By JILL DAWSON
Wisconsin Correspondent McFARLAND, Wis. — Bill Stoneman, the newly hired executive director of the Biopesticide Industry Alliance (BPIA), said the primary goal of his work will include communicating the benefits of biopesticides.
“Most biopesticides are ‘green’ in their approach,” Stoneman said. “Most of them are made up of either natural compounds or naturally occurring microorganisms.”
Stoneman said many biopesticides can be utilized by organic growers because they are made up of non-synthetic natural materials.
Not only are biopesticides economically competitive with their chemical alternatives, but Stoneman claims they are also easier to use, gentler on the applicator and less harsh on the environment. Biopesticides offer the added benefits of a significantly lower wait time before workers can return to the field and little or no preharvest interval.
“You can use most biologicals (pesticides) within a week of harvest if pests are present and not have to worry about residue on the product,” Stoneman noted.
Biopesticides currently represent a small percentage of the marketplace. One of BPIA’s primary short- to mid-term objectives is to develop standards by which biopesticides are evaluated for efficacy.
“It is important to our industry that the products are not only perceived as efficacious but proven as efficacious,” he added.
This supporting research data will be key to increasing confidence in biopesticide performance.
Stoneman said establishing the efficacy of any given biopesticide, in the mind of the grower, will first depend on the importance and economic impact of the disease, insect or pest that’s controlled; and second, it will depend on how effective individual biopesticides are marketed and demonstrated.
BPIA’s new leader Bill Foster, CEO for BioWorks, one of several BPIA co-founding companies, participated in the recent hiring of Stoneman.
“It was easy to find someone who maybe had some managerial experience,” Foster said. “But it was more difficult to find someone who had management experience within the biopesticide industry, who knew the industry very well and who could manage the association finances – all within the budget we were looking for.”
With more than 30 years of experience in agriculture, Stoneman has devoted more than 15 of those specializing in biological pesticides, working with several biopesticide companies. His involvement in the biopesticide industry has included regulatory work, contract manufacturing, distribution and sales of biopesticides.
“The original vision for BPIA,” Foster said, “was to develop a unified voice for a number of companies and go after the vision that we prepared, which is improving the global perception of biopesticides as effective products and facilitating the regulatory process.”
The core of BPIA is its membership. According to Stoneman, of approximately 90 biological pesticide producers in the United States, about 40 of these are members of BPIA.
“Recruitment of new member companies will remain high on our priority list,” Stoneman said.
“Biopesticide companies – many of them small – all face the same kinds of challenges: Navigating the regulatory process effectively and finding ways to educate growers and consultants on the benefits and proper use of these important products. The more companies that participate and collaborate to achieve these common goals, the greater BPIA’s impact and the greater our chances for success.”
Biopesticide regulation BPIA has worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a member of the Pesticide Registration Implementation Renewal Act (PRIA 2) Working Group.
“One of the keys to PRIA, in my opinion, is that it allows for companies to get themselves in position in the process in the queue for EPA,” Stoneman said. “One thing I don’t think a lot of biopesticide companies understand is that for minor uses, where a biopesticide is a key alternative for pest control, those PRIA fees can often be waived.”
Through waivers, small companies can have the same position, in terms of the agency relationship and review, as companies paying the larger fees.
“Biopesticide industry has been growing faster than the chemical pesticide market,” Foster said.
He estimated that while 10 years ago biopesticides made up about 1 percent of the global pesticide market, now that number is between 1.5-2.5 percent. In dollars, he compared $400 million-$750 million in current biopesticide sales to $30 billion in chemical pesticides sales.
“The biopesticide market has been growing 10 to 15 percent a year,” Foster said. “That is a big percent of a very small number.”
Initially, Stoneman wants to see the BPIA and its membership create a higher level of awareness of the efficacy and usefulness of biopesticides within the academic and extension community. BPIA and its members will continue and expand their efforts to educate growers, researchers, consultants, distributors and consumers on the benefits of biopesticides.
“We need to make people aware of the opportunity for (a) biological approach to plant pest control,” Stoneman said. “I think a key starting point is informing educators about the opportunities. As an organization, we want to talk about biopesticides and their usefulness and encourage their demonstration and evaluation.”
While BPIA unites the biopesticide companies to strengthen their position in the pesticide marketplace, Stoneman is quick to note that BPIA has a somewhat generalized role in this process.
“It will be up to member companies, individually, to make that outreach for their own products,” he said. “In a general sense, we (BPIA) want to promote the whole concept of biological pesticides through education.”
For more information, call Stoneman at 202-536-4602 or e-mail bstoneman@biopesticideindustryalliance.org This farm news was published in the May 21, 2008 issue of the Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. |
