Redox Grows (Redox Bio-Nutrients)

This year has already been a challenge for farmers – with soaring costs, erratic weather and many other hurdles to clear. Now more than ever, efficient use of resources is vital for growers seeking a good return on investment. 

Maintaining healthy soil and being laser-focused on strong plants with proper nutrition are vital to strong yields come harvest time.

Fortunately, there are tools out there to achieve these results.

“One of the things I’m most excited about is the very real progress farmers can make improving their soil,” said John Kelly, co-founder and lead agronomist at Redox Bio-Nutrients. “Some of those improvements can be made immediately and have good returns on their investment.”

Redox has seen steady growth since its inception in the early 1990s, with products sold to farmers in more than 40 states and 32 countries.

American Agriculture is ever-changing, with greater emphasis over the years towards a healthy growing environment and sustainable future, while being conscious of a grower’s return on investment.

“We’ve seen an evolution since the beginning of our business, to going beyond just basic practices that have been in place for 40-60 years, to looking at innovative ways of growing crops,” Kelly said. “Not only from irrigation management – from widespread adoption of controlled irrigation systems - to focus on soil health and fertility inputs. Not only that, but adoption of high-tech practices that improve grower’s bottom lines.”

He said growers that are more efficient with their inputs are better positioned to persevere through years like this that are rife with uncertainty.

“Growers that are thriving in this difficult environment are those at pay close attention to not what they bring in, but what they keep,” Kelly said. “The return on investment, what inputs and what practices will accomplish that best are the ways to thrive in this environment. As we look for efficiencies, we’re looking to get the very best net income per acre possible.”

Like so many that are helping keep abundant, affordable food on dinner tables, Kelly said he’s passionate about keeping farmers farming for generations to come.

“I love what I do,” he said. “I feel very, very fortunate that I’m able to work, not only at Redox with very wonderful people, but the folks we associate within the industry. It’s great and I never get tired of that…. It’s wonderful when we’re able to improve a grower, and the distributor reps, improve their bottom line, while also making a positive impact on the environment.” 

Rising costs and instability in many key areas have caused big headaches for farmers this year. From record high fertilizer costs to supply chain issues, there seem to be challenges at every turn.

Navigating through uncertainty isn’t new in agriculture, although 2022 has taken that process to an entirely new level.

“Agriculture is facing some interesting times,” remarked Darin Moon, founder and owner of Redox Bio-Nutrients. “Coming out of the pandemic, then the entire energy sector in agriculture- fertilizer is part that energy sector- that has created a dynamic that agriculture hasn’t seen before. You add on top of that the desire for the world to become more sustainable, more planet friendly. All of those things have created a dynamic where there is incredible opportunity going forward, but the foundation is a little bit shaky because people aren’t quite sure.”

As a result, many growers are being cautious with their farming decisions – with greater scrutiny on cost, availability and options for growing their crops.

Redox Bio-Nutrients is focused in areas that can help agriculture thrive, even in difficult times. Through their products and technologies, they help growers build a strong foundation of the four pillars of Yield and Quality - Soil Health, Root Development, Abiotic Stress Defense, and Nutrient Efficiency.

From its inception nearly 30 years ago, Redox has grown to provide products in more than 40 states and 32 countries.

Moon said when growers work towards healthy, productive, sustainable fields and orchards, they are better positioned to get through challenges.

“That’s the DNA of this company,” he added. “Dealing with reduced input costs, dealing with all of these things. We have survived through incredibly turbulent economic times for 30 years and here we stand. I think now able to lead the agricultural economy going forward, because of our experience, our technology and, most importantly, because of our people and passion.”

Bio-nutrition is a growing area that has helped produce healthy farms that positively impact a grower’s return on investment.

“Bio-nutrition for us is the way Mother Nature does it,” Moon said. “If you think about how Mother Nature would do it if we didn’t add fertilizer to the soil, she would use the soil microbiology, the soil carbon base, to cycle nutrients for plant nutrition and uptake. What we’ve done is we’ve spent an inordinate amount of time and money studying those processes and then trying to figure out how to add to commodity fertilizer or create our own fertilizer blends that mimic what Mother Nature does.”

Despite the rocky start to the year, Moon said he’s optimistic that farmers will persevere and succeed.

California’s 1.6 million acres of almonds have reached a critical juncture in the growing season. 

Hull split signals harvest is nearing. It’s also a time when this multi-billion dollar crop is susceptible to threats from Navel Orangeworm and fungal infection. 

“It’s both a direct pest and an indirect pest,” remarked Dr. Joel Siegel, Research Entomologist with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service in Fresno County. He has spent many years studying Navel Orangeworm and working with growers to fight it. 

 Siegel said if damage occurs from this pest, it could impact almond export trade. 

“People want a clean product,” he added. “They want a high-quality product, and this insect is one of their main enemies.”

There are ways growers can protect their valuable investment.

“What’s really worked well for our customers for many years is putting diKaP™ in our hull split sprays,” commented Jared Sannar, Western Regional Sales Manager for Redox Bio-Nutrients. 

“That has been a really good return on investment. Our 2-3 pound application (per acre), depending on the goals and what you’re trying to accomplish there, has really worked well. You’re trying to drive potassium and phosphorus at late season, but you’re also looking to reduce abiotic stress and other stress factors that you have in the orchard this time of the year.”

 Sannar added Rx Platinum and diKaP™ soil applied applications are also helpful to help finish the crop and build buds for the next year. 

 This year’s almond crop is forecast at 2.8 billion pounds, which is nearly identical to last year’s. 

Being patient is far from easy, but it can be essential in getting correct results, especially in agricultural research.

 At our Redox Bio-Nutrients office in Burley, Idaho, about 20 acres are devoted to meticulous research to make sure our products are indeed an asset to growers. 

 The crops and materials used vary, although the common thread is we must be patient and precise in reviewing the benefits our product line has on food grown in America and worldwide.

Our current list of crops being grown include alfalfa, corn, tomatoes, honey crisp apples, two varieties of table grapes, and turf. 

 Crops often start in the greenhouse. Providing that they progress as needed (especially during hot summer months), they next go to pots outdoors. Larger grow-in boxes follow, with one-acre commercial plots the final step at our farm. Every step is carefully monitored and catalogued to help our understanding of how strong the plants are and the efficacy of our products. 

 Following our on-site trials, we collaborate with independent third parties with the goal of confirming our research on a larger, more commercial scale. 

 We utilize applied science in our work with a laser focus on the bottom line of growers. To do this, we employ the four Rs of nutrient stewardship: the right source of fertilizer or nutrients, the right rate, right time, and right place. 

 Understanding these elements help the ultimate goal of getting growers what they need to maximize efficiency and return on investment. 

 This research is possible through strong coordination, resilience, and teamwork.

“That’s Redox to me,” remarked Gifford Gillette, Redox Bio-Nutrients Head of Science. “There’s an energy because of that synergy. There’s talent all around us, and we’re able to help each other be at our best. Ultimately, the part I get satisfaction from is seeing the tests and the trials that we conduct to get to a program that is utilized, not only by one grower, but in many different geographic regions and is successful in many different circumstances. It’s a tremendous thing knowing that we are helping agriculture as a whole conserve natural resources while simultaneously improving the ability to satisfy global food demands. The scientific process is a key component to this end goal and it is a reason why farmers can readily get on board.” 

Late summer is traditionally a time when families get ready for the start of the school year, many crops are nearing harvest and temperatures spike.

 This time out, there have been a few extra hurdles in weather trends to navigate through.

 “This summer has been unusually hot for many parts of the country,” remarked Les Colin, longtime meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boise. “The East, the South and the Midwest have been very hot, and there’s been extreme flooding. That’s unusual.”

 The more volatile summer season has created a few more challenges for growers. Fortunately, Redox agronomists are working with farmers far and wide to ensure productive harvests.

 In addition to widespread heat, the prolonged drought in California has led to the problem of high salt levels in farm ground.

 “Over time, without having those rains to flush the soil, you accumulate salts in the root zones and that causes stress for the crops,” said Redox Bio-Nutrients Agronomist, Bill Schwoerer. “Products we look at to try to alleviate this include Penecal, which has calcium as well as a surfactant that helps to open the soils and then helps to move water through the pores in the soil, as well as Soilex, which is a surfactant and humic substance as well, to basically help move those salts out of the root zone so the plant can grow under less stress.” 

Schwoerer works with growers along the Central Coast. Agronomists Justin Rose in the Central Valley and Kort Holzwart in the Salinas/Monterey area are also working with growers through late summer challenges. 

Rose said use of diKaP has helped mitigate heat stress and boosted stomatic conductance for almonds, pistachios and table grapes, as well as citrus sizing.

 Holzwart said salt buildup has been a key issue to overcome in his region as well. 

 In the Pacific Northwest, agronomist Jasmine Baird said apple harvesting is underway, with hops and grapes soon to follow. She said diKaP is helping these crops finish strong, aiding their color and brix.

 Agronomist Jeff Yoder said row crops are progressing well in the region. He said key issues include use of potassium-based products to encourage bulking in potatoes and filling out seed crops.

 In the Carolinas, agronomist John Rouse said use of diKaP is helping growers he works with combat abiotic stress in their early-maturing soybeans and ensure strong bean development, while Mainstay Si is helping soybeans farther along in their maturity for strong yields. 

 He said Mainstay Si has helped increase yields for peanut growers and boosted stem strength and shell color.  Rouse added Mainstay Si provides a strong assist to cotton growers to help improve their lint yields. 

 Redox has more than a dozen agronomists working with growers across the country. Find out more at https://www.redoxgrows.com.

America is full of business success stories, both small and large, where entrepreneurs worked hard and persevered their way to success. 

 Henry Ford grew up on a farm in Michigan and worked for a company run by Thomas Edison before borrowing $28,000 to establish the Ford Motor Company. 

 Ray Kroc dropped out of school as a teenager and spent 17 years selling paper cups before he got the break that eventually led to him launching the McDonald’s fast-food empire.

 With a long family history in farming, dentist Dan Zettel sought help in starting an apple orchard, but ran into a proverbial brick wall. 

 “When we told big national retailers that I was only going to start with 1,200 trees and a little 10-acre spot, they literally turned their back and did not want to discuss fertilizer, any inputs or anything for my orchard,” he remarked.

 Undeterred, Dan eventually made the right connections, formulated a successful strategy and planted apple trees. His Edwards Township orchard is now thriving, and his rich red honeycrisp apples are in high demand. 

 Several experts guided Dan to success, including Redox Agronomist, Eric Massey. 

 “I wouldn’t be in the apple business today without the help from Redox and Eric Massey,” Dan said. “It’s really interesting the components that we needed and finding the right nutritional plan. When we did soil samples, we found out we were basically farming beach sand out here. We had very low humus; we had very low everything. With the Redox program … we are pulling color on these honeycrisp apples like I’ve never seen. We get dark, dark red apples. Ours come up with this crazy red color.”

 Dan and his wife, Melinda, are both dentists, but still find time to work on the farm. They have a built-in labor force with their four children, supplemented by many friends and community members, including a retired state trooper, electrician, and mechanical engineer, who help during harvest. 

 The Zettels have given back to their community in meaningful ways, including establishing a massive and modern rec center to provide a constructive and fun outlet for kids and others fitness minded residents. 

 Michigan is third in the US in apple production, with more than one billion pounds produced every year.

Golf has enchanted tens of millions of people across the globe and for good reason. With an outdoor setting and intensely rewarding and challenging nature, it’s no wonder it has captured so many for centuries. 

Turf is one of the most important aspects of a positive golfing experience. And with some 16,000 golf courses in America, turf is also a major crop in America. 

 Keeping turf at its best isn’t always easy, as every golf course has its unique set of challenges. 

For many years, Todd Scott, Director of Turf Marketing & Strategy at Redox Bio-Nutrients, has diligently worked to help maintain turf quality at many golf courses, with great health, uniform, rich color, and excellent playability. 

Redox works with thousands of golf courses across the country, as well as internationally. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach in this endeavor.

 “It’s many factors,” Scott said. “Obviously, weather is one. Soil type is another. Climate, water quality, irrigation source and soil structure are also factors. It’s many issues. Some are blessed with good soils, depending on what part of the country they’re in. Others really struggle because of not-so-great soil conditions and water quality. Those are the challenges they face. The more blessed you are with good soil quality and water source, obviously your job is going to be a lot easier.”

Fortunately, Redox can help improve virtually any course, regardless of their needs. 
 
Scott said it all starts with understanding what’s underneath the turf.

 “Well, soil testing is paramount, to find out what you’re dealing with, and how you can make adjustments in your fertility applications, whether it’s rates, timing or frequency,” he said. “All of those things matter. The quickest and fastest way to get yourself on the right track is to get a good chemical soil extraction, along with a paste extract test, find out where your deficiencies are and make adjustments in your inputs. You keep tweaking year after year.”

 Well-maintained turf means the world, not only to those who play the courses, but to those who manage them, as well.

 “Superintendents have told me ‘It has changed this golf course 180 degrees’,” Scott said. “Their life is better. Their home life is better because of it. Hopefully, it will reduce their stress, because it’s one of most stressful jobs you can have out there. I was a superintendent for 10 years in the transition zone, and it can be grueling. Redox really addresses a lot of key parts of their struggles and stresses.”

 In the coming months, look for more episodes on how Redox Turf products help golf courses, including profiles on some of the finest courses in the U.S. and internationally. 

America’s Heartland is an impressive place. With rich soils and an even richer agricultural heritage, so much of our food comes from this region.

Andrew DeGroot is continuing a 70+ year family farming tradition started by his grandfather in St. Anne, Illinois, about an hour’s drive from Chicago. DeGroot Farms has made their mark in traditional crops, as well as some you might not expect. In addition to corn and soybeans, they grow potatoes, bell peppers, cabbage, and squash. Customers include Chipotle, Campbell’s Soup and Bob Evans.

 The DeGroots have light, sandy soils which work well for growing vegetables.  What can prove challenging is weather. This year’s characteristics included a long dry spell with over a month of temperatures hovering around the century mark.  

