There’s a fungus among us that strengthens plants from the inside out, supporting growth and protecting against environmental stress. Beauveria bassiana first gained traction fighting darkling beetles in chicken barns, and after a bold farmer-led experiment, it evolved into a product for a broad range of crops, helping growers protect yields and increase profitability.
My uncle, Jim Arends, a professor emeritus at North Carolina State University in the Department of Entomology and Veterinary School, first established that B. bassiana is a fungus that infects both larval and adult stages of the darkling beetles that would infest chicken barns. He founded JABB of the Carolinas in 1994 to successfully distribute this as a commercial product.
Research also shows B. bassiana can work as a seed treatment as it associates with plants, leading to healthier, more robust plants. One of our shareholders gave it a try on his organic wheat. The old formulation was messy, but once planted, his crop stood out with higher yield and no mycotoxins. He repeated the trial the following year with the same results, setting the stage for where we are today.
We reformulated our products to B. bassiana derived from plant sources for use on crops and launched commercially in 2016. I joined the company in 2022, and my science background in entomology and agriculture give me appreciation for how Beauveria interacts with both insects and plants, and a desire to grow the legacy of the family business.
Today it’s available in both organic and conventional formulations for seedbox, foliar, drip, furrow, and commercial seed treatment use. Word of mouth took us from start up to over one million acres treated last season.
Research showed B. bassiana doesn’t just stay in the soil like most biologicals, it moves into the plant as an endophyte, living between cells – from the roots to leaves. This boosts photosynthesis, stress resistance, and growth through better nutrient transfer and communication.
Growers are noticing shifts in their fields, unusual insect behavior, and more stress tolerant crops, which raises questions about what is happening inside the plant. Research shows that B. bassiana in a plant can trigger systemic acquired resistance, helping the crop defend itself by producing metabolites and volatile compounds. This natural resistance can reduce stress on the plant, allowing it to maintain or even increase yields without the need for extra treatments or added input costs.
Customers are sharing impressive results. For example, Franck Groeneweg of Living Sky Grains in Three Forks Montana used our product for the first time this year. When pests showed up, the plant’s natural resistance assisted by B. bassiana meant he avoided costly insecticide applications. This saved both time and input costs, and he’s already planning to use the product again next season.
As word spread, farmers asked if it could work on cherries, vegetables, or grapes. Each question pushed us to dig deeper, turning a single application into a journey across crops and production systems. Those farmer-led trials became some of the most rewarding parts of the story, turning curiosity into discovery and discovery into growth.
Farming today means facing high input costs and lower prices, so protecting ROI is more important than ever. Our biological technologies can help reduce unnecessary inputs while maintaining or even increasing yields, giving farmers a stronger return in a tough economy.
Current orders project that our products will be used on about 1.5 million acres in 2026. That momentum didn’t happen overnight. It grew from trial, trust, and farmer-to-farmer connections, reducing reliance on chemicals and strengthening farm margins along the way.
Our products work seamlessly on their own, and when combined with other biologicals, we’re finding that 1+1=3, which I will explore in my next article.
Farmers today want crops that perform and stand out. B. bassiana delivers impressive results without adding to the chemical load. This is more than biological innovation; it’s a strategic investment.
