We asked, you answered. With more than 1,300 votes tabulated, Awaken FlowBoost from Loveland Products has officially been named the winner of The Scoop’s 18th annual New Product of the Year contest.
Awaken FlowBoost marks a new path for Loveland’s seed treatment products, adding a talc/graphite replacement to the company’s portfolio.
“People are getting away from talc and graphite for a lot of different reasons, which is ultimately why we went with a corn-based product,” says Rian Bernhardt, Loveland’s crop protection marketing manager. “We just recognized it as a growing market space and an opportunity for us to bring something to our growers that’s unique, and from an agronomic standpoint, makes a lot of sense for them.”
Awaken FlowBoost’s benefits are two-fold:
- Seed singulation and flowability. The product is applied at plant and maintains a 99% effective use rate as seeds are flowing through the planter, which is comparable to a standard 80/20 talc/graphite mix.
- A micronutrient package (5% phosphate, 1% iron, 3% manganese, 2.5% molybdenum, 10.5% zinc) helps mitigate the stresses that come with planting early in cold, wet soils.
Bernhardt says these advantages brought growers improved yield, test weight and moisture across all geographies during the product’s first official year on the market.
“The trials that we have seen range anywhere from 4- to 6- to 8-bu. differences,” Bernhardt says.
Casey McDaniel, vice president of Loveland Products, adds that quicker emergence was also a common result, due to the product’s micronutrient package.
“Not everybody has the opportunity to put an in-furrow starter or two-by-two applications. This allows them to get some micronutrients on that seed and in that furrow where it’s most effective,” McDaniel says. “They saw a quicker emergence when it’s most important — in that first 20 to 30 days.”
The addition of micronutrients is what Loveland believes sets Awaken FlowBoost apart and is contributing to its popularity.
“The uniqueness of the product got a lot of people’s attention,” Bernhardt explains. “I think that is what’s ultimately driving its success.”
During Awaken FlowBoost’s first year on the market, it far exceeded what the Loveland team had initially expected in overall sales.
“We had to go into production a couple of extra times,” McDaniel says. “This isn’t a space we had historically played in, and you’ll generally get some skeptics the first time around. But we did our homework and thoroughly tested the product.”
As for 2025, Loveland has 10 new products that are headed to the U.S., and an expansion of the Awaken FlowBoost lineup could be on the horizon as well.
“We definitely see room for expansion with this product line, specifically from a seed treatment standpoint,” Bernhardt says. “It’s a cool concept that will just get better from here.”
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