 Andrew said they’ve utilized Redox Bio-Nutrients products for about a decade, and the results are easy to see. 

 “This biggest thing it has helped us with is when Mother Nature throws a curve ball, whether it’s heat stress, drought, cold stress or too much water,” Andrew remarked. “When you have the right products available, where you can fight that and make an extra application or two to combat those stresses and help the plant push through, you don’t have the big swings like you used to. In past years, when the weather is perfect, you grow a bumper crop. The following year maybe there’s a drought and it seemed to be either feast or famine. We’re kind of leveling that off now, knowing our costs going in, knowing what we need to do, setting our program and fighting Mother Nature, pretty much.”

 As one example through Redox, Andrew said his potato yields have grown about 30 to 35 percent on average, with a 50 to 60 percent increase when weather fully cooperates.

 Bell peppers on the farm are a sight to see, with large fruit, thick walls, and premium quality.

 A more traditional crop, soybeans, are also a solid performer on the farm. Illinois is the nation’s largest soybean producer, with more than 11 million acres grown. 

 From one field to the next, the DeGroot farm is a very productive place. Andrew said Redox Bio-Nutrients are a big part of their success.
 
“It’s helped greatly,” he said. “I don’t think we could be where we are today without it. Just the growth and new customers we’ve been able to bring to the table because we have a quality product. It takes a lot of the stress away, when you can really focus in, and you see a problem – a deficiency – apply a product, and you will visually see that within usually 7 to 10 days, and then move on from there.” 

Fall harvest season is underway throughout the U.S., wrapping up a year with higher costs of production, volatile markets and a myriad of weather issues, including massive drought in the West.

“It has definitely been a challenging year,” remarked Redox Bio-Nutrients agronomist Jared Sannar. “Mother Nature threw us some difficulty… I would say it has been a pretty challenging year, but we’re wrapping things up, are well into harvest for most of the crops, and looking forward to putting this one to bed.”

Growers in the nation’s leading agricultural state, California, saw more than its share of challenges this year. An untimely freeze caused a massive hit on the almond crop. Drought left an estimated half-million acres of farm ground unplanted this year. 

Grower Mitchell Yerxa of River Vista Farms in Colusa County is also a pilot and said an aerial view of the usually abundant west side of the Sacramento Valley provides an indication of the extent of the drought toll.

“If you can see something from a different angle or different perspective, you have a whole different understanding than you did before,” he said. “So, when you’re on Interstate 5 and you’re driving north and you’re looking to the west and don’t see a rice field planted, ok it’s one rice field. But when you’re up 1,000 feet, or 3,000 feet, and you look down and don’t see a single acre planted for miles, it gives you perspective that there are many farms and many parts of this community that are going to be dramatically affected when for miles there’s not a single acre planted.”

Fall harvests continue, from Idaho potatoes and Iowa corn to Texas cotton and California walnuts. Redox agronomists are working with growers to maximize yield, quality and return on investment.

One impediment to this goal is excess salt in parched fields.

“In my region, the southern San Joaquin Valley, there’s a lot of salt issues,” said Redox agronomist Justin Rose. “A lot of growers are using groundwater, bringing up salty, sodium bicarbonates. A lot of them, in the places of low calcium, are positioning PeneCal and Mainstay Calcium there, to help build that soil structure and to help move salts through it. In other regions where they’re not able to hold the moisture, with lighter soil, we’ve been able to combat the salt buildup with H-85. Using the combination of the high carbon product of humics and fulvics – one, to help buffer salts out and two, to make the nutrients needed available." When the off-season arrives, preparation can help growers position themselves well for the new year, including sustainable practices.

“One of those things that we really pay attention to is soil preparation, especially for potatoes,” said Redox agronomist Jason Cook. “I think this is applying more and more, as we look at some different sustainability scenarios, is looking at how we take care of our soil and implementing strategies that promote more health benefits and more nutrient cycling benefits. One of those scenarios is looking at crop residue and how we’re managing that, as far as what’s being taken away. For example, in wheat straw or barley straw, how much organic material is being pulled away from the farm and what has to be replaced to help balance the soils and keep the system functioning.” 

Maintaining strong roots another important factor. 

“One of my main philosophies is to grow better plants, you have to grow better roots,” said Redox agronomist Jeff Yoder. “A strong foundation of roots underneath that crop gives you more root interception zones, more area covered to pull moisture from if you have times of drought stress. I get the rebuttal all the time that ‘we’re not growing roots, we’re growing apples,’ but, in order to grow apples, you need roots. That investment in a strong foundation of roots pays big dividends.”

Chances are you’ve never heard of Laconia, Indiana, but if you’re a golf enthusiast, it needs to be on your bucket list.

With a population of 50 and surrounded by farmland, Laconia is home to Chariot Run Golf Club https://chariotrungolf.com, featuring an immaculate, award-winning course.  

“Our motto is ‘you pass a lot of good golf courses to get here, so we have to be great,’” said general manager David Beanblossom. “We’ve always said ‘it’s a field of dreams golf course out here, if you build it, they will come.’ I feel like, day in and day out, we put a product out there that is just better than everybody else. We really give people a reason to drive 45-minutes to Chariot Run to play golf.”

David’s story is even more remarkable that the golf course he manages. Twice he had brushes with death. The first occurred in a vehicle accident when he was seven. The second injury occurred during a horrific accident while he was harness racing. 

“Just by the grace of God I am still here today,” he said. “I owe it to my wife why I’m sitting here today. She said ‘You’ve got to find another way to make a living. I can’t watch you do this anymore.’”

He started at Chariot Run as an $8 an hour greenskeeper. Through his hard work and becoming a student of the greens, David continued to rise until his current general manager position.

He credited Redox Bio-Nutrients products as a key to the rave reviews about their course. 

David has worked for many years with Todd Scott, Redox Director of Turf Marketing & Strategy, and now uses several products that yield healthy turf that’s a joy to play on.  Chariot Run is among countless golf courses across America and overseas that depend on Redox Bio-Nutrients to care for their greens, including healthy soil, strong root development, abiotic stress defense and nutrient efficiency. 

“That’s the one thing about Redox and their products is they’ve really allowed us to produce the quality of turf that we need, the conditions we need to drive revenue and get golfers through the door,” Beanblossom said. “I think that’s the hidden factor that you don’t see with Redox is the additional revenue you’re going to get from just having stellar conditions all the time.”

From Japan, With Passion

Mory Ogata’s energy and enthusiasm are evident the moment you meet him. As the sole Redox Bio-Nutrients distributor in Japan, Ogata, 84, has worked hard and creatively to gain traction for our line of high efficiency agricultural inputs.

His most successful early marketing efforts have been with Redox Turf products. Japan is widely known as a place with excellent, impeccably maintained golf courses.

Widespread adoption among the rest of Japanese agriculture has been a slow process, but Ogata said interest is growing, especially after a successful large fall trade show.

One reason the Redox Booth attracted attention was Ogata made an anime video and printed material to demystify the sophisticated technology and ultra-efficiency that are hallmarks of Redox products.

“So far, we don’t have a big distribution network,” Ogata remarked. “I think within the next year or so that’s going to change. I try to live as long as I can to witness that happy day!”

Apples and blueberries are two of America’s most popular fruits. They also have undergone a lot of changes at the farm level over the years.

Dan Griffith, Crop Horticultural Advisor with GS Long in Yakima has spent more than forty years helping Washington apple growers get the most from their orchards. Washington is the nation’s leading apple producer, accounting for two-thirds of U.S. production, checking in at about 2 ½ million tons of fruit produced each year. 

 He says efficiency is a key to future prosperity for the apple industry.

“It’s everything,” Griffith said. “The more bins you can produce per acre, the less cost you have per bin… Being able to get a good yield is so important to keep you cost per bin down.”

Griffith said there’s an increased focus in the microbiological activity in the soil, which improves efficiency, provides better nutrition to the tree, and allows for less fertilizer use per acre. 

He added, while Red Delicious apples remain a major player, many other varieties are gaining greater interest, including the Cosmic Crisp, a crispy, juicy apple that stores well.

This year has been a challenge for apple growers in Washington. A very late, cold spring contributed to one of the smallest crops in many years. The 2023 apple crop is expected to be significantly larger than this year’s. 

Another popular fruit, the blueberry, provides a great one-two punch of taste and nutrition. Brad Harper grows blueberries in Michigan. The cool summers and relatively warm winters have been favorable for their family farm. 

Besides Michigan, Washington and Georgia are very large blueberry producers. The annual U.S. crop size is about 600 million pounds a year.

Harper has had great success utilizing Redox Bio-Nutrients products over the last decade, reducing conventional inputs, and bringing about a dramatic boost in production.

He said the Michigan state average is about 4,200 pounds of blueberries per acre, while their farm started at 6-8,000 pounds per acre. Since using Redox products, he said they have had consistent increases in production, peaking at more than 16,000 pounds per acre. 

Harper said he hopes his children will one day continue the family’s agricultural legacy. They enjoy being around the farm and helping with chores, so there’s hope they will maintain the family farm when that time comes. 

Farmers frequently battle less than perfect weather, but 2022 provided extra challenges in many regions. 

 Whether it was too hot, dry, cold or wet, many crops were stressed in the past year. As a result, abiotic stress defense has become an even bigger topic of discussion in agriculture.

 The good news is, success is possible through thoughtful planning that strengths your soil, promotes healthy roots, efficient nutrient uptake and better defends plants against stress. 

 Darin Moon, founder, owner and CEO of Redox Bio-Nutrients has been passionately working to help farmers succeed for decades. He said understanding and implementing a strategy centered on regenerative agriculture is key to success during climate volatility. 

 “Yes, it is very possible,”he said. “Even with the daunting task of environmental conditions and water quality, lack of water, and all of these changes that agriculture is going through right now. That simply means that we have to understand the system better. That simply means that no longer can we just put out a whole bunch of fertilizer, a whole bunch of product, and then just hope for the result in the end. We have to be more laser focused in what we do and how we do it. We have to be understand the types of soil we’re farming. The type of water of water we’re using. The type of crop we’re planting in that soil, and view that system as a whole and not as individual parts.”

To farm successfully, a lot of things need to go right. One of the most basic ingredients to success is soil. 

 Ensuring healthy soil is one of the four foundational elements of the grower tools developed at Redox Bio-Nutrients.  It’s also a top priority of Cody Hatzenbuhler, agronomist and owner of Pan Ag, who works with growers in North Dakota and surrounding areas to find solutions to help them get the most from their crops.

 “Soil health is a passion of mine and trying to keep that biology going with a lot of non-commercial fertilizers,” he said. “There’s always something new for the growers I work with. I like to find new products that we can change the methods of applying fertilizer more efficiently. … including with new companies like Redox. We can apply less fertilizer in more efficient ways that the plant can use and uptake.”

 Cody’s family arrived in North Dakota from Germany in 1902, making him the fifth generation to farm. 

 He spent more than a decade at the US Department of Agriculture working in natural resource management, teaching farmers about the soil and how to protect it from wind and water erosion, trying to protect it for future generations.
 
 Hatzenbuhler said growers understand the value of protecting soil for future generations of farmers.

Anyone with any time spent in farming knows it’s a job filled with challenges as well as rewards. With soaring input costs, supply chain snags and uncooperative weather in many regions, the past year provided more of the former than the later.

“Some of the big items that impacted us this last year especially was we were late due to weather,” remarked Andrew Eddie, a hay grower in Moses Lake, Washington. “We were about a month behind a normal season. Also, crop input prices were very high.”

Many of the factors present in 2022 could be back in 2023, including a squeeze on global fertilizer, due to unrest in several areas of the world.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty,” Redox Bio-Nutrients President Colton Moon said. “The Russian-Ukrainian War has a major impact on fertilizer prices. Russia and Belarus are among the largest potash exporters in the world. China is also a major player, as one of the largest phosphate exporters in the world. When they aren’t exporting, it increases the demand on other exporters to fulfill supply in the marketplace, and that will shoot up prices. Other factors include the price of liquified natural gas and crude oil.”

With real concern for the availability and price of agricultural inputs, growers will pay especially close attention to their purchases. As they search for the best return on investment and more assured supply, bio-nutrients may even look more attractive.

Redox Bio-Nutrients founder, owner and CEO Darin Moon said an advancement to more efficient crop inputs could gain ground.

“We have advanced in tractor technology, irrigation equipment technology and pesticide spray application technology, but some growers are still using the same basic fertilizer technology that was present in the 1970s and 80s,” Moon remarked. “The way that we look at soil regeneration, how plants grow, how nutrients move in the soil and are actually utilized by the plants and how much actual nutrients need to be applied to the soil – that’s how growers will adapt and change.” 

California’s Central Valley is one of America’s top farming regions, providing more than half of the fruits, nuts, and vegetables grown in the United States. 

The Filter family is among those who have spent generations growing crops and helping keep abundant, affordable food for consumers. They grow 900-acres of walnuts, cling peaches, and prunes in the Sacramento Valley near Yuba City. They also have an onsite commercial walnut huller and dryer, processing about 10 million pounds a year. 

 Steven Filter’s great grandfather Godfrey immigrated from Germany to Northern California in the late 1800s. He plays a major role in ensuring their orchards are healthy and productive. 

 Filter said soil health is a vital part of the success of any farm.

 “Everything starts with the soil,” he remarked. “Our trees are all dependent on it. Harvest is dependent on the quality of the soil. It’s very similar to a human. If you’re a healthy human, you eat great and exercise, you’re going to be a little bit more resistant when it comes to getting sick. It’s the same with our trees. If we can start with a healthy soil in the spring and give that tree everything we need through just the soil being healthy and alive and having a good microbiome – giving it the nutrients it needs. That tree will be healthier, and when insects, fungus, or any kind of disease comes in, that tree is already stronger.”

 California farmers grow more than two-thirds of the world’s walnuts and prunes, as well as nearly all of the nation’s cling peaches for processing.

The pace of the world continues to quicken, and patience is sometimes tossed aside. However, agricultural research remains an area where a lot of time is needed to get the best results.

Whether on our research farm in Burley, Idaho, or through third parties, the process of quantifying benefits from Redox Bio-Nutrients products can take several years. Dozens of trials are underway or planned at farms across the U.S., with commodities ranging from melons in the Arizona Desert to sugar cane in Florida.

