Blog

See the latest news, innovation updates, trial results, grower stories and more from Agricen. 
July 17, 2013 — Posted By Agricen

Growers on California’s central coast have recently faced the challenges of a depressed grape market, but, fortunately, that market is now returning to better days.

As the market improves, growers are looking for new technologies that can help them cost-effectively improve production. Accomplish technology is playing a role, with more and more grape growers in central coast areas like Santa Maria and Paso Robles seeing the efficacy of Accomplish as they incorporate it into their plant nutrition programs. Some of the benefits they are seeing include:

  • Larger, more developed roots
  • Better heat stress tolerance
  • A more vigorous growing vine
Edna Valley Grapes
Accomplish-treated wine grapes growing in Edna Valley, California. (Photo taken mid-May.)
 

Paso Robles
Wine grapes almost blooming in Paso Robles, California. (Photo taken mid-May.)
 

We are very excited to be helping central coast grape growers get better results in the field!
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May 29, 2013 — Posted By Agricen

2050 InfographicMost experts estimate that the global population will exceed 9 billion people by the year 2050. That’s over 2 billion more people on the planet than there are today. Meeting the huge increase in global demand that comes with this population growth will put a tremendous strain on agricultural production. 

In fact, it is estimated that the agriculture industry will need to increase production by over 70% to meet this demand. This is no surprise when you consider all of the things agricultural products are used for: from food and clothing to fuels, plastics and many other everyday products.

Along with the world population, median income is also growing, especially in developing countries. Think about India, many African and South American countries and, especially, China. In all of these geographies, people are making more money, and so they are spending more on clothing, automobiles, and diets that increasingly include more meats, fruits, and vegetables, rather than traditional diets based on cereals and rice.

As population increases, more and more production acres are also getting planted. However, at least in developed countries like the United States and many Western European countries, growers will have to help meet food demand on 10-15% less arable land than is currently used for production today. At the same time, growers will have to face increased regulation at the local, state, and federal levels, as well as pressure from consumer and advocacy groups who want to influence how growers produce their crops.

Although some may see this as a negative environment in which to live and work, we see the future of agriculture as one of the brightest out of all the industries out there.

Is it even possible to more than double our production per acre? Absolutely! Look at corn production over the last 40 years. With the advent of corn hybridization, optimization of fertility practices, and use of biotechnology, we have more than doubled corn production per acre. More recently, we have increased national corn production per acre by an average of 16% in just six short years.

No one sector of the agricultural industry alone will be able to take production to the levels needed to meet future food demands. It will take a combined effort, ingenuity, and the focus of all agricultural sectors to help our growers meet these demands. New plant varieties, equipment, cultural practices, and innovative technologies will help us get there.

At Agricen, we are helping growers with biochemical-based technologies that help maximize nutrient availability and plant uptake. This, in turn, helps growers increase their yields and improve their crop quality, while also addressing environmental concerns. Our relationships with growers and partnerships with both Loveland Products and Nutrien Ag Solutions help us better understand the challenges that the agricultural industry faces every day. They also provide direction for our ongoing research and development efforts, which are focused on commercializing solutions to help the industry meet the demands of a growing global population.

Yes, the challenges are big, but we believe that we have the right tools, technologies and, most importantly, the right attitude to ensure that the future is a bright one.

 

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May 6, 2013 — Posted By Agricen

denton

At our world-class biochemical production facility in Denton, Texas, we make some of Loveland Products’ fastest growing brands—Accomplish, Extract and Titan—as well as Agricen’s SoilBuilder, SoilLife and NutriLife brands. Completed in September 2011, the Denton plant was built to accommodate growing demands for these products, which were formerly only produced at our Pilot Point, Texas location.

At Denton, our products are produced through a patent-pending fermentation process using a new, state-of-the-art manufacturing platform. This process yields a highly concentrated extract that contains a diverse community of naturally occurring microorganisms and their biochemical byproducts (e.g., enzymes, organic acids). The end product is a biological and biochemical product that can be used as part of an integrated nutrient management program to improve plant nutrition.

Learn more about our products and their role in sustainable agriculture by downloading our Growing for the Future Booklet.

