The Whole Farm Podcast

Insights on Bio-Fertilizers with Dr. Pam Marrone

CHONEX

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0:00 | 41:28

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.


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