The hard work has a payoff, as research has identified hundreds of successful results from Redox products that ultimately help farmers do their job.

Redox Bio-Nutrients Head of Science, Gifford Gillette, was raised on a farm and has a passion for making a tangible difference to assist farmers and, ultimately, consumers. He said agricultural research is exciting – and vital.

“Down the road and now, we’re providing access to technology that isn’t 50 years old,” he remarked. “What that means is we can provide greater efficiency in what is delivered, and that’s always going to be better for the grower. Buying less, transporting less, delivering less to the field. We do the work to make sure they continue to bring in the yield that they’re used to, if not better.”

Orange County, California, is best known as home to Disneyland. It’s California’s third most populated county, with more than 3 million residents. Thanks to ingenuity and adaptability, it’s also a big farming region.

Orange County farmers grow about $90 million worth of crops each year- primarily nursery crops, trees, berries, and vegetables. Strawberries and green beans are the specialties for Orange County Land Management Services, where Vice President Mark Lopez has worked since 1999.

Lopez said adaptability is key to farming in such an urban area, meaning they grow crops in several non-traditional areas.

“Land in Irvine is about $4 million an acre,” Lopez remarked. “The military base that used to be there in Irvine, El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, when they shut it down in 1991 or ’92, it was vacant for a few years. We got called out there and they started letting us farm. We farm right between the runways … several little islands of 10-15 acres of green beans and strawberries. We do still currently farm at Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station … farming on a gigantic magazine of about 1,000 acres.”

One of the ways this farm has succeeded is careful use of inputs, including help from Redox Bio-Nutrients. Lopez said they had big success using Supreme in their green beans, with results easily seen. They are also planning on trialing Mainstay Si in their strawberries.

Berries are a large crop at Lopez’s farm and in many areas of the California Coast. A wet winter has hurt some yields, but optimism remains for a good crop and excellent demand during the all-important marketing period around Valentine’s Day. 

Agriculture is not only fundamental but is also one of the most resilient industries. Every year without fail, growers must clear a myriad of hurdles, ranging from preparing fields, planting, harvesting, shipping, and navigating through market swings.

A consistently important factor for successful farming is agricultural research, and a new project should greatly help this area.

With its $500,000 contribution, Redox Bio-Nutrients is among those providing substantial support to the University of Idaho’s Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (CAFE).

“Agriculture is at a transformative state of change right now,” said Darin Moon, CEO of Redox Bio-Nutrients. “We have to move forward through sound science that allows us to positively adapt and change. We couldn’t pass up this opportunity to contribute in a significant way, because it’s a part of who we are.”

When completed, Idaho CAFE will be the nation’s largest research dairy and will have many other components to foster scientific research, agricultural sustainability and consumer education. Plans call to begin milking cows in 2024.

Idaho CAFE not only will help growers and consumers, it is also a testament to the strength and unity of the agricultural industry.

“Collectively, we can move mountains” said Michael Parrella, Dean of the University of Idaho’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. “From the Idaho Legislature to Redox and others in agriculture, it truly is a remarkable partnership that will pay widespread dividends.”

Link: https://www.uidaho.edu/research/entities/cafe

With much of the West gripped by an epic drought, you might wonder if any amount of additional water is too much for California, the nation’s leading agricultural producer. When 32 trillion gallons of water fell during three weeks of a soggy winter, it’s a good question to consider.

The massive influx of rain and snowfall is largely a positive for California, including farmers, who benefit from replenished underground aquifers, a major influx of water in storage and reduced soil salinity.

Challenges from that much water all at once include thousands of acres of flooded strawberry fields, and the potential that overly wet conditions may negatively impact upcoming almond pollination. Bees do not like to gather pollen if it’s too cold or wet.

“In certain regions, there’s going to inevitably be flooding, due to the substantial snowpack,” remarked Justin Rose, Redox Bio-Nutrients Agronomist working with growers in the San Joaquin Valley. “For some of these early guys who’ll be getting in for bloom time, for sprays in almonds and some fruit trees, saturated soils will prevent them from entering, so they’ll either have to go by air, or they won’t spray any bloom sprays at all.”

Rose said Supreme is one of the products that provides big benefits during this time in the season. It’s a full nutrient package with a fermentation process that helps retain and size nuts.

Along the coast, Redox Bio-Nutrients Agronomist Kort Holzwart is working to help strawberry growers get the most from their fields, especially with key sales periods like Mother’s Day around the corner.

“Early on, it’s most important to have the field drained,” he said. “As we move forward into the season, I would recommend products to help stimulate plant and root growth. H-85 is going to be a phenomenal product, to stimulate microbial activity. Also, RootRx is a winning root stimulant option for some of these growers.”

Golf has been enjoyed for generations around the world, and turf is a vital part of the playing experience.

Thousands gathered in Orlando, Florida this month, for the annual Golf Course Superintendents Association of America Conference. The GCSAA has been around for nearly a century, and their conference and trade show brought together industry experts from throughout the US and around the world.

In addition to a showcase of new products and technology, increasing industry sustainability was a common theme.

“It’s more important than ever and it’s only going to get more important,” remarked Tom Coyne, best-selling author who gave a talk in the booth of Aquatrols, which partners with Redox to market turf products. “In the golf industry, we have to do more with less, and water is at the very top of that list.”

“It’s absolutely number one,” said Michael Fance, Technical Support and European Account Manager with Aquatrols. “Legislation is really, really harsh in my trading area, so the eyes of the world are on nitrates in water, etcetera.”  He said their products provide a major boost to this effort, aligning nitrogen reduction with improved turf health.

Another key issue with turf is helping fight off abiotic stress.  How to fight it depends on several factors, but there are effective solutions available.

“It really does depend on what stress we’re trying to address,” said Graham O’Connor, European Business Manager at Aquatrols. “What we’ve found is that, when we can home in on whatever it is, then we have a product that’s a “go to” to deal with an issue. Then people say ‘well, let’s look at more. Let’s look at something else. We want to see what else is on this line, because it has ticked that box.’”

Whatever the challenge, Redox and Aquatrols gain great satisfaction in providing valuable tools to healthy golf course turf.

Ken Maltby, Senior Superintendent of Florida’s Grand Cypress Resort, has been a satisfied Redox customer for nearly a decade.

“Once you get on a steady program, then you can adjust your rates, you actually start using less product almost, once you address those soil issues” he said. “That’s another great value of having the Redox products is the adjustability or compatibility with all of the products they have.”

Orange juice from Florida is as ubiquitous as peaches from Georgia and almonds from California. However, it has been a bumpy ride of late. Urbanization, uncooperative weather, and an insect-spread disease in the groves have dropped estimated production at its lowest level since the Great Depression.

The McLean family has persevered through this major industry challenge, through their innovative growing approach and finding a niche in the marketplace.

Benny McLean in Lake County is joined by numerous generations of family members who help their business in a variety of ways. His son, Matt, launched and runs Uncle Matt’s organic juice company, which is sold nationwide through Whole Foods. Launched in 1999, Uncle Matt’s is the oldest and largest organic orange juice brand in the nation. Meanwhile on the farm, son Ben leads their work to find the most successful farming approaches; made difficult through citrus greening disease.

Through the highs and lows, family and faith are foundational for the McLeans. Despite their busy schedule, they consistently devote time to enrich others, including bringing many smiles during grove tours with the disabled. 

“I’m living the dream,” Benny said. “I’ve got all my grandkids growing up here, working with us, and I’m working with Ben, Matt and my daughter, Martha Sue. … It has been a tremendous blessing to my wife and I.”

About one-third of all the food we eat is made possible through hardworking honeybees. In fact, billions of bees are needed this time of the year to help pollinate 1.5 million acres of almond trees in California’s Central Valley, which is the largest single pollination event on earth.

That massive number of bees needed to pollinate almonds come from many different locations, including Belliston Brothers Apiaries in Burley, a few miles from our Redox Bio-Nutrients Headquarters.

Ryan Razee and Joel Smith took over the operation six years ago, and they continue the company’s tradition of providing healthy hives for pollination, quality honey (including to Sue Bee Honey) and beeswax.

Late winter and early spring, their major work is shepherding millions of bees from Idaho to blooming almond orchards in California’s Central Valley. Weather in the Golden State has been unusually wet, which is a positive for the state’s water outlook but makes successful pollination more difficult.

“It has definitely been challenging this year,” Smith said. “The weather down there this year has been causing it to where obviously the almonds actually are not able to bud out as quickly, and the bees are not able to get out as much. But, they usually generally do pretty good, as far as being able to get out – even on cooler days.”

Working hives is laborious and requires continual vigilance to ensure the bees are healthy and content. One of the biggest challenges is the varroa mite, which can have devastating consequences for hives far and wide.

At the end of the day, the beekeepers said they get great satisfaction out of playing an important role in growing food.

“I really love it,” Razee said. “It is a job that comes with its ups and downs, but I love it and feel like we are a big part of the ag community.”

Idaho Governor Brad Little, Ag Advocate

Idaho agriculture is so much more than potatoes. Farmers and ranchers in the state grow more than 185 different commodities and provide some $8.5 billion to the Idaho economy each year, including Brad Little, 33rd Governor of the Gem State.

Little and his wife, Teresa, are the latest in a long line of cattle ranchers in the family. 

He said he’s committed to helping agricultural producers in several ways, including ensuring they have sufficient water and manageable regulations.

Little said innovation is one key to Idaho agriculture continuing to thrive.

“Every change you make is to make it better for the next generation,” Little said. “One of my favorite sayings that I tell all my agricultural friends is ‘Change is inevitable. Adaptation and survival are optional.’”

He added that, fortunately, farmers and ranchers in the state are very innovative and willing to adopt the latest technology to get the most from their crops and livestock. 

Little said, although only a small percentage of the state and nation farm, everyone benefits from agriculture.

“So many people move to Idaho because of the farms, ranches and open space, and how it contributes to the watershed and wildlife habitat,” he remarked. “I love it when people show a picture of Idaho, and there are a couple of cows, potato field or grain field in the background. They appreciate that. We need to remind people that somebody’s paying the cost of those cows and that agriculture out there. All we want is a fair return on our investment and a regulatory atmosphere to where they can be profitable from one generation to the next.”

The annual Georgia Pecan Show is equal parts history and family, with nearly 900 growers and industry officials in attendance. In addition to renewing friendships and learning the latest technology, growers are on a mission to seek any way to boost their return on investment. This is especially important with crop prices down and higher input costs. 

For Dee Simpson of Howhum Nurseries in Pelham, Georgia, utilizing Redox products has been a key to achieving the premium quality he seeks for their young pecan trees. 

“I started with Redox from the beginning,” he said. “We have seen exponential growth in our roots, as well as the tops of our trees. … Through that program, we have been able to pump out the quality of tree that we want to put out there.”

Georgia grows more pecans than any other state, and the industry has a history that has spanned generations.

Keeping as much of the family on the farm is important to grower Jerry Hall, a first-generation pecan grower. His son, grandson, daughter, and son-in-law are all involved.

“We’re very excited about it,” he remarked. “We actually live on a family farm that has been in the family probably 150 years, and we hope to keep it that way going forward.”

Pecans are grown in 15 states. Ninety percent of all pecans are grown in the US.

Jason Tyrone took a circuitous journey before establishing a highly successful vegetable farm in Lake Park, Georgia. After graduating from Mississippi State University, he returned to his home state of Arkansas to work. After additional steps, he established Tycor Farms in 2010 with his now brother-in law.

Tycor Farms grows peppers, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, cabbage, and green beans. Their location offers many positives. Crops are grown in sandy soil, which drains well. The climate allows for spring and fall harvests, and the farm is near major interstate highways which help with distribution.

Tyrone said maintaining consistently high-quality produce is vital, as it helps the vegetables hold up well during their journey to market. It also helps keep customers coming back for more.

“I started with Redox not long after I started farming, first with their calcium product,” he said. “That’s a big thing in bell peppers.  We saw a lot of improvements looking at numbers on paper and quality itself, so it’s been part of program for probably 15 years.”

The H-2A guestworker program is a key part of the farm’s workforce. At its peak, Tycor employs some 275 farm workers.

“We would literally be nothing without them,” Tyrone said. “I’ve been here, in total, for almost 20 years. Some of the same people have been coming here for as long as I’ve been here. We have a lot of return workers, especially our main guys. They love coming here. They take time away from their family to come here for two or three months at a time. They want to make all of the money they can. They take a lot of pride in their work at this farm, which means everything to us.”

Food safety is a top priority at the farm, with a full-time employee devoted to this area. As Tyrone explained, “If everybody is doing their part to make sure we’re sending off a good, healthy product, we’re all better off.”

At the end of a long workday, Tyrone said he remains fascinated with the growing process.

“That’s what keeps me doing this,” he said. “That’s my favorite thing, is to watch the crop grow and how good it looks there at the end before we start tearing it up picking it.”

History, innovation, and perseverance are keys to success for Putt Wetherbee, one of Georgia’s leading pecan growers.

Despite the deep roots his family have in farming, this fifth-generation grower continues to seek new ways to improve efficiency and productivity.

To this end, he finds promise in the emerging science of regenerative agriculture; a series of management practices to improve soil health and, ultimately reduce inputs and increase yields. Steps such as adding cover crops, chicken litter, and ash from a biomass energy plant have come after plenty of research.

Redox Bio-Nutrients products have also been a part of his successful farming methods.

Aside from the farm, Wetherbee has been blessed by his wife, Margaret, daughters Frannie, Berkeley, and Sims, as well as his faithful English Field Cocker, Huckleberry. 

His strong faith and family helped him through a violent home invasion in 2017 that left him paralyzed from the chest down.

“I have forgiven the people that did this to me,” he said. “If anybody needs any direction in life, start with the Lord’s Prayer and then go through the Ten Commandments. All your answers are right there. … I have to forgive, because God forgave me. I’m not nearly arrogant enough not to pass on the grace that He gave me.” 

The determination, positivity, and strength of Putt Wetherbee are an inspiration to all fortunate to know him.

