What does real soil health look like under the microscope — and how can farmers use biology to improve nutrient efficiency, crop yields, and resilience?

In this episode of The Whole Farm Podcast by CHONEX, we feature a deep dive into soil health with Lynn Rogers, CEO & President of Microbial Matrix Systems Inc. With more than 23 years of experience working alongside farmers and biological manufacturers, Lynn breaks down the science behind soil microbiology in a practical, field-ready way for farmers and agronomists.

You’ll learn how specific microbial functional groups influence nutrient cycling, fertilizer use efficiency, soil structure, and plant performance — and why timing, activation, and formulation matter in production agriculture.

Whether you grow corn, soybeans, cotton, specialty crops, or perennials, this episode provides practical insights into improving soil health while protecting yield potential.

In This Episode, We Cover:

The 7 Key Microbial Functional Groups That Drive Soil Health

• Endospore-forming bacteria (Bacillus, Paenibacillus) and soil structure improvement
• Free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria and the nitrogen cycle
• Phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria and nutrient availability across soil pH ranges
• Pseudomonads and plant growth hormones (IAA)
• Cellulose degraders and soil organic matter
• Chitin-utilizing bacteria and disease suppression
• Heterotrophic bacteria and nutrient cycling

Nitrogen Efficiency & Fertilizer Timing

• How microbes help synchronize nitrogen release with crop demand
• Understanding nitrification, ammonification, and nutrient “banking”
• Addressing common myths about nitrogen-fixing microbes

Soil Structure, Salinity & Drought Stress

• Exopolysaccharide production and soil aggregation
• Improving water infiltration and root penetration
• Mitigating salt stress and compaction challenges

Functional Group Assessment & Direct Microscopy

• Measuring microbial activity in soil
• Evaluating biological products for performance
• Why microbial biomass matters for long-term soil health

Plant–Microbe Communication & Quorum Sensing

• How microbes and plants communicate
• Induced systemic resistance (ISR)
• Microbial signaling in disease suppression and nutrient uptake

Full yield potential is established at planting, and it diminishes throughout the season due to stress, nutrient loss, compaction, pathogens, and environmental conditions.

Biologicals and bio-stimulants, when properly formulated and timed, can help preserve yield potential by:

• Enhancing fertilizer use efficiency
• Unlocking tied-up nutrients
• Supporting root development
• Improving soil structure
• Building long-term soil health resilience

This episode bridges soil microbiology and practical agronomy, helping you understand how soil health translates into performance in the field.

Episode Presented By:
Lynn Rogers
CEO & President, Microbial Matrix Systems Inc.

Listen now to learn how functional soil biology can strengthen your nutrient management program and improve whole-farm soil health.

To learn more about CHONEX, explore additional resources, and receive future episodes to your inbox, visit chonex.ag. If you found this episode valuable, subscribe to the podcast and share it with someone in your network.

What if the biggest lever for healthier vines, better fruit quality, and more resilient vineyards is belowground?

In this episode, microbiologist and Napa Valley vineyard consultant Misha Vandal shares results from multi-site vineyard trials focused on soil health, vineyard management, and rebuilding microbial communities. We dig into how shifting the soil microbiome can support nutrient cycling, reduce fungal disease pressure, and even improve yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN)—a key quality metric for winemaking.

Misha also explains why compost teas can work but often don’t scale, and what makes a broad microbial community approach more consistent than single-strain inoculants.

If you manage wine grapes and are navigating heat stress, drought, grapevine red blotch, trunk diseases, or soil carbon decline, this conversation is packed with practical takeaways.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why vineyard soil biology is becoming central to modern viticulture
• How soil microbial imbalance can contribute to vine stress and decline
• Key grower challenges: heat, drought, water stress, viral disease, and trunk diseases
• Trial results showing increases in beneficial microbes (including Pseudomonas and Bacillus)
• How one site moved from 0 YAN to 80 mg/L YAN after treatments
• Compost tea: why it’s valuable—and why it’s hard to scale across large acreage
• Practical tips for pairing microbial applications with biochar, soy hydrolysate, minerals, and low-dose sugars

About Our Guest: Misha Vandal

Misha Vandal is a microbiologist and independent crop consultant based in Napa Valley. With a background in microbial ecology and soil biology, he specializes in integrating regenerative agriculture practices into vineyard nutrient management systems.

Listen Now
If you’re navigating vine decline, nutrient inefficiency, or soil degradation in your vineyard, this episode offers practical, research-backed insight into how rebuilding soil microbial communities can support stronger vines and better wine.

To learn more about CHONEX, explore additional resources, and receive future episodes to your inbox, visit chonex.ag. If you found this episode valuable, subscribe to the podcast and share it with someone in your network.

What’s driving the rapid growth of biologicals, and how can farmers and agronomists determine real performance?

In this webinar replay, Dr. Pam Marrone, Co-founder and Executive Chair of Invasive Species Corporation, and advisor to CHONEX, breaks down the biofertilizer market, the overlap with biostimulants, and the data standards needed to evaluate products confidently.

You’ll learn why biologicals are expanding fast, how microbes support soil health and nutrient cycling, what’s changing in U.S. regulation and standardization, and how tools like AI, machine learning, and soil microbiome testing are accelerating discovery and on-farm decision-making.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• The 3 main categories of biologicals (biocontrol/biopesticides, biostimulants, biofertilizers)—and why definitions matter
• Why the biologicals market is growing at double-digit rates and what that means for conventional systems
• What’s happening in nitrogen fixation (including new approaches for corn/row crops)
• How to evaluate products using field data, ROI, consistency, and mode of action
• Why soil health must be defined as a living ecosystem, not just chemical/physical indicators
• The relationship between synthetic fertilizer rates and microbial nitrogen fixation
• How biologicals can help accelerate regenerative transitions
• What’s changing with biostimulant/biofertilizer standards and national frameworks in the U.S.
• The rise of microbiome testing dashboards and remote sensing tools to measure progress

Featured Guest: Dr. Pam Marrone
A globally recognized leader in agricultural biologicals, Dr. Marrone has founded multiple companies, holds hundreds of patents, and advises organizations across the biologicals ecosystem—including CHONEX. Her work spans biopesticides, biostimulants, and biofertilizers, with a focus on science-backed performance and sustainable agriculture outcomes.

If you found this episode helpful, follow The Whole Farm Podcast, leave a review, and share it with a farmer or agronomist who’s sorting through biologicals and soil health decisions this season.

Want more CHONEX content on soil health, biologicals, and nutrient efficiency? Explore our resources and subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes.

To learn more about CHONEX, explore additional resources, and receive future episodes to your inbox, visit chonex.ag. If you found this episode valuable, subscribe to the podcast and share it with someone in your network.