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US Biostimulants Summit 2026
Biologicals in Practice: Evidence, Regulation and Market Impact
ACI’s US Biostimulants Summit 2026 will take place on 05–06 August in Raleigh, North Carolina, and examines how biological products move from scientific validation to commercial use across United States agriculture. As the sector continues to expand, the discussion is increasingly shifting away from early product claims toward a more practical question: how biological inputs are evaluated, regulated and adopted within real crop systems. The conference brings together biostimulant producers, fertiliser manufacturers, distributors, advisers, researchers and regulatory stakeholders to examine the factors shaping the next phase of development for the sector.
The programme is structured around the operational and commercial realities that influence whether biological products move beyond trials into broader acreage adoption. Discussions will consider how companies approach distribution and collaboration, how market access is influenced by retail agronomy and access-to-acres constraints, and how commercial strategies are evolving as the category attracts greater capital and industry attention. Rather than revisiting introductory explanations of biological mechanisms, the agenda is designed to focus on the practical conditions under which products are assessed and implemented in the field.
A number of sessions will also examine the evidence frameworks that underpin credibility in the category. These discussions look at how field trials are designed and interpreted, how analytical techniques support product quantification and transparency, and how laboratory validation relates to performance claims made within commercial crop programmes. The conference will also explore how regulators, laboratories and industry bodies are approaching questions of testing standards, product characterisation and documentation requirements.
Alongside these themes, the event considers how evolving regulatory structures and market expectations are shaping the environment in which biological products are developed and sold. Sessions examine the interaction between federal guidance and state-level registration systems, the role of industry standards organisations, and the broader effort to improve alignment across regulatory frameworks affecting the sector.
Across two days of discussion and networking in Raleigh, the US Biostimulants Summit 2026 provides a forum for companies, researchers and agronomy professionals to exchange perspectives on how biological inputs are being evaluated, positioned and implemented within modern crop production systems. The event is intended to support informed discussion around the evidence, regulatory context and commercial conditions influencing the development of the biostimulants market in the United States.
- Details
- Confirmed Speakers & Panelists
- Key Topics
- Agenda
- Agenda Committee
- Who Will Attend?
- Sponsor
- Media Partners
- Maximising Face-To-Face Networking
John Kruse, Principal – Agronomy and Sustainability, International Farming
Marcos Altomani, Director of Technical Development, Koch Agronomic Services
Rich Lamar, Senior Director of Humic Research, Huma
Diana Maloney, Founder, AgriStartup Innovator Consulting
Natalie Breakfield, Chief Science Officer, NewLeaf Symbiotics
Donald Nelson, Director, Biocontrol Product Lead, Indigo Agriculture
Dirk Barnard, Vice President Operations, Omnia Specialties
• From Proof of Concept to Proof of Market: The Next Phase for Biostimulants in US Agriculture: Examine how the sector is moving beyond early product claims toward credible commercial adoption across diverse crop systems.
• Field Evidence and Acreage Decisions: Translating Trials into Commercial Adoption: Explore how field trials, replication standards and regional data are interpreted by agronomists and growers when evaluating product performance.
• Credibility, Quantification and Analytical Standards: Strengthening Confidence in Biological Products: Assess the analytical methods, laboratory practices and transparency frameworks that support defensible product claims.
• Regulation in Practice: Navigating Federal Guidance and State Registration Pathways: Consider how evolving federal policy and state-level frameworks are shaping the regulatory environment for biological inputs.
• Distribution, Partnerships and Access to Acres: Commercial Routes to Market: Examine how companies approach distribution, retail agronomy partnerships and collaboration models to achieve commercial scale.
• Retail Agronomy and Channel Execution: Integrating Biologicals into Crop Programmes: Explore how distributors and retailers evaluate biological inputs, manage product compatibility and integrate new technologies within established agronomic programmes.
• Adoption Dynamics: Why Products Are Trialled, Scaled or Discontinued: A practical look at the operational, economic and agronomic factors influencing farm-level decision making.
• Application, Compatibility and Field Performance: Delivering Consistency Across Environments: Examine how deployment methods, formulation stability and tank-mix compatibility influence real-world product performance.
• Emerging Biological Technologies: Connecting Innovation with Measurable Impact: Consider new technological approaches including microbial systems, plant signalling compounds and soil amendment platforms, and how they are being positioned commercially.
• Standards, Transparency and Market Credibility: Building Confidence in the Biologicals Sector: Discuss how industry bodies, testing laboratories and regulatory stakeholders are approaching product characterisation, reporting practices and verification frameworks.
• Commercial Strategy and Industry Structure: Collaboration, Investment and Consolidation: Explore how partnerships between innovators, established input companies and investors are shaping the competitive landscape.
• Positioning Biologicals Within Modern Crop Systems: Agronomic and Economic Considerations: A forward-looking discussion on how biological inputs are evaluated alongside fertilisers and crop protection products within integrated crop management strategies.
