Verdesian ESG - Verdesian Life Sciences

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)

The Importance of ESG

“There are risks and costs to a program of action, but they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.” -John F. Kennedy

We are in the food supply business. Everything we do at Verdesian Life Sciences is designed around aiding growers worldwide with the tools and technologies they need to grow more food with fewer inputs. Every day, we focus on helping farmers do more with less so they can supply the world with the food and fuel it needs. Fewer industries are at the backbone of communities than agriculture, and we are proud to support that industry.

As a key part of that community, agriculture should take seriously the tenets of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) in a way that allows for healthy crops, healthy families and communities, and healthy opportunities for all. As our global Environmental, Health, Safety and Sustainability Policy states, Verdesian “embraces our global responsibility to protect the environment, to ensure the health and safety of our employees, their families, our communities, and the public. We will conduct our business in a sustainable manner that incorporates Environmental, Social, and Governance principles and it is the responsibility of each Verdesian employee to actively promote our commitment to Environmental, Health, Safety and Sustainability.”

Impact Today. Improve Tomorrow.

We are not interested in dealing with the hypotheticals of how to make the world a better place. Words without action are just that, words. We love to think about the “what could be,” and we are doing that in our labs and trials across the globe, every day developing the next generation of nutrient use efficiency technology. But, at our core, we are doers with a strong bias towards action and results. Every day around the globe, there are Verdesian boots in the fields and facilities actively improving how we grow more food, sustainably. Today, we are positively impacting global food production and doing so in ways that don’t sacrifice the future of the environment. Below are just a few examples of the challenges we are tackling head on as an organization.

Corn in the field

Our Environmental Focuses

Greenhouse Gases

When most people hear about greenhouse gases, they think of efforts trying to convert all cars on the road to electric vehicles or moving toward more sustainable energy sources, not agriculture. They should. Agriculture can play an enormous role in improving the negative impact of greenhouse gases in our environment. Not just in carbon dioxide (C02), the most talked about greenhouse gas, but across nitrous oxide as well.

Carbon dioxide represents almost 79% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

Carbon is essential for all life. We all recognize that. For thousands of years, carbon has been absorbed by the Earth by carbon “sinks.” Think the ocean, soils, forests, etc. Humans have increasingly been releasing more carbon into the environment at a faster rate and volume than carbon sinks can handle.

The good news? Our portfolio of nitrogen fertilizer products can help sequester C02 by increasing soil organic carbon, thus keeping more carbon where it needs to be.

Nitrous Oxide represents only 7% of all greenhouse gas emissions BUT is 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Unfortunately, agriculture contributes to 74% of all N20 emissions. We see this as a great opportunity to provide an enormous impact.

We face the challenge of trying to grow more food (on less land) for an increasingly larger population – one that desires more proteins and calories.

This all can’t be done without fertilizers. In fact, nitrogen fertilizers are crucial to producing the crops that are necessary the world’s food supply. There are two options. Apply less fertilizer or make the fertilizer that is applied more efficient. We offer solutions for both.

Fertilizer is finicky. From the moment you apply it, it is looking for a way to escape. This can occur through leaching, atmosphere volatilization, or denitrification. This can be cruelly inefficient, both for the crop that needs it, and for the environment.

Thankfully, our nitrogen fertilizer enhancer products impact these forms of loss. In fact, our Trident nitrogen fertilizer enhancer is the most complete solution for nitrogen loss on the market. The Trident product protects against all three forms of nitrogen loss: volatilization, nitrification, and denitrification. Because of its patent-pending co-polymer and solvent blend, Trident’s formulation is able to improve the efficacy of NBPT and DCD into the nitrogen source.

More resources on this topic:

Water Quality

Water is the lifeblood of American agriculture. It is the artery that connects communities all across America, from potato growers in the Pacific Northwest to citrus growers in Florida, from corn and beans in the Midwest to rice in the South – and all points in-between. Water contributes to the rich diversity of crops grown. We need the food. We need water to grow food. We need clean water sources to continue producing food at the level required of the world’s growing population.

To guarantee these necessities, practices are evolving to ensure the protection of our food supply. Fertilizer application that is unprotected with a stabilizer opens the door for greater probability of leaching into the groundwater wasting resources and changing water quality.

That’s where products like AVAIL T5 Phosphorus Fertilizer Enhancer come in to help do more with less. By giving farmers the tools to be profitable stewards of the land, we’re all a small part of both protecting their phosphorus investment and preserving the nation’s water quality.

These are issues that growers are consciously working hard to resolve all over the country, such as in the Lake Erie basin where algae blooms are threatening the drinking water of approximately 11 million Americans. Or in the Gulf of Mexico, where the mighty Mississippi empties into it, unfortunately carrying with it excess nitrogen and phosphorus, creating a harmful environment of “dead zones.”

It’s a similar story in the Chesapeake Bay region. There, like all across the U.S., growers and retailers are diligently exploring and using technologies that reduce nutrient loss – while maintaining the ability to grow food for a growing world.

With Verdesian technologies, farmers have options like N-Charge G Nitrogen Use Efficiency Technology to keep more nitrogen in the root zone longer, allowing plants to absorb the nutrients they need, instead of running off into a ditch.

Of course, Verdesian doesn’t – and can’t – do this alone. We are proud to be a 4Rs Nutrient Stewardship partner. The 4Rs is a framework around using the right fertilizer source at the right rate, at the right time and in the right place. The result? Increased production, increased farmer profitability, enhanced environmental protection and improved sustainability. Those are things we can all be proud of.

