Greg Culp has worked in the agricultural industry for more than two decades and knows one thing has stayed unchanged – one wrong decision can make or break a farmer’s crop success and can affect their family’s livelihood. 

He is the Vice President of Agronomy Sales & Marketing at Mercer Landmark, a farmer-owned cooperative which serves growers in Northwest Ohio. Like many ag retailers, Greg has seen the market for agricultural biologicals boom in recent years.  

“It can be confusing for farmers who are already dealing with a crowded toolbox of products. The stakes are high, and our retailers aren’t interested in trying to sell any product based on an open prayer or promise not backed by data,” Greg says.  

Biologicals are a form of crop protection derived from natural materials or living organisms. Jeff Carr, Biologicals Marketing Manager at WinField United, says he’s heard that more than 1,000 companies are already in the agricultural biological space with the list constantly growing.  
 

“Every company has at least one product, if not more. You can do the math quickly and realize it’s an overwhelming space today and it can feel like there are more questions than answers,” Jeff says.  

To cut through some of that noise, the WinField® United BioVerified™ designation was created to help farmers sort through the options and jump straight to a short list of products selected based on reliable product research and data. The designation is thoroughly vetted based on four key criteria:  

1. Uniqueness compared to other products on the market. 
2. Agronomic considerations including identifiable mode of action, performance and placement. 
3. Operational compatibility with standard application methods, products and inventory. 
4. Economic return for growers and retailers. 

“We test, we learn and we figure out what works so farmers don’t have to spend their limited seasons sorting it out on their own,” Jeff says.  

The BioVerified designation is not limited to WinField United products Jeff explains. As a distributor, his team is looking across the market to be a transparent and trusted resource. 

“Any product we stand behind must have support showing it brings value to the field, whether it's from our internal Answer Plot® system, third-party analysis, or other data. Our team at the Innovation Center in River Falls, Wisconsin, also uses 3D imaging to quickly identify product impacts in a controlled setting,” Jeff says.  

Over the last four years, the WinField team has tested 75 products from about 56 different companies. So far, 11 of these biological products have earned the BioVerified designation.  

Greg says the BioVerified list has played a critical role in building trust with his co-op’s customers by weeding out the fly-by-nighters who may be overpromising on ROI.  

“Our job is to help them be more profitable and if we fail at that, then we don't get as many chances to do that the next year. We want to get it right the first time and every time. It makes a big difference when we can come to them with more than a promise, but with thorough data backed by research gathered at the Innovation Center or on Answer Plot locations,” Greg says.  

One of the BioVerified designated biologicals Greg’s retailers began offering to customers this past year includes Voyagro®, a biostimulant fertilizer that can help mitigate stress to corn, soybeans, cotton, wheat and other crops resulting from inadequate rainfall.  

“From a stress mitigation standpoint earlier this year, projected rainfall for early spring looked pretty drowsy so we sold some of our growers Voyagro biostimulant to help them prepare for the worst. Luckily, we got more rain than expected and avoided drought conditions. But it’s certainly one in our arsenal we know we can use in the future.” 

Greg says his team is working on gathering data from growers who have implemented biological products on their fields this year and will analyze results at the end of 2024. 

“But the good news is based on early anecdotal feedback from customers and growers, they say the biologicals are working as intended. This gives our retailers confidence that the recommendations we are making through the WinField BioVerified designation really have our growers’ best interests in mind,” Greg says.  

With constant technological innovation and advances in the biologicals space, Jeff says the WinField BioVerified designation will continue to evolve alongside it.  

“Our team plans to evaluate the lineup annually, adding new products that meet criteria and potentially removing products that have been outperformed by competitors. An updated list of WinField BioVerified products will be coming soon,” Jeff says.  

To learn more about biologicals and which products qualify for the WinField United BioVerified designation, growers can contact their local WinField United retailer.