# An Awakening to the Value of Biopesticides

Author: Jim Steadman
Published: 2015-02-08
Canonical URL: https://www.cottongrower.com/crop-inputs/insect-disease-management/an-awakening-to-the-value-of-biopesticides/

---

Over the past four years, the use of biopesticides has experienced phenomenal growth, moving from a coalition of smaller biopesticide-producing companies to a full-blown industry featuring well-known ag chemical giants.

[![Biocontrols 2015 Conference](https://files.growingproduce.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/BioControlsInArticle.jpg)](http://www.cvent.com/events/2015-biocontrols-conference-trade-show/event-summary-c3c7c675e6d04a77a8b904f7cfee8219.aspx)

As Rick Melnick – formerly of Meister Media Worldwide and current chairman of the Biopesticide Industry Alliance Board of Directors – states, with the entry of major companies into the biopesticide area, whether or not the products work is no longer the question. People now want to understand ***how*** they work.

Melnick shared his observations on the rapid growth of the industry, as well as few predictions for its immediate future, in an Opinion column for *Cotton Grower*’s sister publications *American Fruit Grower*, *American Vegetable Grower* and *Florida Grower*. [**You can read his message here.**](http://www.growingproduce.com/vegetables/an-awakening-to-the-value-of-biopesticides-opinion/?utm_source=knowledgemarketing&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=avgenews%2002052015&omhide=true)