Access the Booklet

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March 5, 2013 — Posted By Agricen

sciences_maud

Agricen’s sister company, Agricen Sciences, today announced the hiring of Maud Hinchee, PhD, as Chief Science Officer (CSO) of that company.

Formerly of ArborGen and Monsanto, Dr. Hinchee brings over three decades of experience in plant biology and biotechnology to Agricen Sciences, with specific expertise in functional genomics, collaborative research and development and related product development.

As CSO, she will lead scientific development activities focused on understanding how plant-soil interactions influence plant nutrition and health, and then guide her team on how to harness those discoveries to develop effective solutions that increase nutrient availability and uptake, improve agricultural sustainability and increase crop yields.

Please read the full press release here.

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February 25, 2013 — Posted By Agricen

agricen_lpc

Today, we are proud to begin introducing ourselves as Agricen, a Loveland Products company. As Agricen, just as when we were Advanced Microbial Solutions (AMS), we will continue to provide growers with innovative plant nutrition technologies to increase nutrient availability and uptake, improve sustainability and increase yields—technologies that are helping crop producers feed a growing world.

Why have we changed our name?

Motivated by the scale, scope and sophistication of what we are doing now and the expansion we anticipate in the future, the new name reflects our transition and growth as a leader in the delivery of innovative, effective and sustainable plant nutrition tools. One example of that growth: Five years ago, we were producing just 130,000 gallons of Accomplish LM per year. Today, we produce 3 million gallons annually, and that number just keeps growing. The name also better reflects our relationship with Loveland Products, a strategic partner since August 2012. Agricen currently produces two of Loveland Products’ fastest growing plant nutrition brands, Accomplish LM and Titan PBA.

As Agricen, we will continue to innovate new, effective technologies that enable growers to adapt to the rapidly evolving requirements of modern agriculture, including the demand for more efficiency and sustainability in plant nutrition programs.

Along with the name change, we are also marking our first commercial product shipments from our new, state-of-the-art production facility located in Denton, Texas, which began this winter.

You can read the full press release here.

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December 5, 2012 — Posted By Agricen

By David G. Beaudreau, Vice President of Environmental Policy, DC Legislative and Regulatory Services

Last week, I attended the First World Congress on the Use of Biostimulants in Agriculture. Over 700 people from more than 30 countries were also in attendance, all of whom seem to have a strong interest in and energy for this emerging field. Being an attendee offered a preview into what will likely be an expanding market and larger long-term issue in the agriculture industry.

Presentations focused on the scientific, technical, and legislative issues related to the application of biostimulants in crop production. Presenters ranged from representatives of biostimulant companies to academics who have done studies on numerous materials they consider to be biostimulants, including amino acids, humic acids, microbial inoculants, plant-derived extracts, and seaweed extracts, among others.

I was particularly interested to hear from the European regulatory officials who, along with the European Biostimulants Industry Consortium, have made fairly significant progress in their efforts to define "biostimulant" in Europe. This is a model that I hope is replicated in the US. It is clear that there is an intense focus within Europe to define what biostimulants are at the governmental level, as well as for industry to provide additional research funds to continue to demonstrate the benefits of biostimulants in agriculture. Bringing this message back to the US should help those in the emerging biostimulant industry gain further attention and recognition of the benefits our products bring to U.S. agriculture.

BioStimulant Coalition logo

In my keynote, “The Legislative and Regulatory Approach to Biostimulants in the USA,” I discussed The Biostimulant Coalition, which was formed in 2011 to address the regulatory and legislative issues involving biological or naturally-derived additives and/or similar products for crop production. Agricen is one of the founding members of this effort.

We are actively working with state and federal regulators to coalesce around a definition of “biostimulant” in the US. Such a definition might include any material that, when applied to a plant, seed, soil, or growing media in conjunction with established fertilization plans, enhances the plant's nutrient use efficiency, or provides other direct or indirect benefits to plant development or stress response.

Our US regulators, which include the Association of American Plant Food Control Officials (AAPFCO), the EPA, and the USDA, are interested in learning more about this category and, we hope, in addressing the patchwork regulatory structure that currently exists. The Biostimulant Coalition will continue to work with them to establish a category that accommodates this technology.