A parade of storms allowed California to recover from a historic drought, although the cooler and wetter spring has delayed crops and important cultural practices.

Third generation grower Jeff Colombini in San Juaquin County is among those impacted. His cherry harvest is 2 ½ weeks later than last year, due to the dramatic weather shift. In addition, ill-timed rain can cause the fruit to swell and crack, making the cherries unmarketable.

Colombini remains calm through the ups and downs of cherry growing, saying he focuses on what he can control, and tries not to worry about the variables that are out of his hands.

He says he wants to understand everything he can about his crops, to have the best chance of productivity and profitability now and into the future.

“It all starts with soil health,” he said. “…To get health soil microbes, you need good organic matter. Quite frankly, any plant cannot take nutrients into its roots without soil microbes. We’re big believers in cover cropping and compost use, to increase organic matter to feed the soil microbes. When you have soil right, then you can get everything else right. If you don’t have a good, healthy soil, it’s like building a house without a good foundation."

California is second to Washington in cherry production. Cherries from the Golden State are even enjoyed overseas, with customers in Japan, China, South Korea, Canada, and India.    

The San Joaquin Valley is a vital producer of fruits, nuts, and vegetables, but it hasn’t been an easy stretch on the farm. Drought, supply chain issues, fallout from the pandemic, and gyrating input costs are some of the hurdles that growers face.

Greg Schmidt strives to make a positive difference for farmers bringing stability to these uncertain times.

Schmidt is a crop consultant at Buttonwillow Warehouse Company, an agricultural retailer that provides Redox Bio-Nutrients technology to improve the efficiency and success of growers far and wide.

He said this year’s challenges include a slow start to crop maturity due to cooler and wetter than normal conditions.  As the season progresses and temperatures warm, work in fields and orchards will also rise – including Schmidt working alongside growers to provide the best root growth, soil health, nutrient efficiency, and abiotic stress defense.

Schmidt is a Fresno State graduate and considers his work with farmers to be much more than a “9 to 5” job.

“It’s a pleasure driving up and down the road, seeing the fruits of everybody’s labor – going out and providing nutrition to the community,” he said. “There’s no place like the valley! It’s hot, it’s cold. Some call it a dustbowl, some call it ugly. But without it, we’d all be struggling to get some good fruit.”

Fresno County is one of America’s top ag area, with more than 170 farm commodities and nearly 2 million acres of crops, and a gross value of more than 8 billion dollars a year.

Farmers gamble with each growing season, so it’s vital that whatever tools they use delivers as advertised. Redox Bio-Nutrients technology is put through multiple checks, including at our research farm in Burley, Idaho.

Redox Director of Research and Development, Gifford Gillette, said he and the research team have more than 30 trials planned for this year, including some new crops this year – spinach, peppers, and broccoli.

In addition, there are about 50 third party trials being carried out nationwide, with 24 different research entities. The Midwest is a growing area of focus for our research.

“We’ve been able to build off of what we’re already done the last year, as well as expand,” Gillette said. “I think that’s a credit to the team that the management at Redox has built around us, as well as the team that we have. We have been able to expand and broaden our experience beyond nutrient efficiency, into abiotic stress categories and root development.”

In addition to Jamie Harrell, Noah Masoner, and Quinten Morgan, interns Karter Zampedri, Faith Talley, Tyson Ramsey, and Courtney Beene have joined the team and took little time in finding ways to contribute.

The interns are carrying out a variety of projects, from planting corn to growing broccoli and spinach.

The new arrivals have shown great enthusiasm and quickly adapted. All expressed excitement and optimism that their work will ultimately contribute to the Redox purpose of creating passion and excitement in growing healthier plants.

“What we’re doing is actually making a difference in how people are eating,” Zampedri said. “It’s really crazy to think about that. We start (our research) in a greenhouse. We grow 26 pots of spinach, and we get enough data from that, that we have a chance to actually change something in the world.” 

With worldwide competition and a myriad of challenges, advancements in technology have long been a key to financial health on the farm.

While earlier breakthroughs were largely centered on machinery, the information revolution is playing a greater role in growing crops.

Redox Bio-Nutrients has partnered with Canada-based ChrysaLabs and their real-time soil analysis technology. ChrysaLabs has developed a portable AI-based soil health probe that measures 37 soil nutrients and characteristics, delivering data for producers and agronomists in a matter of seconds, instead of traditional lab analysis, which takes several days.

Recently, three members of the ChrysaLabs team visited our headquarters and research farm in Burley, Idaho.  They met with Redox management and learned more about how our company provides effective, efficient technology to agriculture.

Co-founder and CEO, Samuel Fornier said the company launched, after a need was identified to get faster soil analysis data.

“We tried to identify how growers and agronomists got their soil information and realized that nothing was existing except brick-and-mortar labs,” he said. “So, we decided to make a leap of faith directly in this market, and bring innovation that would provide more information to growers, to bring more sustainability in agriculture.”

Through this partnership, Redox agronomists are utilizing ChrysaLabs probes on several farms in different parts of the U.S., including fields, vineyards, and orchards of California, Idaho, the Southeast, and the Pacific Northwest. 

Getting produce from the farm to market involves many people working in unison, including produce brokers.

One of those helping keep supermarkets and restaurants well-stocked is Steven Johnson with Florida Specialties. He markets a wide range of vegetables to retail, food service and various food distribution companies all over North America.

He logs a lot of time on his three phones, to help get the best return for the growers he works for. That process isn’t for the faint-hearted.

“It’s definitely a high-stakes poker game, especially on the vegetable side, because there are no programs that supplement when they have a bad year,” Johnson remarked. “It’s a win or lose proposition. I don’t know how they do it.”

Johnson said his family farm background and his working on a farm prior to this job help him understand the effort it takes to maintain an abundant, high quality food supply for our country. 

“Most people have no idea the investment these vegetable growers have, long before they ever see a penny back, as far as on return,” he said.  “At there’s been a lot of years where, no matter how hard we try, we don’t get all of their investment back.”

Johnson said Redox products are an important part of maintaining strong vegetable crops in the Southeast. 

“I’d probably be hard pressed to name any major growers in this area that didn’t use the line in growing their crops” he said. “Absolutely, it has been really big for these growers, as far as leveraging and getting the most of their crops as they possibly can.” 

The more you know, the better chance of success.

Gathering detailed intelligence is vital not only in miliary settings, but also in farming.

Tyler Adams can attest to this winning combination. Adams spent nearly a decade in the US Army, including managing a nine-month counterinsurgency in Afghanistan. He’s now a field representative at Willard Agri-Service in Maryland, providing proven Redox Bio-Nutrients technology to help farmers get the most of their crops.

“The more you understand the soil, the climate, and how a crop reacts biologically in a certain condition, and then analyze that with the goals you’re trying to achieve… you can then make informed decisions,” Adams said. “So, you can predict how a plant is going to respond at a certain time or certain treatment, and impact it at the cellular level for stronger, sweeter fruit, more yield or build a plant that’s more resistant to stress. I think that’s what I love about Redox is we’re looking at the cellular level and we’re not just putting out a magic bullet. We’re applying nutrients and products at key timings and making those recommendations to impact them, because we know our ‘enemy’ the plant, and we understand it at the biological level.”

Adams works with growers in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, an immense area which requires tremendous adherence to environmental regulations. He said ultra-efficient Redox technology fits well in this regard, providing effective results with significantly fewer materials than conventional crop inputs.

Find out more about Willard Agri-Service and their half century of service to farmers at willardag.com.

After a cooler and wetter than normal start to the year, the heat is on in many farming regions of the U.S. Excessive heat is one of the major types of abiotic stress that can harm trees and plants, ultimately leading to reduced crop quality and size.

Fortunately, there are steps growers can take to help with abiotic stress defense. 

Nutrition is a key part of successful farming, especially during stressful times.

“We’re playing catch up from a cool spring,” said Redox Bio-Nutrients CEO, Darin Moon. “How will we properly feed and cultivate the plant. Number two, as it gets warmer, we have two effects of heat: excessive UV radiation can be damaging to a plant, and then heat itself. As a plant respires, can it respire fast enough to deal with excessive heat? It’s very important that growers understand and take precautionary steps to deal with both UV radiation in how they fertilize and how they water their crops.” Redox technology helps plants ward off abiotic stress through highly efficient mineral nutrients that get into the plant and help with plant metabolism faster. Also, the organic molecules attached in Redox products provide proteins, amino acids, and other beneficial materials to reduce the oxidative component of oxidative stress and help a plant to metabolize better. Two key Redox products especially popular in the summer at diKaP and Banx. They deal with plant-water relations and improve plant metabolism through ultra-efficient potassium, amino acids, and plant extracts.

Moon added the volatility in world fertilizer supply and price over the last two years is another major reason growers should seek out more efficient fertilizers and work to improve soil health, so the fertilizers applied are more effective. Doing so, he said, would leave growers less at the mercy of world economic situations. It also would increase farm efficiency and sustainability, both environmental and economic. 

The Pacific Northwest not only has jaw-dropping scenery, it’s also a major food growing region.  In addition to growing 70 percent of the nation’s apples, Washington farmers produce 300 different crops, including potatoes, cherries, and wheat. Oregon is also an agricultural powerhouse, with $5 billion worth of crops produced yearly, including berries pears, onions, and sweet corn.

Scott Drake of Innovative Farm Consulting is one of those helping farmers in the PNW succeed.

He said he considers himself part detective and part mechanic, as he works with growers to solve complex challenges, all in the name of healthy fields and orchards, along with abundant crops.

He has worked with Redox Bio-Nutrients, either as an employee or working with the product line, for nearly 25 years, and said Redox products are “truly unique and work amazing, in my opinion.”

Drake grew up on a farm and was a grower himself, so he said he can relate to the rewards and challenges farmers face.

“If people knew how much families and farms risk every year to produce the food, and the amount of work that goes into it 24/7, they would be amazed,” he remarked. “There’s a lot easier ways of life out there. It’s a lifestyle. I take my hat off to them and we wouldn’t be eating if it wasn’t for them.”

Sustainability is one of the biggest areas of discussion and focus in agriculture today. Whether in the U.S. or many other countries, increasing farm efficiency in an environmentally sound way is the way of the future. 

The University of Idaho’s ambitious CAFE, the Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment, aims to help many sectors of agriculture understand and implement sustainable practices in the future.
 
A major component of CAFE is a 640-acre dairy under construction near Rupert, Idaho. When completed, it will be the largest research dairy in the nation, and it should help dairy farmers locally and nationally with their stewardship.
 
Construction of the dairy began this spring. The first cows are expected on site by the end of 2024, with the first milking anticipated in 2025. 

“As an industry, we have to survive and have a path into the future, and that’s what this research is hopefully going to provide,” commented Project Manager John Wright. “You go to a dairyman who works very hard at being a good neighbor. He works very hard at being clean. He wants to do what’s right, but now some of these issues brought up with saving the environment, global warming and all of these other issues that come up, the dairyman looks around and says, ‘I want to help, but what do I do?’ Hopefully this research dairy can answer some of those questions.” 

The Idaho Dairymen’s Association represents the state’s dairy farmers, which comprise a longstanding industry that contributes approximately $11 billion in annual sales. Idaho is the nation’s third-largest dairy state. Association CEO Rick Naerebout said their commitment to CAFE included $2 million towards buying land for the research dairy.  He said there are two key areas this research should help the industry.

“In broad strokes, water quality and air quality are the two biggest pressure points we see,” he said. “We have to have the science to back up our dairymen, to help explain to the public just what the true science is behind some of the practices and some of what our industry does.”

In addition to assisting dairy farmers, CAFE is expected to benefit many other sectors of agriculture.

Redox Bio-Nutrients CEO Darin Moon said CAFE should provide important data for even greater sustainability in the future and strengthen the connection between animal and plant agriculture.

“This is such an exciting project,” Moon said. “It is from research to production to profitability that we’re going to see the results of how we do things better. … This project will give both research and practicality, with a high level of probability of success. That’s what excites me about this. Plus, all of the innovations that are going to come out of this. How do we handle compost? How do we handle liquid waste in a better manner? How do we handle feed in a better manner? All of these items that go into dairy and go into production agriculture – many of those questions are going to start to be answered and given practicality and real answers to growers.”

CAFE has received broad support from agricultural groups, the Idaho Legislature, and federal government. You can find out more about the $45 million project at: www.uidaho.edu/cafe. 

Sometimes a change of scenery can bring clarity. Washington state hay grower Andrew Eddie had reservations about staying on the family farm in Moses Lake, but he had a change of heart, following his education at the University of Oregon.

“I went and had a good experience in college,” he said. “Got a communications degree, then it came down to time to get after it, and I was like ‘you know, I’m going to go back to the farm and see how it goes’ and so far, it has worked out really well.  I enjoy what I do every day. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t want to work as hard as I do.”

Eddie said his communications degree has been a tremendous help, as it helps him frequently in everyday life, whether conveying information on the farm, or communicating with others on why agriculture matters.

Eddie is President of the Washington State Hay Growers Association.  He and his father grow more than 1,000 acres of forage crops, and custom farm several thousand additional acres. Hay from their state is utilized domestically and internationally, including in Asia and the Middle East.

Washington is a large hay state, with nearly 3 million tons grown each year. 

Unpredictability is one of the most predictable aspects of farming. Growers in the Midwest have persevered through drought, but late rains should help their crops come harvest time.

While corn and soybeans reign supreme in the Farm Belt, Illinois grower Andrew DeGroot has a more diverse set of crops, including peppers, squash, cabbage, and potatoes. He attributed the Redox Bio-Nutrients product diKaP as one key to help his crops through abiotic stress from dryer than normal conditions.

“I think it helps push us through dry times and heat stress,” he said. “The plants seem to keep growing and pushing through, even though the weather isn’t favorable. When we started using it about six or seven years ago, I just noted a great crop response. Plants weren’t wilting like they used to. Potatoes kept bulking and sizing, holding on to set – not aborting potatoes in the hot, dry weather. It has been a very valuable tool.”

