Part 1: General Questions About Biological Products

What are agricultural biologicals?

Agricultural biologicals are crop inputs derived from living organisms, natural substances, or biological processes that help support plant growth, nutrition, stress tolerance, or pest and disease management. They are often grouped into categories such as biostimulants, biofertilizers, and biopesticides.

What is the difference between a biostimulant, biofertilizer, and biopesticide?

A biostimulant supports plant processes such as nutrient efficiency, abiotic stress tolerance, or quality traits. A biofertilizer helps make nutrients more available, often through microbes such as nitrogen fixers or phosphorus solubilizers. A biopesticide helps manage pests or diseases and is regulated by EPA when pesticidal claims are made.

How do biological products work?

Biological products can work in many ways: improving nutrient availability, supporting root growth, activating plant stress pathways, increasing tolerance to heat or drought, improving soil biology, or helping plants respond to pests and diseases. Their effects are often system-level rather than single-cause, single-effect.

Are biologicals fertilizers?

Some are, but not all. Biofertilizers directly or indirectly improve nutrient availability, while many biostimulants support plant function without supplying meaningful nutrient levels. Biopesticides are regulated separately when they are intended to control pests or diseases.

Are biologicals pesticides?

Only some biologicals are pesticides. EPA defines biopesticides as naturally occurring substances, microorganisms, or plant-incorporated protectants that control pests. Biological products that do not make pest-control claims may instead be regulated as fertilizers, soil amendments, biostimulants, or other product categories depending on composition and claims.

How are biological products regulated?

In the United States, regulation depends heavily on what the product is and what claims are made about it. Products making pesticidal or plant growth regulator claims may fall under EPA/FIFRA, while fertilizer and soil amendment products are often regulated at the state level. EPA has issued guidance to clarify when plant biostimulant claims may cross into plant-regulator or pesticide territory.

Why have biologicals sometimes been called “snake oil”?

There are simple and complex reasons for this. A simple reason is that historically, there were a lot of not great biological products that suffered from inconsistent performance, poor formulation, and weak field validation. A more complex reason is that biologicals are living and adaptive tools and so they sometimes require better timing, placement, and storage than conventional inputs. An additional challenge is that with living organisms, adaptive behavior can be both the feature and the bug. That is, microbes often adapt to their surroundings, so some features of a product might change under certain circumstances. For example, if you put a nitrogen-fixing microbial into a system in which N is being constantly added in large amounts, the microbes might turn off their N-fixing capacity for a time. However, even in this case, microbes will still do what they do best and most consistently: improve the root system. But, ironically, this is another contributing factor to why biologicals don’t always get the recognition they deserve: one of the biggest benefits that have all the time is literally hidden underground in most systems. 

Why is that changing?

The biologicals industry is changing because modern products are increasingly supported by better microbial strain selection and combination, fermentation, formulation, field testing, genomic tools, and clearer agronomic recommendations that are inline with the benefits that biologicals actually have. The category is also growing rapidly as growers look for tools that improve sustainability, resilience, nutrient efficiency, and crop quality. In short, the tools that we have are improving as are the recommendations and practices for their use. 

Do biologicals replace conventional crop inputs?

Usually, no, although systems that have been cultivated with regenerative production practices over many seasons can become fully biological. Typically, however, biologicals are most effective when integrated into a broader agronomic program. They can complement fertility, irrigation, crop protection, and soil health practices by helping plants and soils function more efficiently. Often, use of biological products means that growers can reduce fertilizer and pesticide use rather than eliminating them entirely. In short, farmers have a difficult job and they need all of the tools in the toolbox.

When should biologicals be applied?

Most biologicals work best when applied proactively, before stress or disease pressure peaks. Microbial products often need time to colonize roots or influence the rhizosphere, while biostimulants and elicitors are often most useful when used before predictable stress windows. 

Why do results vary with biologicals?

Results vary because biology is context-dependent. Soil type, crop, weather, irrigation, fertility, tank mix compatibility, timing, storage, and microbial adaptation all influence performance. This is why good biological companies focus heavily on technical recommendations, field validation, and realistic use guidance.

Part 2: About Impello Biosciences

Who is Impello Biosciences?

Impello Biosciences is a Colorado-based agricultural biologicals company that was founded by growers for growers on the premise that biological products did not have to be “snake oil”. Since the beginning, we have been focused on development of tools that help growers improve crop performance, stress tolerance, rhizosphere function, and overall health. Our work and our purpose is rooted in both practical grower and field experience as well as laboratory science.

What matters most to Impello?

We care about making biologicals more reliable, practical, and useful for growers. That means building products that are scientifically grounded, field-relevant, and designed to fit into real production systems.

Why is Impello so focused on R&D?

Biologicals have to earn trust. For us, that means investing in microbial discovery, fermentation, formulation, field trials, compatibility work, and mechanism-of-action research so that our products can be used with confidence and data.

What makes Impello different?

Impello combines grower-informed product development with deep biological research. We do not view biologicals as magic inputs. We view them as living and biologically active tools that need to be selected, produced, tested, and recommended carefully. We also believe that microbes are most powerful when they are used in communities of multiple species which is why we co-culture, or ferment organisms together. With organisms that adapt in real time to their environment, ensuring that you have more species in a product is the same as ensuring multiple modes of action and that you have biology that can respond under more circumstances and give you more consistency.

Are Impello products organic?

Some products are appropriate for organic or regenerative systems depending on certification, crop, and region. Always check the current label, certification status, and local requirements before use. Or reach out to us and we would be happy to walk you through what products are the best fit for your system. 

Can Impello products be used with conventional programs?

Absolutely. Impello products are designed to integrate into these programs. They are tools for improving plant and soil function, not replacements for good agronomy.