Interest in biologicals is prompting more research and development in the sector, but there is still room to improve the rate of adoption. Professor at Arizona State University, Kathleen Merrigan explained that the Environmental Protection Agency has a more streamlined process for review of biologicals that is faster and less expensive than a traditional pesticide. While that helps bring products to market, Merrigan said more could be done to promote their usage.
“I do think in terms of regulatory processes, right now the U.S. is doing pretty well by biologicals. The problem is they just haven’t really beaten out the traditional inputs in the way that I’d hope,” said Merrigan. “The window should be open wider for biological approaches that in years past farmers have experimented with when times were good. They had a little extra dough in their wallet, and they had the ability to experiment. The government could incent farmers for example, to try new biological approaches.”
With high costs of production, it can discourage growers from attempting new production approaches. As the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) continues promoting conservation practices, Merrigan said that biologicals could work well within those programs. “I think if we could identify good products, perhaps get them incented for use through our conservation programs, or otherwise through this new initiative by USDA, that we’d see a lot of people in today’s world ready to try something different,” Merrigan noted.
Listen to the full episode with Kathleen Merrigan below.
‘Making Sense of Biologicals’ is a series from AgNet West that dives into various topics with unbiased experts in the field of biologics to help the industry better understand the product category.
This episode of Making Sense of Biologicals is made possible by Marrone Bio Innovations, leading the movement to environmentally sustainable farming practices through the discovery, development and sale of innovative biological products for crop protection, crop health and crop nutrition. Marrone Bio’s portfolio of 18 products helps a wide range of growers – from row crops and fruits and vegetables to tree nuts, vines, and greenhouse production – operate more sustainably while increasing their return on investment. For educational webinars and biological IPM programs, visit MarroneBio.com.