With acreage about an hour outside of Chicago, DeGroot’s vegetables are enjoyed far and wide, including at Chipotle and Campbell’s Soup. He said his Redox program helps ensure excellent results, which, in turn, keeps customers happy.

“Fruit quality is just massive,” DeGroot said. “Nice, solid potatoes that cook up nice. They store nicely. It helps everything. Everybody wants a quality product, and Redox has definitely helped us be able to bring that to the table, for sure!”

Farming goals were different when virtually everyone was growing food. Today, farming and ranching are often done well away from the public, and the average consumer has become less aware of what it takes to go from field to fork.

The danger of a society without Agricultural literacy is huge, according to Shay Myers, CEO of Owyhee Produce. Myers regularly reaches millions of people with informative and entertaining content through @shayfarmkid on many social media platforms, but he said more communication needs to happen industrywide.

“I think there’s much, much more that we can do,” he remarked. “There’s much more that we need to do. You can see it on social media today. The conversations that are had, and the misunderstandings and misconceptions that are still in place about what agriculture does, from an environmental standpoint, from a social standpoint – from basically every angle. The consumer still needs to understand and see the transparency in what we’re doing.”

Shay, his mother Robin, and sister Bailey recently visited Redox Headquarters in Burley, as their third-generation farm met with our second-generation bio-nutrient company.

Owyhee Produce is a major onion producer, growing 1,200 acres of the vegetable. They also grow asparagus, watermelons, and sweet corn. More than a dozen family members are active in the business.

Owyhee Produce has several events per year to engage with their customers, including their asparagus festival in the spring.

Find out more about the company and their engaging CEO at https://owyheeproduce.com.

The technology that has helped Redox Bio-Nutrients be a leader in efficient, carbon-based nutrition in agriculture has for many years also been a go-to for the turf industry. Big changes are underway for the Redox TurfRx™ line moving forward.

Effective October 1, Redox will re-enter the turf market directly through turf retailers. Other changes include new packaging and new products en route.

What doesn’t change is our company commitment to providing superior quality nutrition that benefits golf courses across the U.S. and internationally.

“It all starts with soil health,” said Redox Turf Agronomist Todd Scott, who has 36 years of work in the industry. “Any good carbon-based product is going to help in soil health situations. You also have to have good mineral nutrition in combination with that.  It’s a combination of abiotic stress defense, soil health, improving microbial activity – they all have to work hand in hand to get the best result…. The quality of the chelation and complexing is where the difference comes in with Redox.”

Scott said he’s ecstatic about the hiring of Tom Breiner as the Redox Turf Agronomist in the Northeast. Breiner has extensive turf experience, including 25 years as superintendent of the largest golf course facility in New Jersey.

For more information, go to RedoxTurf.com 

Growers and all involved in agriculture continually strive to grow the best quality food with the highest yields.

Success, including at Betteravia Farms in Santa Maria, California, comes from dedication and innovation from the ground up, including from their Director of Agronomy, Cintia Perez. Her main areas of work are in plant health, soil management and pest control.

Even with such favorable weather along the Central California Coast, agronomic problems arise and need to be dealt with quickly and effectively.

“You have to be a really big problem-solver,” Perez said. “I think that’s actually the funnest part of the job is to be able to solve problems. I have a checklist to try to figure out what the issue is in the field…. The most important part is to make sure you are in your field often, so when an issue does arise, they are able to deal with it quickly.”

Betteravia Farms, which shoppers will recognize through the Bonipak label, grows about 20 different crops, both conventional and organic, including broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, celery, cilantro, and several types of berries.

Perez said it’s encouraging to see more women and greater diversity in agriculture. Her advice to those seeking a similar profession is to persevere, even when challenges arise.

“I enjoy seeing more and more women in ag,” she remarked. “Being a pest control advisor, being an agronomist, isn’t an easy job. Males struggle in this industry, as well. I always just tell people ‘Make sure you don’t give up. Just keep pushing through those hard times and you’ll get through it.’” 

Rice has been part of the foundation of California’s Sacramento Valley for more than a century, providing $5 billion a year to the state’s economy and virtually all of America’s sushi rice. The industry suffered through a devastating drought in 2022, and, thanks to a wet winter, returned to normal acreage, and is in the midst of a promising harvest. 

“There’s rice everywhere and water to irrigate that rice,” said Kurt Richter, Vice President of Richter AG in Colusa. “All of the wildlife activity is restored. Whereas this time a year ago, it was tens of thousands of acres that were bone dry growing dryland weeds. It was just a desolate place. Now it has become the vibrant rice country that we’re all familiar with.”

The estimated 511,000 acres of California rice is more than double the 2022 total. More rice grown has widespread benefits that extend well beyond the farm.

“This year is vastly improved from last year,“ remarked Nicole Montna Van Vleck, President and CEO of Montna Farms, a family farm near Yuba City. “It’s really a welcome event for everyone across the eight counties that we grow rice in in California. To see a full crop and wall to wall rice across the valley, brings about lots of jobs, lots of economic activity to these small towns throughout the Sacramento Valley.”

In addition to provide a staple food, Northern California rice fields are home to nearly 230 wildlife species, including millions of migrating ducks and geese every fall and winter. 

Honeybees are among the hardest working and most vital of all of the Earth’s creatures. Beekeepers help guide these mighty insects through several vital tasks, including pollinating California’s 1.6-million-acre almond crop every spring.

But there’s much more to bees than one season of work.

Joel Smith and Ryan Razee own and operate Belliston Brothers Apiaries in Burley, Idaho, which began in the 1940s. Their bees not only help pollinate nut orchards in California’s Central Valley, but they are also used for further pollination, honey and beeswax production.

“It takes them a long time to make all this honey,” Ryan remarked during their late summer extraction process. “It’s awesome to see all of it coming in. We always wish there was more, but we take it as we get it.”

It’s estimated that honeybees provide a contribution of more than $15 billion to our economy, in keeping fruits, nuts and vegetables on our tables.

“Really, it’s a domino effect all around,” Smith said. “Bees pollinate a third or better of all of our crops - the food we eat on our plate. It really effects the world in a huge way, if we don’t have honeybees.”

Few foods are as iconic as the Idaho potato, and, considering the consistent quality and production levels, the top echelon reputation of these spuds is well-earned. Idaho is the nation’s largest potato producer. 

The combination of rich soil and optimal weather provide a great environment for growing potatoes, but the task is not always an easy one.

“Potatoes are very susceptible to certain diseases,” remarked Blake Matthews, a potato grower from Oakley, Idaho. “Early blight, late blight, and a lot of insect pressure. Some of the ways we’ve dealt with those are a lot of Redox products. For instance, Mainstay Si helps to create a barrier on the leaves that sucking and biting insects can’t get through. We’ve been able to step away from fungicides because of our use of Mainstay Si in our program, to be able to make those plants almost impervious to those types of insects.

 Matthews is a fifth-generation grower who hopes his next generation will continue the tradition. To do so, he continually strives for a healthy, productive growing environment.

 “I think the keys to harvesting a good potato are, you’ve got to maintain plant health throughout the season,” he said. “That starts with soil health. You’ve got to keep that plant happy. If you can do that throughout the season and give it what it needs according to the plant samples that we pull, then we will eventually harvest a good potato.”

Idaho growers produce about one-third of the U.S. potato crop. That’s more than 10 billion pounds of spuds every year on about 300,000 acres. 

Berries can provide a handsome return to growers, but they are tricky to grow.

Doing the job right requires expertise like that displayed by agronomist Tomas Aguayo, who works in California’s Central Coast. Tomas has worked in many countries with many crops, and he said there is one foundational part of getting the highest quality and best yield.

“Once of the thing I have learned is, no matter where you are or what crop you’re working for, it’s all about nutrition, always,” he said.

Aguayo’s current work primarily centers on blackberries and strawberries. Farming these crops has a tremendous number of variables, as they are sensitive to soil-borne disease, excessive water, lack of water and salinity, among other factors.

“I’m always looking to keep the crop as healthy as possible,” Aguayo said. “Producing yield and quality is the number one priority for this industry.”

He said the critical link between soil microbiology and soil nutrition is one key to improving efficiency on the farm, which would have widespread benefits.

Workdays are long and complex, but there are ample rewards with bountiful, premium quality harvests.

“That’s the biggest prize for me,” he said. “It’s amazing to see the crop response and to see happiness on the face of the ranch manager!”

Pecans are one of the most popular foods grown and consumed in the Southern U.S., but the road to success is not always easy. Growers, including Buck Paulk of Shiloh Pecan Farms, are reeling from the effects of Hurricane Idalia.

Paulk is orchestrating his crews through harvest this fall, while finishing removal of 19,000 pecan trees he lost during the late summer disaster.

This is the only job Paulk has ever had or ever wanted, and he said his trees are far more than his profession.

“It’s a real personal relationship,” he said. “When I look at a field, in my mind’s eye, it comes off as ‘I remember when I was planting that. I remember what grade I was in, or I remember that’s the year I was married, or that’s the year this child of mind was born.’ There’s always a personal tie to just about everything that I look at. It’s not just an orchard, but it’s an orchard that’s dated in my to some particular season in my life or an event in my life.”

Georgia is the nation’s leading producer of pecans, which is the only tree nut native to North America. 

Solid planning and passion are important elements in farming, and for more than a decade, Jose Ramirez has helped guide many success stories.

Ramirez works as a Cropping Systems Agronomist at Buttonwillow Warehouse Company, an ag retailer working with Redox Bio-nutrients. He provides agronomic help to growers in the Monterey and Watsonville areas of California, as well as in Mexico.

He said biostimulants should continue to grow in importance, as they provide growers an efficient method to ensure positive healthy, productive crops.

“As farmers continue to witness that the practices from 10 years ago are no longer being effective today, they’re going to start welcoming the use of these biostimulants,” Ramirez said. “As these biostimulants get better, get more complex, and we weed away the non-efficacious ones, I believe the farmer is going to gain stronger confidence in them and is going to adapt them in their farming operation.”

Strawberries are a billion-dollar crop along California’s Central Coast and one of the crops Ramirez works with the most. He said this fruit offers a lot of positives.

“I love them and could eat them all day in every way and form,” he remarked. “Strawberries are really important. I see in places like Costco, that kids get super excited when they see the red of the berries.  …  That makes my heart smile, because we’re creating jobs and taking care of the Earth. The farmer has always been a sustainable individual, If not, we wouldn’t exist.”

Golf can be learned quickly, but improvements continue many years after your first drive, chip, and putt.

A big part of the experience involves the quality of turf, and that’s where the highly efficient, carbon-based technology from Redox TurfRx comes into play.

“Carbon-based nutrition, in combination with a mineral fertility, is just a more efficient way than doing mineral fertility alone,” remarked Jeep Hogue, Southeast Agronomist for Redox TurfRx. “We grow healthier plants this way, and even in a more responsible manner.”

Hogue is the newest member to the Redox TurfRx team. He brings nearly 30 years’ experience in golf and sports turf, including as superintendent of three different golf courses in the Southeast: Brookhaven, Cane Brake, and Shadow Ridge.

“I’m super passionate about this,” Hogue said. “I’m really looking forward to seeing the developments in technologies being utilized, moving forward.” 

Modern Agriculture is as much about business acumen as it is about tending to fields and orchards. That’s where Damian Mason comes in. Mason hosts the wildly popular podcast, The Business of Agriculture, which provides a lively, in-depth look at fundamental farm issues that often don’t get a lot of attention.

Mason uses comedy and a self-described acerbic approach to handle issues like farm succession, soil health, ag real estate and regenerative ranching.

Mason believes the relative affluence of the American consumer provides a huge opportunity for those in Ag, if producers understand what the public wants and how to get it to them.

“We still have a commodity mindset, because we produce commodities,” he remarked. “The consumers aren’t necessarily commodity minded. They’re not thinking ‘how cheap can I get this gallon of milk for’? They’re thinking ‘how can I get milk that makes me feel good’? There’s opportunity in this industry to get more margin.”

A Purdue University graduate, Mason left his sales job with a Fortune 500 company to branch out on his own to put his creativity to better use. He’s a published author, keynote speaker and carries out a weekly podcast, among other enterprises.

Redox Bio-Nutrients will be a sponsor of Mason’s The Business of Agriculture Podcast in 2024.  

Georgia is widely known as the Peach State, but blueberries have risen to become their most valuable fruit crop.

Despite being grown and harvested in a fairly short window, the crop needs year-round attention to get the best results.

With some of his crop struggling, Michael Taft at Mixon Farms in Waresboro sought out a solution. Through trials of Redox Bio-Nutrients products, he saw significant gains in brix and yield. Sugar levels in the trial fields nearly doubled compared to other blocks of the same variety. Additionally, yields increased by about a ton per acre when compared to his conventionally-grown blueberries.

As a result, Taft said he’s shifting solely to Redox products for his 900-acres of blueberries in 2024.

“As long as I’m the farm, we will always have Redox on it,” Taft said.

Blueberries are grown in many parts of the U.S. Georgia is one of the leading states, as well as Washington, Michigan, and Oregon. 

Farmers are a critical link to food production, but many others are also needed to keep farms producing at their best.

Allan James of Mid Valley Ag has helped farmers for decades, and recently won Certified Crop Advisor of the Year for the Western Region.

He said while many changes have been seen with mechanization and fertilization, there are still many more advancements to come.

“Changes in the fertility are coming,” James said. “We’re going to see new products. We’re going to see different combinations of products, and the biostimulant type of products are going to be part of that, because they complement fertilizer and fertilizer complements them. We hope to be able to provide the grower with even better crops and less need for fertilizer, by using biostimulants."

James works in the Northern San Joaquin Valley, which is a remarkably productive area. San Joaquin County has more than $3 billion in crop value each year, with top crops including almonds, walnuts, cherries, and wine grapes.

As Redox re-entered direct sales to assist the turfgrass industry, a major positive development involved getting a team with incredible knowledge and passion.

That hurdle was cleared with the hiring of Tom Breiner and Jeep Hogue, who have a combined 80 years in the industry.

While Hogue will work with customers in the Southeast, Breiner has the Northeast territory covered.  The latter said he’s excited for this opportunity, and the benefits of the TurfRx product line tie in well with keeping golf courses healthy, thus lowering some of the major concerns felt by superintendents.