Rich Lamar, Senior Director of Humic Research, Huma
Mario Carrillo, North America Biologicals Commercial Agronomy Leader, Corteva Agriscience
Oliver Gernsheimer, Head of Business Management Seed Solutions, BASF
Gina Colfer, Agronomist, Wilbur Ellis
Amber Harrison, Product Manager, Verdesian Life Sciences
Rosa Maria De Sa Trevisan, Americas Regulatory Director, SipcamAdvan
Jane Fife, Chief Technical Officer, 3Bar Biologics
Dirk Barnard, Vice President Operations, & Rita Abi Ghanem, Technical and Research and Development Manager, Omnia Specialties
John Gorsuch, Director of Research and Development, BioWish Technologies
US Biostimulants Summit 2026 brings together senior professionals involved in the development, evaluation, regulation and commercialisation of biological inputs across United States agriculture, including:
- Biostimulant and Biological Product Manufacturers: Producers of plant biostimulants, microbial products, plant extracts and related biological technologies, including companies responsible for research, formulation, regulatory strategy and commercial deployment.
- Fertiliser and Plant Nutrition Companies: Manufacturers and portfolio leaders exploring how biological products integrate alongside conventional fertilisers and plant nutrition programmes within modern crop production systems.
- Agricultural Distribution and Retail Agronomy Organisations: Distributors, agricultural retailers and agronomy service providers evaluating biological inputs, managing product portfolios and supporting implementation within grower programmes.
- Agricultural Cooperatives and Agronomy Networks: Regional cooperatives and agronomy organisations involved in advising growers, supplying crop inputs and supporting farm-level agronomic decision making.
- Growers and Farm Operations: Farm owners, production managers and agronomy leaders responsible for evaluating biological inputs within commercial row crop and specialty crop systems.
- Branded Produce Companies and Agricultural Supply Chain Participants: Companies involved in fresh produce production, sourcing and supply chain management examining how sustainability targets and production practices influence input decisions.
- Commodity Processors, Traders and Market Participants: Agricultural commodity companies and supply chain stakeholders monitoring how crop production practices, soil health initiatives and sustainability frameworks influence upstream agricultural systems.
- Testing Laboratories and Regulatory Service Providers: Analytical laboratories, regulatory specialists and compliance advisers supporting product testing, characterisation, registration and regulatory documentation.
- Regulatory Authorities and Standards Organisations: Government agencies, programme administrators and industry bodies engaged in shaping product definitions, regulatory frameworks and standards affecting biological inputs.
- Research Institutions and Academic Experts: Universities, applied research institutes and scientific organisations contributing to field trials, product validation and agronomic research.
- Market Intelligence, Advisory and Industry Organisations: Consultants, analysts and trade associations providing market analysis, strategic insight and industry coordination across the biological inputs sector.
- Senior Decision-Makers Across the Sector: Consistent with previous editions, attendees include Chief Executives, Vice Presidents, Directors, Heads of Research and Development, Regulatory Leaders, Agronomy Specialists and Commercial Managers responsible for product development, market strategy and commercial implementation.
ACI has put together a range of packages to suit your requirements. These range from branding options, to full scale partner solutions and can be tailored to meet your objectives and budgets.
If you are launching a new product or service and wish to gain visibility and brand recognition within your industry, contact us today!
For commercial opportunities, please contact:
Anne Bradwell
Tel: +44 20 3141 0623
Email: [email protected]
Global Agriculture is an international magazine and a news platform dedicated to driving dialogue, innovation, and awareness in agriculture, food systems, and sustainability. With a strong presence across Asia, the Americas, and Europe, we serve as a trusted resource for stakeholders across the agricultural value chain — from policymakers and agri-input manufacturers to researchers, startups, and farmers.
ASD Media is an online media company. We provide professionals in dedicated markets with news, intelligence, and interaction opportunities. During the last five years we developed dedicated websites for events, reports, news distribution and source data, and changed the name of the ASD-Network to ASDNews to emphasize the news focus.
The Phytobiomes Alliance is an international, non-profit consortium of industry, academic, and governmental scientists. The goal of the Alliance is to establish a science and technology foundation for site-specific, phytobiome-based enhancement of sustainable food, feed, and fiber production. Visit https://phytobiomesalliance.org/
The Institute for International Co-operation (INICOP) is a non-profit organisation. The main aim is to improve and support the worldwide co-operation of single persons and organisations in the field of research, science and technology. INICOP provides a webbased platform which summarises relevant information improving international co-operation. This shall be achieved by the collection of the following data:
- events, conferences, fairs and workshops
- instruments for the funding of international co-operation
- Awards and competitions
- organisations which are interested in the exchange of scientists, students, etc.
At the event we strive not only to bring you to the same location at the same time as your customers/suppliers/peers, we strive to ensure you meet face-to-face with each and every one of your target contacts and to provide you with the time you need to have multiple unhurried conversations with them and build a lasting business relationship:
• A pre-event informal introduction the evening before the conference
• A minimum of five hours’ networking built into the two day conference agenda
• A networking grid which enables you to make your target contacts aware you are looking for them
• The option to join either social drinks or dinner during the evening of Day One
• ACI’s on-site team will assist you in locating your hard-to-find target contacts & make face-to-face introductions
Of course, if there is anybody you are unable to meet over the two days, ACI’s event team will do their best to initiate contact after the event.
