About Us
About AgriBio Systems
Farming is a system. So is the soil.
Your truck, your tractor, your combine: every one of them runs as a system, and the more complete the system, the better it works. Crops and soils are no different. Producing consistent, high yielding crops is a great deal more than N-P-K, and that is the reason systems is part of our name.
Why we exist
The 2014 growing season handed us the best weather year any of us, customers included, had ever seen. Never too hot, too cold, too wet, or too dry. A lot of producers went into that fall expecting 300 bushel corn.
Harvest did not take long to settle the question. There was 300 bushel corn in places, but not across whole fields, and the averages came in well short of what the weather should have delivered. If conditions were not the limit, something else was.
Understanding the why has become a lost part of agronomy. Seventeen nutrients are recognized as essential for crop health and production, and the real number runs higher than that. Several are needed in amounts so small they have not been added to the list yet, which does not make them optional.
AgriBio Systems was built to work on that gap: to give growers the biology, the nutrition, and the understanding to find what is actually holding a field back, and to fix it.
Learn more about our approach
We created a company around products we wanted to use on our own farm.
Adam York, Founder
Dedicated to your success
Meet the team
Growers, agronomists, and operators. Most of us farm, and all of us answer the phone.
Adam York
Founder & Owner
A fifth generation farmer from Jacksonville, Adam founded AgriBio Systems in 2014 and still leads it today. After graduating from Western Illinois University in 2001 he returned to the family farm and found that even in ideal conditions the yields were not keeping up. That sent him toward a soil health approach built on compost extracts, biologicals, reduced tillage, non-GMO programs, and cover crops. He now manages more than 10,000 acres on regenerative practices at production scale. Alongside his wife, Maggie, and their four children, Adam stays focused on helping farmers adopt systems that improve soil health and profitability.
Jake Sorrill
Product Development
A Jacksonville native, Jake is approaching ten years with AgriBio Systems, where he leads product development, innovation, and digital strategy. His work covers new products, thermophilic compost systems, educational content, and the company's online presence. He likes the range of the role, the creative side of working out an idea and the hands on side of building it. Outside of AgriBio he fly fishes, golfs, and shoots photography, and spends time with his wife, Madeline, and their daughter, Scout. His aim is products that make regenerative practices simpler to run and better on return.
Josh Watson
Agronomy & Sales
Josh works on the sales and operations side and brings more than twelve years in agriculture. Originally from Beardstown, Illinois, he earned an associate degree in agri-business management and built his foundation through hands on farm work before joining AgriBio as one of the original employees. He handles sales, operations, and direct work with growers, learning what each operation is trying to do and recommending programs that improve profitability. Outside of work he rides side by sides, hunts, golfs, and spends time with his wife, Emily, and their daughter. Josh is straightforward about what he does not know, and he will go find the answer and follow up.
Adam DeFrates
Chief Operating Officer
Born and raised in Jacksonville, Adam joined AgriBio Systems in 2021 and serves as Chief Operating Officer. After a degree in business administration from Illinois College he held leadership roles as a category manager at H.D. Smith and purchasing manager at ILMO Products. At AgriBio he directs operations and inventory, making sure growers get products and service that carry real value. Outside of work he coaches soccer, camps at Lake Jacksonville, and follows his children Troy and Madalyn to their events. He is set on building a company farmers trust and the community is glad to have.
Jared Rohn
Agronomy & Sales
Jared works on the sales and agronomy team, pairing operational experience with a strong grounding in crops. He grew up helping on the family farm outside Beardstown, then earned a degree in supply chain management at Western Illinois University and worked in operations with CGB and WGM before joining AgriBio. He lives in Jacksonville with his wife, Karly, and their three daughters, and spends his days working with farmers on practical changes that improve efficiency and profitability. Away from work he is on the golf course, pole vaulting, or with his family.
Ian Simpson
Agronomy & Sales
Originally from Lewistown, Ian brings more than a decade of agronomy experience to AgriBio Systems. After a degree in agricultural business from Western Illinois University he spent six years as an agronomist in the Growmark system. His work here centers on farmer consultations and building the company's presence in local communities. He likes traveling the state, listening to growers' ideas, and working out solutions rooted in soil and plant biology. Outside of work he hunts, lifts, plays paintball, and spends time with family, and he brings the same drive to farming that he brings to marathons and ultramarathons.
Matt Drane
Sales & Vermicompost
Originally from Virginia, Illinois, Matt served in the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps as a welder and machinist before working in production scheduling and logistics. He joined AgriBio Systems four years ago and now focuses on sales, vermicompost, and microscopy. He travels to farms, teaches growers what is actually happening in their soil, and works through problems in the field. With a deep understanding of vermicomposting, microbes, and soil health, he is proud to be part of moving regenerative agriculture forward. Outside of work he spends time with his kids, plays guitar, and games.
Matthew Watson
Operations
Originally from Beardstown, Matthew earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice with minors in psychology and sociology, then spent a decade in law enforcement as a county deputy and city police officer. He moved into agriculture through a local grain elevator before joining AgriBio Systems. Today he runs a wide range of operations, from the sprayer in the field to fulfilling customer orders. He lives in Winchester with his wife, Andria, and their daughter, Parker, and outside of work he golfs, grills and smokes meat, and spends time with family and friends.
Thomas Stamberger
Agronomy & Sales
Thomas brings a strong foundation in crop and soil management to AgriBio Systems. After a B.S. in crop, soil, and environmental management from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, he began with River Valley Cooperative as a crop specialist, developing grower plans and running drone scouting across Illinois. Here he works closely with his customers through farm visits, grower plans, and consultations, and backs up the operations team on local spraying. Raised on the family farm in La Moille, he pairs firsthand experience with the technical side to help growers improve yield and return. Outside of work he wakeboards, runs, gardens, and flies his drone.
What we stand for
Education, understanding, success
Education
Give farmers the knowledge and the tools to make their own informed decisions, on their own ground.
Understanding
Work out the why behind soil health and crop performance, so a program is a system rather than a shopping list.
Success
Stay in it with the grower until the practice pays, measured on yield, soil, and return.
Our mission
Biology first, at production scale.
We help farms adopt biology forward systems that improve soil health, increase profitability, and build long term resilience. Working shoulder to shoulder with growers is the only way we know to do it, and it is the reason the products exist in the first place.
Ready to work with us?
Join the growers who are rebuilding their soil and their margins with AgriBio Systems.