FBSciences and Yara announce collaboration agreement to bring innovative plant health solutions to growers across North America

FBSciences Inc., a global leader in naturally derived plant health technologies and products, announces a partnership agreement with Yara North America that will focus on developing and delivering innovative plant health solutions to growers across North America and bringing together the power of FBSciences technologies and products with Yara’s industry-leading calcium nitrate fertilizers.

FBSciences specializes in biosolutions including biostimulant and biopesticide technologies which form the foundation of comprehensive crop nutrition programs. FBSciences technologies have been tested for over a decade through more than 1,500 trials and have proven over and over they deliver four key things: a) healthier plants and increased yields b) increased quality and nutrient density c) stress mitigation and recovery, and d) increased utilization of other crop inputs.

FBSciences and Yara spent 2019 field testing the combination of FBSciences technologies and products with Yara’s leading fertilizers and the synergies and results were overwhelmingly positive for growers.

ZiCAN™ Soil is the first product to commercially launch in the United States as part of this new relationship. ZiCAN™ Soil was specially formulated to mix with YaraLiva^® liquid calcium nitrate fertilizers, including YaraLiva^® CAN-17 and YaraLiva^® CN-9. In independent testing on almonds, ZiCAN™ Soil and YaraLiva^® CAN-17 together picked up a 10.6% yield increase when compared to using YaraLiva^® CAN-17 alone. The results translate into an increase of 200 pounds per acre, which is $550 per acre (at $2.75 per pound). Traditional liquid zinc and calcium nitrate fertilizers don’t mix well and when combined create gypsum, resulting in clogging and cleaning issues. This problem leads to the need for separate applications. This unique formulation allows nitrogen, calcium, zinc, and manganese to mix together in the tank for perfect compatibility.

FBSciences technologies offer not only increased compatibility but also increased efficiency of other crop inputs. As a result, ZiCAN™ Soil not only promotes the uptake and translocation of the zinc and manganese in its own formulation but also enhances the uptake and translocation of several nutrients including calcium and nitrogen in YaraLiva^® CAN-17. This increased nutrient use efficiency will create meaningful increases in ROI for the farmer.

To leverage these synergies, FBSciences and Yara have agreed to design and commercialize additional calcium nitrate compatible products. These products will launch in 2020 across the United States. These products create tangible benefits to the grower and a significant return on investment throughout the value chain.

“FBSciences is very excited to announce this important relationship,” says Courtenay Wolfe, chairman and CEO of FBSciences. "The impact of making crop inputs more compatible, allowing for less applications and inputs, while also increasing performance and efficiency cannot be overstated. We share a common vision with Yara of being a leading change agent in achieving sustainability in agriculture through using less inputs while increasing agricultural productivity and profitability for growers. Working with a world-class partner like Yara gives us the reach needed to significantly advance this goal,” explains Wolfe.

Debbie Watts, VP premium products for Yara North America explains, “We are a global leader in crop nutrition. We work closely with growers across the world to help improve agricultural productivity and farm performance. We have seen how FBSciences’ technology and products perform in the field, especially when combined with ours, and are confident that these new products represent the next generation of crop nutrition and a meaningful and sustainable step forward in agricultural productivity and farmer profitability.”