Episodes
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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.
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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.
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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. -
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.
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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.
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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.
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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. -
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. -
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.
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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 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. -
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. -
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
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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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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. - Show more