“Sound agronomy is always a big challenge, and it relates to labor,” Breiner said. “Plants that are optimally grown with proper nutrition require less daytime watering, which is a real labor eater. A sound approach to dealing with agronomic issues can have lasting benefits."

Breiner has more than 50 years of experience in the golf turf industry, including 20 years at Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club, New Jersey’s largest golf facility. He played a significant role in this course becoming the state’s first Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.

He said interest in sustainability is finally taking off in the turf industry.

“It’s becoming a more accepted concept, because it works,” Breiner said. 

Already faced with many risks that come with working in agriculture, Jake Wenger was confronted with a massive challenge. In 2021 his son, Jaden, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.

The same resilience that has sustained their longtime farm family was key to Jaden’s recovery.

“Resilience is bred in who we are as farmers,” Jake said. “So many times, we take health for granted.  That was one for our family that changed in a hurry.”

Only 12 years old at the time, Jaden successfully emerged from this nightmare and has resumed normal activity. To get there, he had to endure 224 days in the hospital, 219 doses of chemotherapy, 166 blood transfusions, multiple bacterial infections, and fungal pneumonia.

Family members credit perseverance, prayer, and expert medical care for this priceless gift.

After graduation, Jaden hopes to attend Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where his father and grandfather, Paul, graduated. Following college, he wants to return to the family farm and continue their farming legacy.

In the meantime, Jaden said he hopes to be an inspiration to those who are suffering and in despair.

“I think I can tell my story and help people get through their challenges, and to show that there really is daylight at the end of the tunnel,” he said.

U.S. farmers have made dramatic productivity gains over the generations, which is in large part due to advancements in research.

Dr. Gifford Gillette, lead researcher at Redox Bio-Nutrients, said he expects even more scientific advancements to help growers in the coming years.

“I couldn’t be more excited for the agricultural community, in general, with the work that we’re doing,” he remarked. “I’m grateful that we have a situation at Redox that values science and puts the resources necessary to do it in a quality fashion."

2023 was a monumental year for Redox research, including 44 off site field trials, with 21 different crops in 15 states, as well as 78 trials on the research farm, greenhouse and grow in boxes, covering 24 crops.

Gillette said priorities for 2024 include more study in the promising area of improving nitrogen efficiency, as well as water use efficiency in agriculture.

Every year, thousands who work hard to make sure golf experience is the best it can be get together for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) Show.  For the first time in nearly 40 years, the event was held in Phoenix, with thousands from throughout the U.S. and overseas on hand.

The conference and show are a great opportunity for those in the industry to ensure the industry remains strong, including making the superintendent’s job easier.

“Our members they’re on the front line” remarked GCSAA CEO, Rhett Evans. “They certainly know that, without the golf course, there is no business or game of golf. It begins with them. The pressure to be able to be more sustainable, to manage costs, and to meet the expectations of golfers is extremely high.”

This show provided an excellent opportunity for the Redox TurfRx team to meet with current and prospective customers, as well as our network of retailers.

There’s a positive feeling for the year, with a surge in golf popularity, due in part to people seeking outdoor alternatives during Covid outbreaks.

Superintendents also have plenty of success stories regarding Redox technology.

“It took me 22 years before I found Redox, so I struggled with challenges from day one,” said Dean Piller, longtime Superintendent of the Cordova Bay Golf Course in Victoria, British Columbia. “I started with a very simple program with Redox, using their Fairway product, which is a really great soluble carbon source. Then I added some PeneCal, and that really helped reduce the amount of heat stress, the soil started to work better for me, we cut back on the nitrogen so there’s much less clippings, so the whole system became easier to maintain.”

Piller said after more than a dozen years, based on the results he has seen, “we are fully committed to Redox in all of our fertility programs.”

“Once I started using Redox, it changed the dynamics of my soil greatly,” Scott Dulina, Director of Golf Course Maintenance at Champion Turf Club at St. James in Port St. Lucie, Florida. “I had poor infiltration prior to using Redox, and it has greatly helped me in my spray programs- not only in my greens, but I was able to take my greens program and expand it into further areas."

Additional attendees at the show featured in this podcast are Mory Ogata with Axxion in Japan, a key partner with Redox, and Frank LaVardera with Audubon International, who is working with golf courses far and wide to help them be as environmentally friendly as possible.

Author, speaker, farm owner, and podcaster Damian Mason logs extensive air miles, speaking to audiences across the country. A recent stop in Burley afforded him time to tour the Redox Bio-Nutrients Headquarters and research farm.

Mason came away with positive impressions after he visited with Redox CEO Darin Moon, grower Blake Matthews, and Rocky Mountain Agronomist Jared Cook.

“I like what I saw here today,” Mason said. “I like learning, and I liked seeing the behind-the-scenes stuff that happens. It’s not just sticking stuff in a jug. There’s actually the science that goes into it, which is pretty cool."

Mason said he was impressed with seeing firsthand greenhouse research projects, including exciting nitrogen efficiency breakthroughs with corn. He also was brought up to speed on turf research and scientific study of an apple orchard on company grounds. 

Mason’s trip to Burley included speaking to hundreds at a Salute to Agriculture luncheon, carried out by the Mini-Cassia Chamber of Commerce, with support from several local businesses.

The largest single pollination event on Earth is underway in California’s Central Valley, with billions of bees pollinating billions of almond blossoms.

It’s a critical stage for almond growing, with sunny skies and light winds beneficial to success.

“A week ago, I would have told you there was a little bit of concern, because of the wet weather we were having,” said John Rodriguez, grower rep for Mariani Nut Company. “Now that we’re on the other side of it, things are shaping up and looking pretty good.”

“This is going to be a prolonged bloom, which is good during bad weather events,” remarked Ryan Warren, farm manager at JJB Farms. “It gives the bees more opportunities to have good days. And the bud set looks good, so the amount of flowers that are going to be out there looks good too. All in all, it should be good, but it’s Mother Nature that we’re dealing with, so we’ll see.”

California has 1.6 million acres of almond orchards and produces 80 percent of the world’s supply. 

Georgia row crop farmer Winston Rentz has a busy and productive life. The third-generation grower farms peanuts, cotton, blueberries and cattle. He and his wife, Beth, also raise three young children.

Farming is a balancing act, but Winston said he benefits from many positives- a supportive wife, hard-working father, solid labor force, and strong nutrition program for his crops, including from Redox Bio-Nutrients.

“Nutrition for our crops is definitely number one on the list,” he said. “If you don’t have good nutrition, you won’t have a good crop.”

Winston works with Ag Nutrients agronomist Clay Kolbie, and he had exceptional results with Redox products on his blueberries and peanuts. 

Walter Pritchett has done exemplary work at Hurstbourne Country Club in Louisville, Kentucky, elevating their golf course from unranked status to the top echelon of Golf Digest’s state rankings.

One of his keys to success has been a winning nutrition program for his turfgrass through Redox TurfRx technology.

“I don’t think I would still be a superintendent, if it wasn’t for the Redox programs that we’re on, and the way we’ve been able to evolve our program,” he said.

Prichett said Redox has improved everything from their soil health and root growth to less mowing and improved water use efficiency.

As leader of a highly successful business, Prichett said he’s rewarded every time his members and staff have a positive experience with his course. He said their turfgrass nutrition program is a significant part of a successful formula.

“It’s just a fertilizer right, but it has been life-changing for me,” he added.

U.S. growers have benefitted from better machinery, improved varieties, and hi-tech advancements. Biostimulants are an emerging frontier in growing healthy, abundant crops.

While plant biostimulants have yielded many positives, additional effort is needed to add clarity and consistency to their definition and regulation.

“We really feel confident in a lot of these products moving forward, that growers are going to have an array of new options to deal with things like drought, or challenges that they have continuing to increase their yields, and doing it cost effectively” remarked Nick Young, Environmental Program Manager at the California Department of Food and Agriculture. “It’s an exciting time. There hasn’t been a time like this in 50 years at least, where there is so much innovation happening that can benefit this industry.”

Young is among those working at the state and federal levels, including with the Association of American Plant Food Control Officials (AAPFCO), for uniform fertilizer regulation, protecting growers and consumers, and fostering environmental stewardship.  One goal is standardized, easy to understand fertilizer labels.

At the federal level, Congress is working on a bill that would bring a more consistent regulatory approach and clear definition for plant biostimulants, which would help farmers, consumers, and regulators.  The bill is currently part of the Farm Bill package, which is sweeping legislation to help American agriculture and consumers.

As work continues to bring a more consistent definition and approach to plant biostimulants, those who utilize this technology see tangible benefits in healthy, sustainable food production.

“It’s much more of a systems approach to management to achieve consistent, sustainable and profitable gains in crop production,” said Mike Twining, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Willard Agri-Service, a longtime ag retailer working with Redox Bio-Nutrients. “That’s really where Redox shines, is having a systematic approach to help growers.”

“I believe we will look back 10 years from now and we will say the biological movement, however you want to define that, with companies like Redox and I hope Willard Agri-Service, it’s going to be like hybrid seed corn, in terms of how it transforms what we’re thinking and doing about crop production, the way we’re growing crops, and our ability to utilize plant nutrition to produce profitable yields,” Twining said.

Federal Ag policy is complicated and crucial for growers across the country. Fortunately, there are analysts like Jim Wiesemeyer to help clarify and contextualize action from the nation’s capital.

Wiesemeyer works at Pro Farmer and has served as one of the top ag policy analysts for decades – all the way back to the Reagan and Carter Administrations. He is still going strong, providing regular updates, and speaking to growers and agricultural groups across the country.

While the Farm Bill, trade, labor, and the Presidential race command a lot of energy, Wiesemeyer said sustainability is also a key issue that’s gaining momentum.

“Agriculture is rebranding right now to be a participant at that sustainability table,” he said. “They’ve learned some lessons. I think it’s a good sign. But agriculture wants farmer sustainability, that’s called income sustainability, and I think there’s enough to go around.”

You can follow Wiesemeyer’s work at ProFarmer.Com.

No subject in technology garners more interest than artificial intelligence. The days of AI as futuristic science fiction are in the past. The use of AI in farming is growing, and it holds a lot of promise, according to UC Davis Professor, Isaya Kisekka.

“AI has been applied to a lot of aspects in agriculture,” Kisekka said. “For example, it’s being applied in plant breeding, robotic fruit harvesting, we apply it in irrigation and nutrient management, precision weed control, and all these things.”

Kisekka said he understands why some people have reservations with this technology, but it continues to improve and will offer a wide range of applications for growers.

“My dream would be, one day for us to have an autonomous irrigation system – an irrigation system that knows what to do, how to do it, and it can learn from what is has done.”

Brian Bonlender has found a great formula for running a successful golf course. As longtime superintendent at the historic West Bend Country Club in Wisconsin, he overseas an experienced staff and keeps the course in great shape through a strong nutrition program of Redox TurfRx products.

“The healthier the plant, the easier your job becomes,” he said. “It’s all about health. It’s all keeping the best conditions possible on a daily basis. It’s consistency.”

Brian began at an entry level job at the country club 25 years ago. Since the early days, he graduated with a horticultural degree and has risen to the superintendent’s role.  His tenure, tenacity, and continual tinkering to provide the best nutrition to his turfgrass have served West Bend well. 

Keeping the course in great shape takes careful planning, as the country club is within 30 miles of Lake Michigan, so temperatures can stay low for much of the year. 

“The joke is ‘keep your winter jacket in your car until the Fourth of July, take it out, hang it up, and on the fifth put it back in’,” he remarked. “We’ve seen snow in May. We’ve seen 85 degrees in May. It really keeps you on your toes.”

California supplies 95 percent of the U.S. avocado crop, although growers don’t always have an easy path to success.

In Ventura County, grower Jason Cole continues their family avocado heritage that his grandfather started more than 50 years ago.  He credits a new nutrition program as part of their successful farming formula.

“We keep breaking our own records,” he said. “2020 was just a tremendous year for our ranch. Again in 2022, we broke our records on total yield and per ranch yield/per acre return on volume and pounds. Now in 2024, we’re only about 10 percent harvested right now, but the ranches we’ve picked are way ahead; just breaking all of the yield records for those particular sites.

A big part of their nutrition upgrade involves Redox Bio-Nutrients technology, as Cole employs several Redox products.

“After college graduation in 2009, I came right home and went to work,” he said. “We probably do nothing the same agronomically today that we were doing back then.” 

California avocados are a huge part of Cinco de Mayo, which corresponds well with the industries harvest and marketing season.

Farmers far and wide face challenges in growing crops, but growers in highly-urbanized Southern California navigate through a rather-unique set.

Home to more than three million people and stunning real estate value, Orange County farmers continue to grow a variety of high value crops.

Mark Lopez, Vice President of Orange County Land Management Services, has successfully grown crops in creative places for a quarter century.  He said the expensive conditions mandate he does his job right every time out.

“We can’t afford to make mistakes,” he remarked. “Between the pH in the soil and in the water, we’re trying to make it optimally so we can grow. Those that don’t do what we do, you won’t be as fortunate.”

One of the most unusual places Lopez grows crops is the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station.

Lopez and his team utilize Redox Bio-Nutrients products in their inputs to grow a variety of crops, including strawberries, carrots and green beans.

The California Coast is where a significant amount of the nation’s vegetables is grown, but that bounty doesn’t always come easily.

Frankie Orozco grows for Dole Fresh Vegetables in the Oxnard area, working with his team to grow crops including celery and romaine lettuce.

He works with Redox Bio-Nutrients to provide nutrition for his crops and said the newer technology has yielded favorable results.

“There’s a lot of positive things I have seen using biostimulants,” he said. “Just itself, being able to reduce inputs, whether it be fertilizers or pesticides, and just starting to be more friendly to our soil.  Starting to give back slowly, being more sustainable and leaving something good for the next generation to come.”

California produces about 75 percent of the U.S. celery crop, and about 80 percent of the nation’s romaine lettuce.

The Southern California Coast maintains a strong agricultural industry despite a host of challenges, including ever-marching urbanization.

A sometimes-overlooked key to productive farming is the role agronomists play in guiding positive outcomes.

