AgTech Products and Services

“With MAXSTAX, farmers can protect their seeds...while reducing cost and optimizing genetic potential to...gain 6-8 bushels per acre.”

ORLANDO, Fla. (AgPR) Dec. 12, 2024 — HOPPER THROTTLE™ (HT) MAXSTAX™ Soybean, a revolutionary combination of 16 crop inputs delivered seamlessly through an advanced planter box seed fluency system, was officially announced today at the American Seed Trade Association's Field Crop Seed Convention for a limited release in crop year 2025 to select dealers.

Powered by Meristem's patented BIO-CAPSULE™ Technology, HT MAXSTAX Soybean will provide farmers with an easy-to-use system to replace costly traditional liquid soybean seed treatment, buy naked seed and use seed fluency through the planter box to efficiently deliver fungicides, insecticides, inoculants, biocontrols and micronutrients. With approved co-packing through BIO-CAPSULE Technology, Meristem is the only company that can stack multiple EPA-registered controls in an easy-to-use system. Select dealers will be supplied a limited quantity of MAXSTAX for 2025 planting.

"Today, farmers are spending upwards of $24 per acre with seed treatments to protect soybeans from insects and diseases like seedcorn maggots, phytophthora and sudden death syndrome," explained Mitch Eviston, Meristem Founder and CEO, in announcing the product. "With MAXSTAX, they can better protect their seeds from all of those pests while reducing cost and optimizing their crop's genetic potential to go after 6-8 more bushels per acre. We're out to give soybean growers a $45 per acre advantage."

Eviston says the 16 components in HT MAXSTAX Soybean can replace traditional liquid soybean seed treatment with an advanced planter box system that enables the co-packing and safe deployment of multiple EPA-controlled active ingredients to gain better results. Meristem will offer MAXSTAX with a $40 per acre replant program to add peace of mind for soybean farmers.

"Our patented BIO-CAPSULE delivery system is what makes this possible," Eviston says. "We are confident this technology works. Research on PREPHYTE and METALAXYL this year clearly shows we deliver more active ingredients to the seed coat and achieve 10 times the effective seed coverage compared to traditional seed treatment and other in-furrow treatment1." Each pail of HT MAXSTAX Soybean is designed to treat 40 acres (one seed box) and contains 16 components:

Six BIO-CAPSULEs containing a combination of the following:
1. METALAXYL™
2. PREPHYTE™
3. REVLINE®
4. Nitrogen-Fixing Microbes
5. Biofertility Microbes
6. BORNE X™
7. GUARD M™
8. GUARD C™
Base Pail:
9. Talc
10. Graphite
11. IONLOCK Zinc™
12. Iron
13. Manganese
14-15. ETHER™ Enzyme Technology (lipase and mannanase)
16. Active Carbon

"The first thing you have to understand is that you can cover all the seed with HOPPER THROTTLE, and it's got that full load of zinc," says Greg Evans, who farms near Richwood, Ohio, and has used BIO-CAPSULE delivery system for the past two years. "This year, we added PREPHYTE and METALAXYL because you want to go for even more once you see it all come together and work well through the planter box. You will be shocked with the difference this seed coverage makes."

The source of this efficacy is the power of more live microbes on the seed, says Jon Bokmeyer, Ph.D., Director of Ag Ingenuity Partners. His team collected seeds treated utilizing BIO-CAPSULE during planting and sent those seed samples for lab testing. "We tested the seed after running through the planter, and the BIO-CAPSULE delivery system on average surpassed by nearly 2x bacillus CFU count compared to the old industry standard."

"Soybean farmers know that early planting, fast germination and quick canopy are what brings great bean yields," explains Nathan Louiso, Meristem Eastern VP of Sales, "but seedcorn maggots, SDS and nematodes are a threat to all of those good things. MAXSTAX provides an on-farm solution to protect against that damage to seed and seedlings even when you plant early, and it's cold and wet." Louiso says having 115,000 plants in an acre compared to 87,000 is a big deal for soybean growers who want to make the most of their money.

"This is crucial for growers who are spending more money on seed in order to make up for what these pests take from them," Louiso says. "With MAXSTAX in the planter box, you can slide your count back because more of what you plant is going to germinate and stand strong. That's going to help avoid any added replant expense, too."

"Each one of the biocontrols in MAXSTAX is designed and EPA-registered specifically for the BIO-CAPSULE delivery system," says John Gertz, Meristem's Chief Operating Officer. "Unlike other chemical insecticides, these active ingredients – BORNE X, GUARD C, GUARD M, and PREPHYTE – don't require any specialized handling or application equipment. That makes it very convenient for enhanced protection against SDS, nematodes, seedcorn maggots and other soil-borne pathogens. MaxStax is the full-meal deal when it comes to the protection of soybean seeds and seedlings."

"Products like this are possible because the BIO-CAPSULE system allows the microbes to stay separate and active to the point of impact," says Gertz. "This also means we can fast-track our EPA approvals because of approved EPA co-packing through the BIO-CAPSULE."

About Meristem Crop Performance
Meristem® Crop Performance, Inc. (www.meristemag.com) helps farmers produce more bushels for less cost per bushel. Meristem is the global leader in delivering live, in-field biologicals through the patented BIO-CAPSULE™ Technology platform. Meristem significantly reduces waste and increases productivity in crop input systems through accelerated access to innovation, improved supply chain efficiency, and advanced concentrates.