SOS: Save Our Soils
Ag product manufacturers and non-ag related enterprises have embraced the importance of a healthy microbiome
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BY LAUREN MILLIGAN
MARKET COORDINATOR
In recent years, maximizing the results of a crop nutrition programs, healthy soils has been placed much higher on the list of concerns.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) stated that 90% of the earth’s topsoil will be at risk by 2050. In an effort to reduce that risk, FAO is encouraging countries to participate in its Global Soil Partnership by implementing regenerative agriculture principles to preserve soil.
BeCrop Test provides a user-friendly report on soil nutrient cycling, health, and biodiversity on any field
Several global companies are investing in regenerative agriculture to improve soil health. Starbucks announced its Planet Positive plan that includes soil health. The Nature Conservancy, McDonald’s, Cargill, and Target launched a five-year, $8.5 million project directed at working with Nebraska farmers to further regenerative agriculture practices. PepsiCo introduced regenerative agriculture across the 7 million acres of land used for growing the company’s crops. Nestle invested $1.3 billion to help its farmers and suppliers transition to regenerative agriculture practices.
Healthy Soil Products
As more multi-nationals invest in regenerative agriculture that includes healthy soil practices, crop input companies are developing new products to assist in meeting this goal.
Heliae Agriculture, an algal tech company specializing in scalable regenerative agriculture solutions, announced its PhycoTerra soil microbial food products have been applied to more than 1 million acres of farmland worldwide.
Cassidy Million, Heliae Agriculture
“Disease suppressive soils (DSS) are inhospitable environments for pathogens,” said Cassidy Million, Director of Ag Science at Heliae Agriculture.
“Beneficial microbes and crops have a symbiotic relationship. When active beneficial microbes outnumber pathogenic microbes, they increase competition and block pathogenic microbes from accessing vital nutrients. Some beneficial microbes will also secrete antibiotic-like enzymes and release exudates to protect crops.”
In January 2023, Biome Makers, a global ag tech leader in soil health analysis, announced its BeCrop technology, which provides the largest global taxonomic database, has further expanded to include 14 million taxonomic references of microorganisms.
BeCrop Test provides a user-friendly report on soil nutrient cycling, health, and biodiversity on any field. The report is a data-driven picture of the global functions of microbial networks.
A lab test using the Be Crop system.
“Healthy soil is the foundation of thriving agriculture and essential for producing nutrient-dense crops,” said Alberto Acedo, Co-Founder and CSO at Biome Makers. “At Biome Makers, we believe in harnessing the power of soil biology to create a more sustainable and productive future for our food systems.”
Partnering for Better Yields
While the awareness of improving soil health continues to grow, there is a debate over whether traditional crop protection practices continue to hinder that progress.
Pesticide Action Network (PAN) reported that conventional farming practices are normally bankrupt in soil organic matter (SOM) and rely on petroleum-based pesticides and fertilizers. A growing amount of research addresses both short-term and extended impacts of pesticides on nutrient availability and soil health, as well as impacts on future food security, greenhouse gas emissions, and farmers’ financial survival.
The Center for Biological Diversity’s 2021 peer-reviewed study analyzed 494 studies of 275 unique species or types of soil organisms and 284 pesticides or pesticide mixtures. The results showed the use of synthetic pesticides in U.S. agriculture was detrimental to healthy soil by killing invertebrates like earthworms, ants, beetles, and ground-nesting bees. These invertebrates are key for creating healthy soil by taking carbon from plants and decaying matter and stabilizing it in soil.
However, studies done by BioOne, Purdue University, and the Weed Society of America, are finding that healthy soil can co-exist with decreased agrochemicals loads.
Juan Jose Chavez Mulet, Corporate Project Manager-Advanced Analytical Services for DISAGRO, said numerous studies show that more glyphosate is needed to kill weeds in sterilized soil and is sometimes not effective at all. This is not the same for soil with a healthy microbiome. Studies show that less glyphosate and other agrochemicals are needed to kill weeds in healthy soil.
“We are going to learn how to use agrochemicals to maintain high productivity without changing the relationship between the microorganisms and the crop,” Chavez Mulet said. “[There is a] need to know how to use agrochemicals in combination with the biological products for sustainable production that benefits the grower and all actors in the food chain. It is not a war between chemicals and biologicals.”
In a Bayer company statement, the multinational company shared, “To feed a growing world population while protecting the planet’s boundaries, we need to produce more food with less resources. The key to this is innovation and a broad set of sustainability measures that are part of regenerative agricultural practices. At the same time, we need to consider that pest pressure will increase in many regions due to weather conditions and climate change. This is why we need the latest innovation in synthetic crop protection as part of an integrated crop management program.”
In combining both biologicals and chemical pesticides, Bayer announced strategic partnerships with Spanish biologicals company Kimitec focusing on biological crop protection products and biostimulants and French company M2i Group to supply fruit and vegetable growers around the world with pheromone-based biological crop protection products. Ginkgo Bioworks became a multi-year strategic partner with Bayer to develop biological solutions in areas such as nitrogen optimization, carbon sequestration, and next-generation crop protection.
Other smaller companies like Tidal Vision, based in the U.S., are creating products that can be combined with growers’ existing agrochemicals to increase a formula’s effects, while lessening the use of agrochemicals. Tidal Vision created Tidal Grow, which uses chitosan from discarded crab shells that extracts a natural, systemic response in crops to consume more nutrients from the soil, grow faster, become hardier, and more nutrient-dense.
Revitalizing soil is a key factor to feeding the world. From global movements acknowledging its priority, like FAO, Isha Outreach’s Save Soil , and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to key players in food distribution committing to regenerative agriculture practices, to innovative products maximizing crop inputs, soil health and performance are the stimulant to optimal crop yields. •