Working in the Oxnard area, Fernando Mendez of Buttonwillow Warehouse Company is among those working to get the most out of every acre planted.  He is a PCA, CCA, and California Nitrogen Management Specialist who works to ensure that vital nutrition is utilized for strong plants, abundant crops, and sustainable farming.

He works with growers of a wide variety of crops, including avocados, citrus, cut flowers and a variety of berries, including strawberries.

“I’m always looking for the best for the growers,” he said.  “That includes sustainability, with good results, and helping the grower to make money.”

Oxnard is an important region for berries and is often mentioned as strawberry capital of the world.

While much in agriculture and the science behind crop nutrition have changed since Redox Bio-Nutrients started business in 1994, our company’s founding principles have not.

Integrity, sound agronomic knowledge, and the continual quest for scientific advancements have defined Redox since the first days Darin and Val Moon started operations with John Kelly.

Today, Redox technology helps growers succeed throughout the U.S. and internationally, covering a wide variety of crops, both conventional and organic.

Owner, founder and CEO Darin Moon said with greater scientific understanding and growth in sustainable farming, the future for Redox is bright.

“I’ve been fascinated with it for years and I’m even more fascinated now, with the ability of plants to grow and how we manage that, to get the most nutrition per acre with the least amount of input and damage to the environment,” Moon said. ““I’m more excited today than the day I started the company.”

Our technology helps create long term farming success through Redox Homeostasis, a 50-50 balance between positive and negative electrical charges during nutrient uptake. The less plants need to work to achieve Redox Homeostasis, the more they will spend ensuring positive outcomes, including yield and crop quality. 

Georgia is far and away the nation’s leading peanut producer, with annual production greater than the next six states combined.

One of their leading voices is Tyron Spearman, who has been working in a variety of different jobs in the peanut industry for more than 50 years. His resume includes a decade as Executive Director of the Georgia Peanut Commission, President of the American Peanut Council, heading up the Peanut Farm Market News publication, and manager of the National Peanut Buying Points Association.  Interestingly, the association’s founder was peanut farmer, America’s 39th President, and Nobel Prize winner, Jimmy Carter.

Spearman said the industry continues to explore new uses for peanuts, including using peanut oil for future jet fuel and to help bolster nutrition of eggs and chicken meat. 

Georgia produces about three billion pounds of peanuts a year, more than half of the U.S. crop.

Spearman has single-handedly grilled countless peanut butter and jelly sandwiches over the decades as an ambassador for the industry. 

The best sustained success in agriculture happens with a healthy growing environment. The University of Idaho’s new Center for Plant and Soil Health in Parma is a welcome addition to the landscape.

“The new center is a much-needed advancement,” remarked Margie Watson of J.C. Watson, an onion grower-packer shipper with more than a century in business. She also served as the mayor of Parma. “This brand new, wonderful facility is going to take us to another level. We have to have researchers in agriculture, with this changing world, and they have to have facilities to go and do the research.”

“I see evidence that the work we do really does impact the industry,” said Mike Thornton, Professor of Plant Sciences at the University of Idaho. “I see it on a small level with individual growers, but also on a larger scale. For example, our onion industry has adopted drip irrigation over the last decade and a half. … To see that rapid adoption tells me that we’re really making an impact.”

“The key part is that my knowledge helps the grower and all of our producers reduce the impact of crop diseases on their bottom line,” Juliet Marshall, Plant Sciences Department Head, Professor and Plant Pathologist at the University of Idaho. “{It’s an economic and a food safety issue.”

Thornton and Marshall said research conducted in Idaho can also assist growers elsewhere in the U.S.

The $12.1 million dollar facility encompasses 9,600 square feet and is a welcome addition to the small town of Parma, where the University of Idaho has had a research presence since 1922.

California is a powerhouse for strawberry production, growing about 85 percent of the U.S. crop. Berries are susceptible to insect and disease pressure, and that’s where the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Strawberry Center comes into play.

“Pathology, entomology, and innovation – those are the three areas of emphasis for us,” said Gerald Holmes, who has served as center director since its inception in 2014. 

The Strawberry Center is a partnership between Cal Poly and the California Strawberry Commission, with the goal of increasing the sustainability of the industry through research and education. 

The Center’s annual field day will be held August 8, when hundreds will gather to get the latest on research projects, including the battle against harmful insects and soil-borne pathogens. 

You can find more information on the center at strawberry.calpoly.edu 

From humble beginnings on a Georgia farm, Donnie Cochran has soared to heights few have experienced.

Cochran broke historic barriers as the first African American pilot in the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels, as well as the first African-Americana Commanding Officer and Squadron Leader.

The Blue Angels showcase patriotism and incredible skill as they perform shows far and wide. Their coordinated maneuvers reached speeds of more than 400 miles per hour, with as little as 18 inches between each aircraft.

Aviation and farming are his two passions, and he’s heartily pursuing the later through building up the farm he grew up as one of 12 children. Cochran is working with Ag Nutrients, powered by Redox Bio-Nutrients, for nutrition for his young pecan orchard. 

He said he learned many important lessons while serving America and said three critical attributes for success in life are ACE, attitude, character, and enthusiasm. 

Cochran’s book, Glad to Be Here, chronicles his amazing journey, as well as inspirational insight into making the most of your life. Glad to Be Here represents the motto of the Blue Angels and is available at Amazon.com. 

The West is in the middle of a record-shattering hot spell, fueling concern that crops and turfgrass could be harmed.

Fortunately, there are ways growers and golf course superintendents can help this situation.

Redox Bio-Nutrients has an array of technology to help plants through abiotic stress events such as excessive heat.

Redox Chief Agronomic Officer Jared Sannar says products that can help plants better withstand prolonged hot spells include diKaP, Oxycom Calcium and H-85. This technology aids abiotic stress defense, keeps the plant hydrated, aids in water retention in the soil profile and stimulates root growth. 

Redox Turf Rx Sales Manager Todd Scott says K+ is a popular and effective choice by superintendents to help combat heat impacts on their courses.

Scott says it’s helpful to understand the basic agronomic principal of achieving Redox homeostasis, or plant charge balance, which is a foundational part of keeping plants at their productive best.

Agriculture is fundamental to all, yet precious few understand all that it takes to get food from farm to fork.

Dustin Begovich is on a mission to boost ag literacy in an engaging way.  As head of Idaho Studio, he has embarked on a year-long project to make a full-length documentary movie. SPUDS will chronicle the 2024 potato season, from planting through harvest, covering many aspects of the industry.

Begovich said, in order to have an effective movie, it needs to entertain as well as inform.

“I’m doing anything to make it entertaining,” he said. “Luckily, this is a very conversational type of interview film, so people do bring out their personalities, and I’m finding unique ways to show how the industry works without making it drone on. Fun is the goal.”

Redox is excited to be the exclusive fertilizer sponsor of SPUDS, and we keep you posted on progress.  Grower Blake Matthews of Oakley, Idaho, whose farm is powered by Redox, will be featured in the movie.

Find out more at spudsmovie.com.

The Midwest is a powerhouse in food production, with more than 127 million acres of crops. Corn and soybeans are by far the largest acreage in the region.

Buoyed by our 30-year track record in other larger agricultural regions, we have expanded our reach into America’s Heartland, providing flagship and new technology to help corn and soybean crops thrive. 

The first new growers introduced to Redox are enthusiastic about this promising technology.

“I’m really excited looking ahead, of gaining a greater relationship and partnership,” said Kurt Grimm of Precision Farms and NutraDrip Irrigation in Kansas. “This will help us better understand where the products fit, how to use them, and ultimately how we can do things better for our growers – not only for our own farm, but for the growers we work with. Understanding that it’s not about pounds per acre, it’s about the balance and the energy of getting the nutrients into the plant.”

In addition to introducing Banx™ and Mainstay™ Si to a broader audience, the Midwest Pathway™ Program includes our exciting new nitrogen optimization product, RDX-N. 

Hawk’s Ridge Golf Course in Ball Ground, Georgia, has many rave reviews, and for good reason. However, maintaining the course isn’t easy.

The hot, humid climate is a challenge, but course superintendent James Rauhuff and his team do excellent work. Rauhuff credits Redox TurfRx™ as a key part of his success. In fact, his course greens actually aged in reverse since improvements were made to their nutrition program.

“I firmly believe one of the main reasons was due to the Redox line of products,” Rauhuff said. “The way those products perform is superior to anything else that I have used. Combining Redox products, optimum soil chemistry, root growth and health, and an ideal air to water relationship has provided the soil microorganisms a conducive growing environment which I believe has helped reverse the aging of our greens.”

The par 72 course was designed by Bob Cupp and has plenty of beautiful features, including a centerpiece waterfall on hole 15.

If you play a round at Hawk’s Ridge, keep an eye out for Ziva and Duke, James’s German Shepherds that are so loved that members now carry treats in their golf bags to give to them as they’re on the course.

Margins for farmers are tight, so there’s more emphasis than ever on finding innovative new ways to innovate and stay in the black.

Dave Handsaker is with AGNETWORX in Iowa, which helps efficiently connect farmers to new technology and better understand its effectiveness.

He said, with corn and soybean prices down, growers are especially interested in increased efficiencies and maximizing production wherever possible.

Matt Rohlik with ARVA Intelligence helps boost revenue for growers, by making them aware of incentives available from consumer-packaged goods companies to help sustainability through agronomic practices, including reducing commercial or synthetic inputs, split applying nitrogen, foliar feeding, tillage, cover crops and biologicals.

Shane Forney with Sentinel Fertigation helps growers maximize efficiency by leveraging satellite imagery to help growers improve nitrogen recommendations throughout the growing season, all done without a negative impact on yields. 

Handsaker, Rohlik, and Forney were among the speakers at the Farmer Innovation Forum in Omaha, presented by Redox.

Agricultural research is the cornerstone of productive farms and abundant food. The investment Redox Bio-Nutrients has made continues to grow and pay dividends.

“The is really a banner year for Redox,” said Head of Research, Dr. Gifford Gillette. He said the addition of Dr. Debatosh Das to the team and a second year for Faith Talley, who started as an intern and now works with the research team on carrying over protocols and adding new ones.

The understanding of and benefits from biostimulants continue to grow, leading to rising optimism about the ability for this technology to help growers.

“Dr. Das has put together a 56 biostimulant mode of action checklist,” Gillette said. “We probably never will measure all 56 of the modes of action, but they’re all on our radar. This matches well with what we know about the science of biostimulants in agriculture and what they do for crops.”

The global biostimulant market has seen rapid growth, with estimates that the value of sales may triple within the next decade.

California is a world leader in strawberry production, growing $3 billion of the fruit annually. Getting the most out of the crop was the focus of the annual Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Strawberry Center Field Day.

Areas covered included non-chemical pest and disease solutions such as bug vacuums and the use of UV-C light for disease suppression. A myriad of other issues were addressed, including workplace efficiency and safety, as well as mechanical ag plastic removal and recycling.

“The thing that impresses me the most is the variety of innovative products,” remarked Leo Stoeckle, a longtime strawberry industry official. “Everything from fertility products to ag chemicals to disease control to strawberry genetic resistance. We get the whole gamut here.”

The Cal Poly Strawberry Center recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and is operated in partnership with the California Strawberry Commission.

From the small town of Pauanui, New Zealand, to Gonzales, Louisiana, is 8,000 air miles and a world of difference. That’s the trek Mike “Kiwi” Robinson made as a young adult, and he’s now running the highly regarded Pelican Point Golf Club in the Bayou State.

 Louisiana summers usually come with heat and tremendous humidity, so Mike has countered with well thought out plant nutrition from the Redox TurfRx™ line, with a variety of products as stables, including K+, NatureCur, C-85, Supreme™, and CA. 

He said Redox not only helps keep his course in great shape, it has taken a significant amount of his stress away.

“Apart from having healthy turf, the biggest thing I get from using Redox is my stress levels are down,” he remarked. 

Growing up on a farm helped Ben Jauregui form his deep appreciation for agriculture, and it shows in his work.

As a Pest Control Advisor working at AgRx, one of our ag retailers, Ben guides decisions for about 1,800 acres of crops on California’s Central Coast, with strawberries commanding the greatest acreage.

“The most important thing is trust,” he said. “Carrying that relationship with the growers to where they can trust you, especially with the decisions that we’re making every week. There’s a lot of money at stake.”

Every weekday, Ben starts his day at 6:30 am.  With the help of a co-worker, they walk every acre, every week. They write recommendations, and after a spray or if they find an area of concern, they will return and review that crop within three to four days.

Ben is active on social media, as he wants to show off crops and many longtime farmers. He’s on Instagram and LinkedIn at #BenNPK.

Thirty years in business is no easy feat. It was in 1994 that Redox started in business and speaker, podcaster and author Damian Mason branched out with independent work.

Damian travels across the U.S. for keynote addresses to agricultural groups and hosts three podcasts, including The Business of Agriculture. He provides insight and commentary on critical subjects in a way that few others can.

He said he expects an increasing call for reducing overall synthetic nitrogen in agriculture, a reduction in acreage in future years based on which ground is best suited for farming, more of a premium paid for better-tasting food and the likelihood of reduced food demand from China based on expectations their population will plummet within the next years.

As for any anxiety over a potential drop in farm income, he pointed out that the recent track record for growers has been excellent. 

“I think the mode is a little doomy and gloomy that perhaps is warranted,” he remarked. “Here we are in the first year of a downturn. It’s good to keep in mind that the three years prior to this were the highest agricultural income years in the history of the United States of America.”

Find out more about Damian at DamianMason.com.

Third party research is crucial to making sure agricultural inputs work as advertised, and David Holden has been a trusted evaluator for many companies, including ours.

Holden Research and Consulting in Ventura County has worked with more than 100 crops, ranging from avocados to zucchini.

Holden has carried out at least 750 biostimulant-type trials in the last 20 years. He said biostmulants hold promise in fighting abiotic stress, in particular.

“I have quite often seen a reduction in the effect of various diseases, mites and insects when you use some of these products,” he said. “In other words, healthier plants are happier plants, and they live under stress situations better.”

