FBN Direct launches portfolio of biological solutions for crops

Farmer's Business Network has launched 17 new biological products available to U.S.-based members through FBN Direct, the company announced in a press release in mid-March.

Biological products are designed to maximize soil and plant potential, optimize chemical and fertilizer inputs, and drive long-term, sustainable farming practices that help to maximize return on investment. Over the past year, FBNhas vetted a host of biological technologies and, as a result, curated a portfolio of great value, high-quality biological products designed to help farmers maximize their profit potential from the ground up.

"The launch of the biological product portfolio through FBN Direct is one of many steps we are taking as a company to provide farmers with solutions that combine the benefits of sustainability and profit potential at the farm gate," said Amol Deshpande, CEO and co-founder of Farmers Business Network, in the release. "We are committed to leadership and innovation in this space, now and in the future, through our expanding product offering, Biological On-Farm R&D Network and the Gradable platform."

The portfolio of biological products from FBN includes a suite of solutions coveringsoil prebiotics, soil probiotics, photosynthetic enhancers, carbon sources, and advanced micronutrients. In practice, these products utilize the power of biology to free up nutrients in the soil, add vital nutrition, and help protect plant vigor and health from weather or chemical stress. They provide another tool in the toolbox for farmers to unlock the profit potential of their fields, and open doors to capture incremental value from premiums in the emerging carbon markets.

FBN DirectBiological Portfolio

• Soil prebiotics can be thought of as primers for the soil. These products contain biomolecules that help to stimulate microbial activity, providing an energy source that puts the natural biology of the soil to work. This increased microbial activity helps to enhance the health and productivity of the soil and the efficient use of synthetic fertilizers. The FBN lineup of soil prebiotics includes GCS Catalyst.
• Soil probiotics are live microorganisms with targeted functions that are intended to help improve soil function and enhance nutrient availability and delivery to the crop. The FBN lineup of soil probiotics includes Inject-N and Inject-PK.
• Photosynthetic enhancers are foliar-applied biostimulants that aid a crop's ability to convert light energy into chemical or plant energy. This increased energy supports the health of the plant and it feeds the soil biology by delivering increased nutrition through root exudates. The FBN lineup of photosynthetic enhancers includes Atarrus.
• Carbon Sources are forms of stable carbon, such as organic, humic, or fulvic acids, originally from plants, that provide various benefits to the soil, including nutrient storage, transport, and availability. The FBN lineup of carbon sources includes Inhabit: Boost, Inhabit: Build, and Inhabit Build: Granular.
• Advanced micronutrients are essential micronutrient fertilizers, enhanced by biology, that can be delivered in a very efficient and plant-available form to the crop and help to supplement the nutrients available in the soil. The FBN lineup of advanced micronutrients includes the Nourish suite of products.

Farmers looking for assistance in evaluating the potential of biological solutions on their farm have a new resource, also from FBN, called Gradable Plan. This multiyear, per-acre service, which includes soil sampling and custom crop nutrition recommendations, is designed to help farmers build an optimized nutrition program and ensure they are maximizing the ROI of their operation.

FBN Commitment to Innovation

This announcement is the latest of several launches aimed at providing farmers with the maximum return on investment and optimizing the use of inputs.

Last fall, FBN announced it will connect biological developers directly with farmers through the FBN Biological R&D Network, so that large-scale trials can optimize biological input programs to deliver the best return on investment for the farmer. With the aid of FBN's data science, participating biological manufacturers will also be able to collect valuable insights on product efficacy and performance by environment.

In February 2021, GradableCarbon was launched to let growers increase and gain control over their carbon credits. Through this program, farmers can generate credits and sell them whenever they choose, now at the price floor, or at a future price when carbon credits are expected to increase in value.

"The biological portfolio of solutions is the latest example of FBN's commitment to provide members with as many real-world tested options to improve their operation's ROI," said Neil McCormick, global product development manager for biologicals at FBN.

FBN Direct will be adding additional solutions to the platform in the coming months.