Work Grows To Prove More Value in Biological Crop Protection

Growers aren’t asking for miracles. They want math that holds up in the field, programs that fit their spray schedules, and results that show up at harvest. That simple expectation guided a recent conversation we had with Keith Vodrazka, CEO of Evoia; Greg Rogers, Director of Technical Marketing and Communications at Certis Biologicals; and Nathan Kemp, Technical Development Manager for Rovensa Next.

A Familiar Rule of Thumb

“I think growers want to see it proved,” Vodrazka says. “The proof is really something, rather than it just being in numbers. I think it’s proving it to them on their own farm.”

He still uses the traditional ROI measure of increased revenue-to-cost when introducing a new input.

“In the past, I’ve kind of used a rule of three-to-one, but honestly, I think you’re better to shoot for higher,” he says. “Especially with new products that are launched into the market.”

Rogers agreed that dollars-and-cents ROI isn’t the only payoff.

“Part of the return on investment is being a little cleaner and a little greener,” he says. “Consumers want it. If you’re exporting, regulators want it.”

Kemp kept the equation simple.

“Nothing represents yield quite like yield,” he says.

Proof that Travels in Combines, not Spreadsheets

Over and over, our group discussion returned to a single theme: data matters, but proof sticks when it’s earned side-by-side in the field.

“We put our product in the field, and we went out and saw them apply it,” Vodrazka says. “In one case I was there with the grower when he harvested that trial in his field. It wasn’t a small-plot trial. I got to ride the combine with him and saw the numbers for myself. He clearly saw the ROI, two years in a row.”

Rogers offered a specialty-crop story that mirrored the same lesson. A large pepper operation was losing ground to bacterial disease and had reached the limits of standard copper programs.

“This is about four years ago now,” he says. “I was just out this summer with one of the growers, standing in peppers as far as you could see, and they all had our product because it worked.”

For more on proving value in biological crop protection, click here to continue reading the full article as part of our special report on Integrating Biologicals.