The interest in this topic and the well-attended biostimulants conference are both indicators to me that a similar conference would be well received here by US regulators, researchers, and growers.

Crop field

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October 17, 2012 — Posted By Agricen

 

View of corn fields and farms in Southern York County, Pennsylvania.Scientists from Agricen and the University of North Texas researchers analyzed soil associated with corn roots collected from a field study of corn conducted at the University of Arkansas, where plots had received a range of fertilizer types and application rates.

They then compared bacterial biomass and diversity in the rhizosphere (e.g., in soil loosely associated with the root ball) and the rhizoplane (e.g., in soil washed from root surfaces) – areas where plants and soil microbes interact.

By applying next-generation sequencing to characterize the bacterial community, they found that bacterial biodiversity varied with the different fertility regimens and between the rhizosphere and rhizoplane.

This work provides one of the first comprehensive studies of the corn microbiome. The microbiome appears important in stimulating plant growth and protecting the crop from pathogens and environmental stressors. Understanding the controls of this important system could lead to new approaches to improve productivity and maintain soil health.

The work was presented as a poster at the ASA, CSSA and SSSA International Annual Meetings: Bacterial Diversity in Rhizosphere and Rhizoplane of Field Corn Grown with Different Fertilization Regimes (Poster presentation; Abstract #128-5).

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August 2, 2012 — Posted By Agricen

AMS logo

Loveland Products, Inc. and Agricen have signed a strategic partnership agreement giving Loveland exclusive, worldwide distribution rights to Agricen’ existing innovative and sustainable plant nutrition biotechnology as well as access to an integrated pipeline of new product and technology opportunities.

As part of the agreement, Loveland has acquired an ownership position in Agricen. Agricen currently produces two of Loveland’s fastest growing plant nutrition brands, Accomplish® LM and Titan®. Loveland Products is a subsidiary of Crop Production Services, Inc., and part of Agrium Inc. (TSX and NYSE: AGU).

In addition to distribution under Loveland's Accomplish and Titan product lines, the companies will also continue to market the SoilBuilder® and NutriLife™ brands into the agricultural and professional turf markets, respectively.

Agricen recently added a new, state of the art, manufacturing facility in Denton, TX that has significantly increased production volume and efficiency. In addition to the rapid growth Loveland is experiencing with the Agricen technology in the US, the companies are also exploring several opportunities for expansion in key international regions.

 

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July 19, 2012 — Posted By Agricen

Plant Biology 2012 Logo

Plant scientists from the University of Kentucky will present a poster session on research involving SoilBuilder at Plant Biology 2012, the annual meeting of the American Society for Plant Biologists (ASPB):

What? Plant Biosensors: Monitoring changes in the phenlypropanoid pathway in response to microbial based soil additives (Poster 16 - Gene Regulation and Molecular Biology)
Who? Mohammad Babar Ali & David H McNear, University of Kentucky
When & Where? Plant Biology 2012, July 20-24, 2012, Austin, TX

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May 23, 2012 — Posted By Agricen

Dr. Bob Ames, Director of Applied Sciences at Agricen, was recently interviewed by Golf Course Industry, covering topics that include plant bionutrition research, sustainability, and how soil nutrient availability can be improved by incorporating bionutrition products into existing fertility programs.

One excerpt:

GCI: What do we see in bionutrition research right now?

Dr. Ames: There is a large variety of bionutrition products out there that make a lot of claims, especially for turf applications. It is a challenge to sift through those and see who has university research to back those claims up. We have substantiated our product claims with research in agronomic crops, which is the bulk of our market. What we see with agriculture is that when our products are combined with fertilizer, we help reduce nitrogen loss through volatilization and leeching. Thus, there is also a greater retention of nitrogen fertilizer in the soil. So, we can approach turf nutrition with environmental as well as economic concerns, especially now with new regulations restricting the application of nitrogen, or in some cases phosphorus-containing fertilizers…Our approach is to make more efficient and more effective use of the fertilizer when it’s combined with the product.

You can read the full interview here.

GolfCourse Industry logo

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