biology-based inputs for generations: think about manure amendments, crop rotations, and residue management. What has changed – and what people should look for in a biologicals company – are some key differentiations in the foundational technology:
- Improved microbial strain identification
- Purpose-built and advanced collections
- Better understanding modes of action and the link to product performance
- More consistent formulation and delivery
- Consistency in performance on small plots and in commercial conditions
The difference today is not biology itself, but intentional design and application that leads to stand-out and specific performance. Biologicals vary widely in their function, origin, fit by management environment, and consistency of response. Treating all biologicals as interchangeable risks poor placement decisions, misaligned expectations, and underperformance that reinforces skepticism.
We owe it to growers, retailers, and partners to bring a more useful framework forward. We ought to be evaluating biologicals the way seed is evaluated:
- Fit to field and crop management systems
- Performance under specific conditions
- Repeatability over time
Not all products will justify the same role or value. That is true in many aspects of crop inputs, and more broadly in agriculture.
The question is not whether biologicals “work.” The question is, just like in seed sales and placement, which products, where, and why? And ultimately…who has built the knowledge and trust to deliver them?
