TAKEAWAYS
- If you aren’t testing biologicals on your own farm before fully implementing them, start doing it now.
- Don’t assume using bios means another pass. Many products can be tankmixed with fertilizers, micronutrients and other chemicals.
- Agronomists, other farmers and events are a good way to learn about these products.
If farmer conversations, trade shows and trade publications are any indication, ag biologicals have long-track growth potential, especially as input costs remain high.
Biologicals that boost soil biology, provide a plant boost or control insect pests and diseases continue to see very strong adoption rates among no-tillers and strip-tillers, according to an industry exclusive survey from Strip-Till Farmer's sister publication No-Till Farmer.
In the 2nd annual Ag Biologicals Benchmark Report, 66% of growers said they used an ag biological product in the previous growing season. That’s a decline of 3.7 percentage points compared to 2025, although it’s likely a higher adoption rate than the industry average.
AgFunderNews reported 45-50% of row-crop producers are using the products. Another study by Stratovation Group found 89% of growers surveyed being aware of the term biologicals, and there has been a steady increase in positive perceptions of the products.
“About 42% conducted on-farm trials of the products on their farm last year before fully using them…”
Respondents to No-Till Farmer’s report predominantly raise corn, soybeans and winter wheat. For corn, they utilized a variety of tillage practices, with 76% utilizing no-till, strip-till or both and 24% doing some vertical tillage or conventional tillage.
For soybeans, 67% were no-tilling, 6% strip-tilled, 8% used vertical tillage and 10% used conventional tillage. The majority of wheat growers utilized no-till practices.
Biostimulants Hold Steady
Some 87% of participants in our survey said they used biostimulants — defined as naturally derived products that stimulate natural processes in plants or soil — in the previous growing season. That’s down 1 percentage point from 2025.
The farmers used the products on an average of 674 acres, which was a decrease from 784 acers in 2025.
Source: NTF Biologicals Benchmark Report
Some 48% of no-tillers or strip-tillers have been working with biologicals for 2-5 years, and about 19% have for 6-9 years, perhaps showing growers have acquired a deeper awareness of what biologicals have to offer.
The “sustainability” of biologicals is definitely “very important” (63%) or “somewhat important (32%) to them.
Source: NTF Biologicals Benchmark Report
The top 3 reasons growers used these products was to improve soil biological activity, increase yields or increase availability or fixation of nutrients, while slightly lower percentages used them for crop quality, soil fertility or stress resistance.
Similar to 2025, most growers are placing the fertilizer in furrow, broadcasting a liquid, or using it as a seed treatment.
Source: NTF Biologicals Benchmark Report
About 42% conducted on-farm trials of the products on their farm last year, before fully using them, a sharp drop of 9 percentage points from 2025.
There was also a 10-point decrease over the last 2 seasons (45.5% vs. 55.9%) in the number of growers who said biostimulants provided the results they were promised or expected.
Want to Learn More About Biologicals?
The editors of No-Till Farmer recently published a special report, “Managing Your ROI with Biologicals” that uncovers how farmers use these products, the challenges they face and the returns they’re seeing. The 16-page report will help you set the baseline for future year over year insights. Click here to learn more.
