DPH Biologicals poised for growth following ownership transition

DPH Biologicals, a leading biological company formed in 2018 focused on bringing best in class biologicals to broad acre farms, announced a management-led buyout with a private investment group.

The company will continue to market under the DPH Biologicals brand and provide customers with the same high-quality products and service they have come to expect.

″With proven science, robust field data, strong industry relationships and a focus on biologicals, we are proud of DPH Bio’s robust and profitable growth the past several years. As the biologicals market grows, we believe farmers and producers around the world will increasingly demand biological products that work within existing management practices and offer multiple bottom-line benefits, beyond yield,″ said Mick Messman, DPH Bio president and CEO.

The full management team brings decades of experience in agricultural sales, marketing, research, product development, supply chain management and business strategy, both domestically and internationally, and led the company’s rapid scale up and product portfolio expansion, building upon its flagship product - TerraTrove^® SP-1^®. The DPH Bio management team includes Mick Messman, Alex Cochran, Chris Feiden, Trey Soud, Brad Holzworth, Roberto Werneck and Cliff Watrin, and Mario Tenerelli as Latin America advisor.

″Our team has demonstrated business success in the ag industry and a commitment to deliver value to farmers. We saw the need for a company focused on developing and scaling biological technologies and began the transformation of DPH Bio in mid-2021. When ownership discussions started last year, the existing management team decided the time was right and we were ready and willing to fully invest in the company ourselves,″ Messman said.

Poised for Growth in 2024

2023 was DPH Bio’s most successful year to date, with multiple milestones accomplished leading to a clear growth plan, Messman said, including:

• Launched a regenerative technology platform for biological products, RegenAphex™, a proprietary plant-based humus extract, representing a more sustainable and effective alternative to humic acid and synthetic fertilizers.

  
  

• EPA-registration and OMRI approval of BellaTrove Companion Maxx ST^®, a biofungicide seed treatment labelled on multiple crops.

  
  

• Expanded sales of TerraTrove Residuce^®, a unique biodigester product that breaks down crop residue and recycles nutrients, which is now used on over 1 million acres.

  
  

• Secured sales and distribution agreements with leading channel partnersin the US and abroad and added more than 30 new retail partners in the US ag market.

  
  

• Advanced a pipeline of five novel biologicals, with initial sales beginning in 2024.

  
  

• Entered a multi-year research collaboration with University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Crop Physiology lab run by Dr. Fred Below.

  
  

• Re-organized the T&O and International businesses with national distribution agreements and an asset light fertilizer model.

With highly experienced scientists, agronomists and cross-functional teams based in Indianapolis, Ind. and Princeton, Ill., and territory managers located in key markets, DPH Bio will continue bringing its diverse and growing product line to customers around the world, including planned expansion into Brazil.