Agriculture is officially in the throes of industry definitions regarding what qualifies as “regenerative” agriculture.
Biologicals, which themselves have undergone from classification challenges, have been taken under the regenerative wing. And just like many inputs, not all biologicals are created equally. So, what qualifies a biological as being a regenerative agriculture practice?
“That is a great question because it’s a difficult one,” said Chad Pawlak, CEO of Locus Ag, “and there’s a reason why it’s difficult. It depends on who you’re talking to about regenerative ag.”
Definitions not only waver among parties, but also among scopes 1, 2, and 3. Some of it is farmer practice and opinion, and some of it is manufacturer opinion, and a lot of it will come from the programs or projects that growers are involved in.
“For example, if growers are involved in a retail program where the retailer is determining what’s in or what’s out, that’s where you’ll find that definition,” Pawlak said.
So, how’s a grower to choose? The biological market isn’t lacking for activity, and it’s only expected to grow as agricultural practices change. But navigating a quickly expanding market can become challenging.
Choosing a biological
The bottom line is that there’s no simple answer to selecting which biological is the best option for any given field. The list of options begins as soon as the research begins into manufactures, suppliers, types available, and more.
Perhaps mostly importantly, it depends on the crop.
1. Test the soil
A new technology that tests a soil’s DNA has recently become available. Just like researchers can run the biome of the human body, so can it be done for soil. In that process, it’s possible to see the microorganisms in the soil, and those microorganisms may be good, bad, or neutral when it comes to actually helping the soil’s health.
“Most of the soils turn out to be low in beneficial organisms, high in pathogens, and high in the ones that sit out on the sidelines,” said Cameron Smith, an agronomist and sales manager for Locus Ag.
Microbial diversity is important in soil, but high biodiversity doesn’t necessarily mean something good. Soil test results could show a lot of biological and fungal activity, but when the species in that diversity are identified, they’re not always species that are beneficial for the plant.
“They don’t help with those nutritional and pathogenic interactions with the plant,” said Smith. “So, we’re helping to add a high number of beneficial organisms that do the work for the plant, and there’s a response out of increasing that biology.”
That goal is to improve overall soil health, which can occur through added organic matter from cover cropping, tillage reduction, the use of biologicals, etc. All of these practices feed the biology of the soil.
“Basically, organic matter or organic inputs or nutrients provide carbon sources. Carbon sources are food for the biology, the biology breaks down those carbon bonds and uses that energy to produce things — nutrients, metabolites, and things for the plant, said Smith. “It’s a system; it’s a life cycle.”
2. Find the right species
Some crops do better with certain species found in biologicals than others.
The biologicals used to restore soil can be chosen based on the nutrient results of soil tests and tissue samples. But, in considering those biologicals, growers’s will have to consider who is making them and what their track records are around those products.
“[Biological representatives] might be in the field saying they have trichoderma or bacillus, and just because they have the same products [as one other] doesn’t mean that those two products will perform the same,” Pawlak said.
Using the correct species is important, and while there isn’t necessarily widespread misuse of biologicals, there is a broad misunderstanding of them. The modern use of biology in agriculture has been happening for quite a while, and it continues to improve. With modern science, the industry is learning so much more than it ever knew, which includes learning how to use biologicals better and make them more effective.
3. Ask about quality assurance
Multipoint quality assurance checks are important to maintain product quality. Third party research through contract research organizations and universities helps to assure that what a company has seen happen in trials will continue to happen once the product is applied to a crop.
These are important tools in the industry, as the barrier to entry for biologicals is rather low, said Pawlak, and not every company takes all of these quality assurance steps.
Locus Ag, for example, makes all its biologicals in Cleveland, Ohio, where the same species is used every time and production batches are always fermented to eliminate any genetic drift — a prevalent issue in the world of biologicals.
Many companies import microbes — live, living creatures subject to the mercies of travel, temperatures, shipping, etc. It’s important to know the source, how a company ensures quality control and protects the integrity of the product.
Main photo: A California strawberry field.
Images: Locus Ag
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