Building a New Message Around Biologicals for Ag

Biologicals are among the fastest growing agricultural categories, and that growth is only expected to accelerate. Adoption of biological crop protection products in specialty crop fields, orchards, vineyards, and controlled environment production is a true success story.

In other areas, including row crops, biostimulants are getting a lot of well-deserved attention. Across the board, the perception of these products is generally positive.

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So why does it feel like we are still staring at an ocean of untapped opportunity with this technology?

We talked with countless sources for Meister Media Worldwide’s new Biological Crop Protection & Plant Health Report, and we heard it repeatedly: As successful as the industry has been in growing the use of biological products, there are still many people who have yet to receive the message. They might be relatively unaware of biologicals, or maybe don’t understand the products that are available or how they work.

Some remain unconvinced about efficacy and affordability. Using biologicals as a preventive in a system built around solving the problem you see in front of you right now calls for a big shift in the production mindset for many people.

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When information isn’t getting through to an audience, it’s often wise to change the message or how it’s being delivered. In this case, it might be best to build on the solid foundation that’s already there.

The industry shouldn’t abandon the basics. Efficacy. Safety. Resistance and residue management. These elements are some of the most critical benefits a product can offer. They should remain a large part of the story.

But the message around these attributes might need a booster to grab the attention of a consumer or retailer or grower looking for solutions that match their own priorities.

The Biological Products Industry Alliance (BPIA) took a big step in this direction in 2021, creating an effective video designed to educate stakeholders on the basics of biological products. This informative but easy-to-understand clip lays out all the necessary basics on biologicals – what they are, how they’re applied, their benefits of being able to target specific pests, the sustainability message, and more. But efforts like this are just the first step to raise awareness and broader acceptance of these tools.

As part of this project, I reached out to contacts across the biologicals industry for their opinions on what message might resonate best with the growers, ag retailers and distributors, food and plant retailers, educators and researchers, policymakers, and consumers who stand to benefit from the use of biological solutions. And how should the industry communicate that message to them?

The responses I received were thoughtful and fascinating, and among them, a few common threads emerged.

To read on and see what some of your peers have to say about the matter, click here.

 

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