A Conversation with Kevin Helash, CEO-MBII

Marrone Bio Innovations Inc. is an international leader in providing growers with sustainable bioprotection and plant health solutions to support global agricultural needs. It provides biological based solutions for agricultural crops, turf protection, seed treatment, plant health, and waterway systems. As a leader in alternatives to conventional pesticides, MBII has a proven go-to-market strategy and remains on the cutting edge of developing the types of biological products in which today’s farmers are increasingly interested. We recently interviewed Kevin Helash, CEO of MBII, and talked about different aspects of the BioAg industry and MBII’s future plans.
Enjoy the read!
Q1. Biologicals are gaining farmers’ interest and also market. Though their need seems to be obvious, why is it taking so long for farmers to use and become comfortable with biologicals?
Biologicals are getting traction in all geographies. Recent market research shows double-digit growth for biologicals vs. low single-digit growth for conventional chemistry. However, the whole biological market is still a small fraction of the conventional market and the growth potential is important.
Biologicals will become mainstream if the industry is