Holden said his research helps show how biostimulants work, but growers would be interested in knowing why they are working. He said better answers to those questions would entice more farmers to try this newer technology. 

American agriculture not only has a wide range of crops and growing methods, there are also a wide variety of backgrounds among the farming community.

One case in point is Tommy McMurren of Five Patriots Farms in Illinois, a farmer, veteran, crop consultant and ag history afficionado whose Instagram page, tattooed agronomist, reflects another of his passions.

A common thread among those in agriculture is a dedication to getting the best results in the field, by growing their knowledge of new technologies, including in crop nutrition.

“We have evolved,” McMurren said. “When I first started working with clients, it was the very basics. Here’s our chemical program. Here’s our fertility program. Working with companies like Redox, I do have people that are more open to looking outside the box, that we need to be doing something different. We have stagnated. Even if it’s not a monetary thing, it’s more of just a preservation of the farm.”

Farmers are the key link in keeping bountiful, affordable food to feed the world. There are many others that help growers do their work, including ag retailers.

“If you just look at the top 100 ag retailers, as far as the biggest ones in the country, the last couple of years, it has been over $40 billion worth of products and services that have been provided to farmers,” remarked Daren Coppock, CEO of the Agricultural Retailers Association. “It’s a significant contribution, and essential to raising the food that we need in the country and around the world.”

Coppock has led the ARA since 2009, and said every aspect of agriculture, including retailers, continues to evolve and become more complex. New areas include artificial intelligence and the rise of biological products, including biostimulants. 

He said the ag retail industry has a lot of optimism for the future, although areas to watch incudes impacts the interest rate environment and a lack of sufficient labor. 

Potatoes are in the upper echelon in importance to the world’s diet, yet many have little idea of what it takes to get them from farm to French fry. 

Dustin Begovich intends to change that. 

The Idaho Studio filmmaker is nearly complete capturing two years’ worth of footage, and he soon shift to editing the interviews and activity. The documentary film, SPUDS, should have its first airings in 2025, and Redox is a sponsor. 

“It is important that I’m reaching the consumer at their level and walking alongside them,” he said. “I want to bring them into agriculture and farming and help them understand it from more of a layperson’s perspective. … As much as this is a large project for the industry to make sure that their story is out there, it’s coming from a perspective of your average person that’s never thought ‘where the heck did that potato come from?’ 

Find out more about Dustin’s film and follow how it progresses at https://spudsmovie.com. 

As harvest season largely winds down, it’s time to give strong consideration to steps that will aid your crops next year.

Proper nutrition is a great way to add carbohydrates to your trees and vines, which provide many benefits.

"A lot of the reproductive growth for next year occurred during those stressful months,” remarked Redox lead agronomist John Kelly. “There’s a high probability that many of the orchards did not have the energy necessary for adequate bud differentiation. What that means is that many of the orchards did not have the energy necessary for adequate bud differentiation. What that means is it’s all that much more important that we give that plant a lot of stored energy for next spring to protect what it will produce, because there’s a probability that the heat from this summer means lower set next spring. We need as much energy as possible to maintain that crop.”

Kelly and Redox Sales Manager Jared Sanner agree Banx™ is an excellent choice to boost trees and vines following harvest, as it provides an effective nutrition boost from potassium, phosphorus, zinc and boron, as well as excellent abiotic stress defense. 

Agriculture will play a fundamental role to help ensure good health for future generations. Scientific advancements are key to more nutritious food that is grown in an environmentally and economically sustainable way.

Dr. Debatosh Das recently joined the Redox team, and he is diving deeper into helping unlock the full potential of our premium plant nutrition and carefully sourced biostimulants.  He said plant charge balance, or Redox Homeostasis, is at the very foundation of productive farms.

“Balancing the charge in plants helps them avoid expending energy on maintaining charge homeostasis,” Das stated. “When nutrients are supplied in the correct ratios, the plant doesn’t need to divert energy to correct charge imbalances. Instead, that energy can be used more efficiently for growth, development, and ultimately increasing yield.”

Redox products are specially formulated to help with plant charge balance. 

Das said new, more exciting discoveries appear on the horizon, as he continues to help Redox Bio-Nutrients fulfill its vision of being the catalyst for change, by redefining agronomic standards with the best verified solutions. 

Used advanced data for agronomic decisions continues to gain ground, especially as margins tighten for many crops.

Vice President of Product Trials for Total Acre, Brian Mattix, facilitates trials with participating growers to determine the best path to increasing their return on investment.

He said analytics can be a huge component to maximizing a grower’s returns.

“Data is invaluable if it is accurate and it focuses on fixing the right problems,” Mattix said. “You’re not going to fix all of the problems, so you’ve just got to work on fixing the right problems and having a good plan to address those problems.”

Redox has more than a dozen trials with Midwest growers with our pathway sequential program, including Mainstay Si™, RDX-N™ and Banx™.

Mattix said too much data analysis may lead to fixing the symptoms, instead of trying to put plans together by studying good trend analysis and getting in front of the problem moving forward. 

Many growers seeking success for the long term continually look for the best technology, including plant nutrition. Biostimulants are a promising frontier for many, and greater scientific understanding of what they can do is helping the process. 

Distinguished professor Dr. Patrick Brown of UC Davis is one of the world’s foremost biostimulant experts. He’s the chair of this year’s Biostimulants World Congress, and said greater understanding of specific biostimulant benefits is crucial to their adoption. He said many bio-stimulant products have been sold with broad statements, which won’t be sufficient moving forward. 

“I think there’s an innate recognition and interest amongst farmers that a more biological approach would be useful, and at least a hope, if not yet a belief, that biostimulants might be part of that solution,” Brown said. 

N, P and K are standard inputs on farms across the U.S., but new scientific understandings can make a huge difference their efficient use. 

Phosphorus is fundamental to everything in the plant. It facilitates the transfer of sunlight energy to chemical energy that leads to plant growth.

A lot of phosphorus applied in fields gets tied up and never makes it to the plant.  This inefficiency is a growing concern on efficiency and environmental fronts. 

Redox Lead Agronomist John Kelly said Rootex™ provides an excellent source of phosphorus with biostimulants. The combination stimulates lateral root branching and increases specialized proteins in the root system, which promote drought stress tolerance. 

Kelly said Redox technology brings efficiency and helps farm profitability.  

“While it’s great to understand the technology, the thing that gets me most excited is the consistency of these benefits across crops and professional turf grass,” he said. “The efficiency is there, and the consistency of performance is there.” 

Potassium is one of the most used crop inputs. Redox Lead Agronomist John Kelly says it also represents a key opportunity for growers to improve their bottom line.

“I often feel like of all of the macronutrients, potassium is the one nutrient that represents opportunities in crops,” he said. “In other words, better potassium nutrition can enhance yield and quality.”

Potassium regulates water and nutrient uptake, and movement within the plant. It also plays a key role in plant charge balance.  The plant must balance itself electrically, with an equal amount of negatively and positively charged elements. Potassium is responsible for about 80 percent of the positive charge. When it’s out of balance, the plant must allocate excessive resources, excessive energy in getting back into balance. In the process of doing that, yield and quality potential are diminished.

Kelly said applying more potassium isn’t always the best solution in growing crops.

Early season crop growth, during the cell wall formation stage, an oversupply of potassium can effectively block other positively charged elements, from being taken up in the plant, harming crop quality.

Kelly said improving soil health is a crucial ingredient in crop performance, and inputs and practices can improve it very quickly. 

He said more growers are taking positive steps in this direction. 

“We’re seeing less about just throwing pounds out without any regard for timing or input, and targeting input and performance,” Kelly said. “When it comes to potassium, you can really up the performance potential of those crops.”

As their farm entered a rough patch, fourth generation orchardist Kaitlyn Thornton in Tonasket, Washington, ventured into social media to reach a larger audience.

Her engaging approach has elevated her into a popular agricultural influencer, who now regularly reaches millions of people with photos and videos of their apple and pear harvests, cultural practices and everyday farm life. 

As the average farm operator continues to get older, Thornton said there are many opportunities for Gen Z to contribute. She said her generation has the knowledge and interest in helping, but many lack self-confidence and need a boost from the older generations.

You can follow Kaitlyn at Apple Girl Kait on Instagram and TikTok and Kaitlyn Thornton on LinkedIn.

The start of summer 2025 will mark the end of Michael Parrella’s near decade as dean of the University of Idaho’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Parrella also spent nearly 30 years as a key agricultural figure in California at UC Davis and UC Riverside.

As retirement nears, Parrella said he’s optimistic that research at the university level and through Redox and others in the private sector will help growers do more with less.

“Ultimately what we really want to do is grow a healthy plant and use less traditional fertilizer,” Parrella said. “Less nitrogen and less potassium. I think the work with micronutrients is going to enable us to do that. That’s a huge part of dealing with sustainability of agriculture and healthy soils moving forward.”

He said he’d like his time at the University of Idaho to be remembered for two primary areas: hiring the best early career faculty possible, supporting the existing faculty and having updated facilities for them to carry out effective work. 

The rural-urban divide in our country continues to widen. Mike Twining of Willard Agri-Service, one of our great ag retailers, is working hard to help bridge the gap between farmers and consumers. 

Twining was among the speakers at TedX Talks in Arizona and Philadelphia. His speeches presented a compelling case for smarter food buying decisions and a continuation of sustainable agriculture, meaning doing more with less. 

He said his work in this area has been very encouraging.

“It has been really exciting to see the engagement I’ve had,” Twining remarked. “It’s such a neat opportunity to get outside of my normal obit and talk to people, who are sometimes two or three plus generations removed from the farm. ... It has been really gratifying to see how excited they get to actually learn about it and talk with someone still involved in agriculture. I think the vast majority of people are genuinely curious and generally think positively about farmers and agriculture. That has certainly been my experience.”

 Find out more about Mike’s talks on the TedX YouTube Page: https://www.youtube.com/user/TEDxTalks


More from Mike:
Saving the Planet With Your Food
Eating Our Way to a Cleaner Planet

Resilience is part of the DNA in agriculture, but there’s a massive difference when the adversity being faced is away from the farm and involves a loved one.

Grower James Rickert and his wife Casey faced such adversity when their young daughter Emersyn contracted Hemolytic-uremic syndrome caused by E.coli.

Earlier this year, Emersyn battled through a multi system shutdown, kidney failure, coma, seizures, neurological complications, a collapsed lung and multiple infections.

After 10 weeks in the hospital, Emersyn is home and vastly improved.  She started her first day in kindergarten and even had a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus. 

The Rickert family hopes Emersyn’s courage will inspire others facing huge life challenges.

“She’s my hero, and I don’t know how she does what she does every day,” Casey said. “She’s still processing the trauma in her own way. Nothing phases this kid. She is defying the odds after what she went through.”

“I look at life differently,” James said. “I realize that every day with my family is special. I have never appreciated it as much as I do today.”

Emersyn continues her recovery and recently made a Gingerbread house with a horse on top. She also put her Christmas request in to Santa Claus for a tiny dog.

Trey Bouler fulfilled a longtime dream when he was named superintendent of a golf course. No doubt, work was needed at the Beau Pre Country Club in Natchez, Mississippi, although he has been more than up to the task.

The Beau Pre course is a beautiful one, but it struggled with multiple issues, including algae, encroachment and nematodes. 

Enter Redox TurfRx™, including OxyCal™ to bolster calcium, NatureCur™ for root development, Supreme™ to help turf growth and K+™ for summer stress. 

“I was very excited how fast I started seeing turnaround, which drew me in even more to Redox,” Bouler said. “It has been awesome.” 

He said his TurfRx™ experience confirms his approach to not skimp on fertilizer expenses.

“We make our money in the golf course industry on our greens,” Bouler said. “That is not a place to skimp, at all. I’m a firm believer in the best nutrients possible for my budget. If I have to back off on something else, something else is going to be backed off on. I will not compromise on nutrition for my putting surfaces.”

As owner of ValleyAg Consulting Services since 2010, Tracy Miller works with growers in California’s San Joaquin Valley. His agricultural pedigree is long and impressive. 

Although he grew up on a family farm and helped his father’s cling peach operation at a young age, his future career course wasn’t cemented until he helped his mother tend to their family garden.

“Every morning, I would wake up and run out to the garden, to check to see if anything happened,” Miller said. “It was probably about a week later that you would start to see the ground break and the plant would start to push up.  That was so fascinating to me, that here’s this little seed that appeared dead and dry. There was life in it, and it burst forth…It was a real opportunity to see a crop from start to finish… it began to make me fascinated with how plants grow. It’s really a miracle of life.”

Miller is a proponent of growing strategies that improve soil health, provide strong plants and improved returns for growers. He’s bullish on new technology, including micronutrients and bio-stimulants, to help get there.

For many growers, crop nutrition has advanced beyond the traditional NPK strategy of old.

ValleyAg Consulting Services owner Tracy Miller works with farmers in California’s San Joaquin Valley to get the best results through the latest nutrition choices. 

Miller said some of the most promising crop nutrition includes micronutrients like boron, cobalt and molybdenum.

He’s also a big proponent of bio-stimulants, including from Redox Bio-Nutrients.

“They’re almost mainstream already,” he remarked. “There’s a lot of use of them, at least with the growers I work with. I think that there is a real role that they are going to continue to provide versus traditional inputs. We’re probably going to have less chemical controls going forward, and we’re going to have to have tools that can boost the plant’s metabolism and immune system. This will enable us to overcome some of the pest challenges we have right now, specifically disease issues.”

Nitrogen has long been the engine that has propelled agriculture to productive new heights. It sparked an agricultural revolution, benefitting farmers and helping feed the world.

While nitrogen has many positives, concerns have been raised regarding overreliance and in environmental areas. 

Dr. Hugh Gorman of Michigan Tech is among those closely watching this situation. 

Gorman said the process of producing ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen is one of the great advancements in American history. He said he’s optimistic rewarding sustainable practices will help alleviate current areas of concern.

Gorman authored the book, “The Story of N: A Social History of the Nitrogen Cycle and the Challenge of Sustainability.”

New technologies, including those at Redox, are poised to help growers optimize nitrogen use in the future.