Soil Health

First, let’s clear up a misconception.

Soil is not dirt.

Soil is a complex ecosystem that has to (must) be maintained in order to be optimized. It is the literal foundation for any of the crops that we grow. It is our job to help maximize the output from the soil while maintaining its critical characteristics for the future.

Verdesian Life Sciences offers a plethora of solutions focused on just that: unlocking that potential of the soil.

Biologicals (ST&I)- Some crops, especially legumes, can benefit from bacteria that form nodules on the roots plants and convert nitrogen from air into nitrogen compounds that the plant can use. Bradyrhizobium japonicum (B. japonicum) bacteria, for instance, is used in commercial soybean inoculants, such as Primo R1 or Preside Ultra. These bacteria form a symbiotic relationship with a soybean plant.

Because of different modes of action, the use of biologicals can also be a crucial element when it comes to resistance management. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies knit together biological, genetic and chemical crop protection products to utilize those multiple modes of action. This, in turn, progresses toward a sustainable resistance management practice.

Time is a major resource in agriculture, but, let’s be honest, growers rarely have enough of it. Biologicals can assist that problem, believe it or not. Many biologicals offer spray timing flexibility due to short re-entry and pre-harvest intervals (PHIs), or the wait time between application and harvest. A shorter window allows both harvest and shipping schedules to be better maintained. That’s not only good for the food supply chain, but for the grower’s stress level and bottom line.

Since biologicals are, well, “bio”-based, they aren’t prone to hanging around in the soil “past their welcome.” They degrade rapidly, which reduces the risk of exposure. Because of this, biological products tend to be exempted from Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs).

Verdesian offers products that assist in healthy soils. Micronutrient products, such as MicroSync Granular Micronutrients, can help with soil deficiency in some secondary nutrients, while our stabilizer products (Trident, N-Charge G for nitrogen; AVAIL T5 for phosphorus) help lock soil in the soil profile, thus making sure the proper nutrients get taken up by the plant.

These, all, are good for long-term soil health.

Biostimulants

There’s no question: Crops need a good, fast start for optimal growth. Primacy ALPHA is a foliar and soil nutrient product that encourages plant nutrient uptake, which promotes plant growth, crop quality and yield potential in a variety of crops such as cereals, alfalfa, vegetables, citrus, grapes and so much more.

Another new technology that can make a major impact when it comes to what punches Mother Nature can throw, SEED+ GRAPHITE has proven to assist crops during droughts, cold snaps, severe heat… you name it. Developed with proprietary technology from Verdesian Life Sciences, SEED+™ GRAPHITE is a nutritional planter box solution that improves germination, crop emergence, seedling vigor, and plant tolerance to abiotic stressors, leading to higher yields.

Fertilizer Enhancers

Fertilizer is necessary for growing crops all over the world. That’s a fact. Verdesian nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer enhancers help make that possible in a more sustainable way by allowing the fertilizer to work in the most efficient way.

When first launched, Trident Nitrogen Fertilizer Enhancer, an all-in-one nitrogen solution, was recognized as a New Product of the Year Finalist by The Scoop showing a 4.6 percent yield increase versus untreated in initial trials. It protects against all three forms of nitrogen loss: volatilization, nitrification and denitrification.

AVAIL T5 Phosphorus Use Efficiency Technology is the latest in a long legacy of best-in-class phosphorus efficiency solutions. AVAIL T5 makes P uptake more efficient, resulting in 45% more Phosphorus available to crops. The additional P means addition yield.

Animal Health & Aquaculture

As populations and communities emerge all over the globe, citizens are desiring – check that: DEMANDING – more protein in their diets. We are proud to offer products designed to help produce more and healthier food – whether they live on land or in the water.

Lumensa is a postbiotic feed additive that helps improve digestive and immune health.

Proquatic Maintain is a postbiotic biostimulant that sustains high-quality pond water, reducing the mortality rate of shrimp and other aquatic species.

pitPro increases profits and proficiency in manure pits, allowing for better pump-out and a much more pleasant pit environment. Who doesn’t love that?

Biologicals

Agriculture is a challenging profession even before the crop is in the ground. But there are a myriad of forces that can affect the crop once it begins to grow. Weather conditions are a major impact. CROP+ is designed to support that plant’s tolerance to abiotic stress, thus improving yield and the quality of the crops.

Nutrition

When feeding the plant and the soil, the micronutrient part of the equation can often be the forgotten part. But micronutrients are ever so important as they contribute to healthy plants and soil.

MicroSync Granular Micronutrients are the premium – and most robust – micronutrient offering on the market. Better yet? MicroSync is food grade micronutrients. In fact, we put this product through the same rigorous same quality control process as lawn and garden products.

Our Organic options

In addition, Verdesian Life Sciences boasts a number of products with organic registrations. 39*, to be exact. (*And growing.)

Hear It From Us

Our ESG initiatives are more than just words on a screen. We are leading it because we are living it every day.

<strong>Tyrus Oakes</strong> - Global Director, Product Marketing

Tyrus Oakes - Global Director, Product Marketing

<strong>Renato Prestes</strong> - VP, Environmental, Health, and Safety

Renato Prestes - VP, Environmental, Health, and Safety

We Can’t Do This Alone

We have lofty goals when it comes top ESG, but we know we can’t do all this alone. Thankfully, we have partners who are walking side by side with us in this journey.

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