RhizeBio’s Doug Toal Talks Soil Microbiology, Ag Entrepreneurship With Top Producer

RhizeBio cofounder Doug Tole joins host Paul Neiffer for Episode 143 of the Top Producer Podcast.

RhizeBio-Graphic-4-1024x1024.jpg
RhizeBio-Graphic-4-1024x1024.jpg
(RhizeBIo)

Top Producer Podcast recently sat with RhizeBio cofounder Doug Toal to discuss the wonders of soil microbiology and how his company is helping farmers unlock the soil profiles’ full potential. Toal also gives listeners a glimpse inside his background and his journey thus far as an ag entrepreneur in the soil health product space.

Toal has a PhD in microbiology from the University of Oklahoma. His focus was to gain a greater understanding of how microorganisms in the soil communicate and benefit each other.

“The most important asset the farmer has is the soil,” Toal says. “And I believe there are a lot of advancements that can be made in farming our soil. In the future, in addition to fertility data, theres going to be other information that farmers can derive from testing and then making changes to foster that asset in a way that helps them grow crops that produce better yield, and to put more money in their pockets.”

In his spare time, Toal, a former college swimmer, still gets his laps in at the local pool. He and his wife have raised four adult children.

RhizeBio, a startup based in North Carolina, provides recommendations to farmers that help them quantify and improve the biological potential of the soil on their farms over the long term. The group measures success by how tangibly it can improve soil health and performance for farmers, across a variety of crops.

Listen to the full podcast, with host Paul Neiffer, and follow along for regular episodes at Top Producer Podcast’s Omny.fm profile.

AgWeb-Logo crop
Related Stories
Backed by Leaps by Bayer, Robigo says its engineered microbes matched chemical-level control of Sudden Death Syndrome in soybeans in year-one trials, while delivering a 3x yield gain against fusarium wilt in lettuce and berries — with commercial launches targeted for 2028 and 2029.
Starting small on less productive acres gave Whalen Farms room to learn — and eventually cut fertilizer costs across 2,000 acres.
Sound Agriculture adds seed treatment to its product portfolio, with nutrient use efficiency in focus.
Read Next
Matt and Janna Splitter grew their farm by investing in people. Now the test is whether the farm can run without them — and which acres are worth keeping.
Get News Daily
Get Market Alerts
Get News & Markets App