6 | RURAL PEOPLE » Callaghan Innovation Biological solutions for agriculture and horticulture. biostart.co.nz Soil biostimulants, forage preservatives, biofertilisers, biopesticides, animal prebiotics and crop protection products. Made in NZ for Ag: 0800 274 524 or Hort: 0800 116 229 BioStart: Agriculture and Horticulture Biostimulants BioStart was founded in 1994 and, like many kiwi businesses, was started by a farmer with an original idea and a spare corner in his shed. That farmer was Dayne Plummer. Dayne’s early understanding of the role of microbes in improving plant and animal growth and productivity lead, over time, to the development of a range of biological products that harnessed the abilities of bene cial microbes. Their rst product was an animal health product for calves, a prebiotic at a time before prebiotics were available in New Zealand. Calf, like many of BioStart’s other products, is based on fermentation extracts and works by promoting bene cial microbes already in the calf’s digestive system. Ruminant, for lifting sheep and cattle health and weights, and LactoPlus, for lactating, cows and goats, followed. Next BioStart developed products that activated the biology in the soil that helped plants thrive (Mycorrcin, Digester, and ThatchBusta). Once again BioStart developed these products well before most understood what biostimulants were. Biostimulants are now one of the fastest growing areas of the agrichemical market. Foliacin, a foliar biostimulant, followed after a discovery that foliar microbes also help plants thrive. Their resulting horticultural biostimulant range is now widely used to provide bene ts such as faster plant establishment, higher sustainable yields, better nutrient uptake, higher quality wine and improved fruit quality. Using the same technology BioStart created their perennially popular forage preservative range, SilageKing, MaizeKing and Hayking, for making high quality forage. BioStart CEO, Dr Jerome Demmer, and science lead, Dr Chris Chilcott, oversee production and trials to ensure the products meet scienti c standards and produce consistent and measurable results. They also develop new products in response to the issues that farmers and growers bring to BioStart’s farm advisors. More recent developments include live microbe products that tackle some of the issues currently faced by New Zealand farmers: reducing nitrogen fertiliser use (Biostart N), grass grub control (BioShield) and plant diseases (TripleX and Terracin). BioStart products are sold in New Zealand, Australia, Italy and Ireland. Callaghan Innovation’s role is to support science and technology-based innovation and its commercialisation by businesses to improve their growth, competitiveness and productivity. Inset: Simon Weir, Callaghan Innovation agritech group manager.
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