
Field Notes Around the Globe
This past year has seen some milestone events for Elemental Enzymes, as the company continues to grow in service to global agriculture. Now is a good time to pause and reflect on the highlights of the past 12 months.
Highlights:
- New CCO
- Fast Company 2024 World Changing Ideas Award
- New global headquarters
- Research & technology developments
Company news
In February, Elemental Enzymes added Jagresh Rana to its executive leadership team. As Chief Commercial Officer, Rana applies his more than 25 years of global experience in marketing, sales, strategy, and managing business to align Elemental’s commercial and business strategies. He is working closely with the CEO to provide insight into the customer’s point of view and to set the company’s vision for the future. His first year has already seen successful expansion into new markets and geographies, with plans for further growth in the new year.
One of the best achievements of 2024 was being named to Fast Company’s list of World Changing Ideas. Elemental’s submission for its anti-Citrus Greening Vismax technology earned a win in the “Established Excellence: 5-14 Years in Business” category. It was also selected as a finalist in the competition’s broader “Agriculture” category! Elemental’s naturally derived peptide-based crop protectant has proven it can safely slow disease progress by stimulating a tree’s immunity to fight the bacteria that causes Citrus Greening. What’s more, Vismax provides broad-spectrum protection against diseases afflicting other important crops.
In April, Elemental Enzymes opened the doors on its new global headquarters. The larger space provides room for further expansion of the team and research efforts, while the company continues to house manufacturing at its original St. Louis location.
Research updates
Elemental Enzymes has featured several research topics in its “Elemental Ensights” newsletter this year. January’s edition dove deep into Florida citrus research, focusing on the robust field trials the company is conducting. The team oversaw 25 unique trial sites in 2023 and is on track to surpass that number this year. A later edition of the newsletter featured Elemental’s use of drones in field research to standardize and optimize trials. Elemental started using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) research technology in 2020 and plans to continue growing this drone program in the years to come.
In September, Elemental Enzymes entered a three-year contract research agreement with AgIdea. The partnership will advance the screening of Elemental’s cutting-edge technologies in the United States, focusing on row crops. This partnership, building on nearly a decade of successful collaboration, marks a significant milestone for both companies. This strategic agreement enhances the strong relationship between AgIdea and Elemental, positioning both companies at the forefront of innovation in the agro-industrial sector.
Field trials are integral to the research and development process at Elemental. Teams collaborate across laboratories and test plots to hone the performance of their technologies in a range of conditions from one continent to the next. Elemental researchers recently shared updates on their trials in the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Australia. Results show the effectiveness of Elemental products, while also providing useful information for application rates with complementary partner products.
Technology developments
Elemental Enzymes’s technology is only as powerful as the partnerships that get it into the hands of growers around the world. One successful partnership story from 2024 was the feature on Nutrien’s collaboration with Elemental to bring anti-Citrus Greening technology to market via Aura Citrus. Through field testing, collaborators determined the best application method and rate for Aura Citrus to have the greatest impact on reducing the damages of Citrus Greening.
Elemental’s go-to market strategy extends well beyond the United States. As demand for biological-based crop inputs is rapidly growing in Latin America, Elemental Enzymes is keeping current with approval processes in South America, Central America, and Mexico. Updated regulations mean that certain naturally derived products have a shorter approval process, allowing the company to efficiently get its proven solutions into the hands of growers around the world.
As evident in the stories shared this year, 2024 has been a success for Elemental Enzymes thanks to many internal and external collaborators. The team is eager to hit the ground running in 2025, looking forward to continuing growth in the new year.