From laboratory
bench to farm field: The commercialization of a Phosphate Solubilizing
Microorganism
Philom Bios Inc. #318 – 111 Research
Drive. Saskatoon, SK S7N 3R2 CANADA
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The
translation of new technology to the marketplace is notoriously difficult. For farmers to adopt new technology it
must be scientifically sound, easy to use, and proven to deliver consistent and
meaningful value. These challenges
were approached with a tightly focussed business model which integrates
Finance, R&D, Manufacturing, and Marketing functions to meet the needs of
the farmer. Some $10 million
invested into this model over the past 15 years resulted in JumpStart®,
the world’s first commercial phosphate inoculant.
Primary
elements of the business development process include: continuous market
research to understand farmer needs and to signpost product positioning and
branding; development of full scale, cost effective manufacturing, packaging
and QA systems; evolution of easy-to-use, shelf stable formulations; extensive
field research to confirm efficacy; widespread farmer trials to demonstrate
value; comprehensive data of compatibility with seed-applied pesticides;
refining the product offer to meet the financial requirements of distributors
and retailers, as well as delivering value to the farmer; systems to predict
market demand and to address inventory management issues; and extension of the
platform technology to the world’s first combination nitrogen and
phosphate inoculant for pulse crops, tradenamed TagTeam®.
The
technology is registered for use on all major Western Canadian crops and
registrations are secured for the US Prairie states. Continued research is expanding the crop list. Intellectual property includes
trademarks, ownership or license rights to numerous patents, as well as
extensive internal know-how.
Priorities are now directed at market expansion and exploring potential applications in other plant growing sectors.