The Rise of Biologicals and Specialty Fertilizer: A Report on Agribusiness Strategy, Progress and Initiatives

Index

1. Agribusiness Comparison Snapshots

2. Largest Bio-based and Specialty Acquisitions to Date

3. The Rising Demand for Bio-Based Crop Inputs and Specialty Nutrition Product: Four Key Drivers of Market Growth

4. Company Overviews

   1. Yara

   2. Mosaic

   3. Nutrien

   4. ICL

   5. Corteva

   6. BASF

   7. Bayer

   8. Syngenta

   9. FMC

Agribusiness Snapshots

Caveats: It’s important to note these comparisons are very difficult to get “apples to apples.”

All companies have a variance in how they report this segment in revenue or variance in what products they consider apart of this segment.

For example, a company like UPL sells products made up of a copper for fungal suppression, which they consider a part of their “Natural Plant Protection” business, but is not really novel in nature.

Or take Corteva, which will position all Stoller products as “biological,” however, they have many products made up of plant nutrients.

Or consider Yara, which has YaraVita and YaraAmplix that are biostimulant and micronutrient in nature, but also associated with what they call their “premium product” segment is Calcium Nitrate based products. There is not a breakout of revenue or growth in any specific subsegments of the “premium products.”

Not to mention, many of the fertilizer players do not breakout their revenue or growth expectations of these segments in the same way many crop protection players have.

None of these are called out as good, bad or otherwise, but they are noteworthy asterisks to call out when attempting to compare how companies are performing across the biological and specialty nutrition segment.

Largest Bio-based and Specialty Acquisitions to Date

Definitions

What Are Biological Products?

DunhamTrimmer has the best taxonomy of bio-based products, which they were kind enough to share with me:

Source: Dunham Trimmer

The below article goes through both biostimulants and biocontrol products and companies.

Specialty Nutrition Products

A specialty nutrient product is a type of fertilizer or nutrient solution that goes beyond basic formulations by offering enhanced efficiency, controlled release, or some added benefit to crops or soil. These products are designed to improve nutrient uptake, reduce losses due to environmental factors, be applied in novel ways and deliver higher yields or better crop quality.

Examples include ESN from Nutrien, MicroEssentials from Mosaic and YaraVita foliar and coating nutrients from Yara.

The Rising Demand for Bio-Based Crop Inputs and Specialty Nutrition Product: Key Drivers of Market Growth

In recent years, the demand for bio-based crop inputs has surged as growers and agribusinesses recognize the potential benefits of integrating biological solutions into their farming system. While synthetic chemistries have long dominated the agricultural landscape, a combination of factors is driving a interest towards bio-based inputs that complement traditional approaches.

These factors reflect evolving industry needs and environmental concerns, shaping the future of crop input company strategy.

Below are four drivers of the evolution.

1. Recognition of Abiotic Stress as a Major Hurdle to Crop Yield and Quality

Abiotic stress—such as drought, extreme temperatures, and salinity—has been increasingly recognized as a critical factor limiting crop yields and quality. Farmers and advisors are searching for new tools to enhance crop resilience. Biostimulants are gaining attention for their ability to boost plants' natural defense against abiotic stress.

Biostimulants help plants regulate water use, enhance nutrient uptake, anddefend against disease, leading to better crop performance. As the industry continues to improve its understanding of the role of abiotic stress in limiting productivity, biostimulant solutions will increasingly be seen as tools for sustaining and improving yields and quality.

On top of this, there is an ever growing recognition of the need for balanced nutrition and the value of micronutrients or unique formulated macronutrients— such as ESN from Nutrien, MicroEssentials from Mosaic or liquid foliar nutrients from companies like Yara.

Just like there is a focus on health in humans, we see the same options evolving in crop health:

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