From his early days in Nepal on his families subsistence farm, Pramod Acharya has long valued the importance of farming and agricultural sustainability.

 In his new capacity as Assistant Professor and Extension Forage Specialist with the University of Idaho’s Kimberly Research and Extension Center, he will be working to help  Idaho dairy farms and forage producers, finding ways to enhance efficient forage production, storage and utilization. 
 
Acharya said he will focus on sustainable practices rooted in economic practicality. 

“Sustainability means meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability or capacity of future generations to meet the same needs,” he said.
 

Perseverance was a key for those in agriculture this past year, as lower crop prices and higher input costs dominated in 2025. Yet, many growers navigated their way to abundance and quality come harvest time.

Episode 150 covers highlights of the past year, including stories of passion, perseverance and even agricultural archeology.  We hear from Redox President Colton Moon about key developments for our industry and company, including our patented nitrogen-optimization product, RDX-N®.

We wrap things up with a visit with Jaden Wenger from a California farming family, who has made an incredible comeback from cancer. 

A new global study on biostimulants quantifies the increased interest growers have for these tools. 

The study by DunhamTrimmer, a leading firm for biologicals market data and consulting, was carried out by Manel Cervera, while Vatren Jurin is the company authority on value-added fertilizers.

Redox Bio-Nutrients is identified as a top 20 company in the world in biostimulants. Biostimulants are a nearly $4.5 billion-dollar global market, with a compound annual growth rate just shy of 10 percent – which would put 2030 market value at nearly 8 billion dollars. While the United States remains the largest single market, tremendous growth is reported in several parts of the world, including Latin America, Asia and Europe.

Fruits and vegetables are most popular for biostimulants, while row crops and cereals are seen as the next major game changer.

Many of the challenges growers faced this year will carry into 2026.  Their resiliency is being tested and wise agronomic decisions are even more vital.

Hundreds gathered at the Agricultural Retailers Association Conference and Trade Show in Salt Lake City for updates. 

“Some of the challenges we have faced, while many of them are similar to the past, there are a few that are unique and new,”  remarked Mike Twining of Willard Agri-Service, which partners with Redox. “A lot of those challenges deal with uncertainty, with changes ranging from local to global that are new and different.”

Twining said newer technology including biostimulants can help growers, and it’s important for agronomists to provide sound solutions. 

Grower Grant Norwood of Tennessee is among those increasing his use of biostimulants. He participated in a panel discussion carried out by Farm Journal and EVOIA. 

Vice President of Fertilizer at StoneX Josh Linville updated growers on the fertilizer outlook, which overall includes higher prices and more volatility. He was optimistic for improvement in the future. “High prices always cure high prices,” he said. “When you get there, supplies start to increase. New potash production is coming down the line. Hopefully new nitrogen production announcements are coming.”

ARA President and CEO Daren Coppock said the ag economy downturn has been a little longer than usual, but the cyclical nature of the industry indicates improvement is down the road.

Farmers have grown yields over the years through improved varieties, nutrition and equipment. An emerging frontier involves automation, including robotics and AI. 

“We believe automation is going to be a whole revolution in farming,” remarked Adam Stager, founder of TRIC Robotics. “It’s really the next big thing to drive efficiency on these farms.”

One item TRIC has introduced automated, tractor-scale pest and disease control robotics using UV-C light, that was demonstrated at the recent Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Strawberry Field Day. 

Also on display at the event was a prototype robotic strawberry harvester from L5 Automation.

“We’ve seen a lot of startups attempt this, and a lot of startups have failed,” said Dan Schneider, L5 Director of Software. “We want to make sure that we solve these problems correctly, so that we can harvest all season long. Then we will worry about making the process faster.”

Schneider said they expect to harvest trial beds next year, to refine the technology and scale it up to full commercial harvesting. 

Stager and Schneider said they hope their emerging technologies  will ultimately have application that extends to other crops, in addition to California strawberry fields. 

The research community isn’t often in the primary spotlight, but it plays a major role in keeping farms productive and supermarkets well-stocked.

Georgia-based Dr. Renee Holland is part of the CRO community; independent, third-party researchers that provide validating data that helps companies, including Redox, in assessing product efficacy. 

One of her areas of research is biostimulants, which are gaining popularity among growers.

“I think they’re a tool in the crop production toolbox,” she said. “There’s more to learn about them, but there’s definitely a lot of research that’s showing promise.”

She works on a variety of crops, including blueberries, strawberries, peanuts, pistachios and corn. 

Holland has spent her career in agriculture, and said it’s the perfect profession.

“I was out in the field with someone, and I knelt down to the ground. I was feeling the soil and smelling the soil and, they said ‘You’re really in your element, aren’t you?’  I looked up and I said, ‘I sure am!’”

Golf popularity is on an upswing, and a crucial part of a positive experience is maintaining premium quality turfgrass.

The Redox TurfRx team works with superintendents throughout the U.S. and internationally, providing next generation technology for superior results. 

New additions to the team will help secure still more positive collaborations. 

“It all starts at the beginning with the technology we’re using and the philosophy of plant charge balance,” said Chris Toporski, Redox TurfRx Northeast Agronomist. “If we can get that plant moving in the right direction using those secondary metabolites to really make everything work efficiency, then we can reduce stress on the plant and on the playing surfaces, so the superintendents can take that time to focus on other things.”

TJ Winzeler, the Redox TurfRx Southwest Agronomist, is helping superintendents maintain courses with several challenges, most notably water.

“Down in the Southwest every drop of water that’s used is tracked,” he said. “Every drop of water that’s used is owned by someone and gets paid for by someone. It’s the number one limiting factor in being able to grow any sort of medium and being able to expand your business, in some cases.”

Commonalities between all golf regions, and all of agriculture, is finding the ability to do more with less. Redox TurfRx technology is backed by more than 30 years of research and proven results to do just that.

Low returns, high input costs and a murky trade environment have plagued many growers this year, but there’s at least one brighter spot for agriculture heading into 2026.

“Since September, we’ve seen some adjustments to the federal interest rate, and the downstream effects will impact farmers,” commented Redox Chief Financial Officer, Scott Moulton. “Right now, farmers are spending for their operating lines - getting funding for next year’s crop. Rates in recent years have been upwards of 8 percent. I can see that coming down with what the fed rate is doing. We should see some decreases coming in 2026, and equipment interest rates should soften as well.”

With volatile to higher prices for N, P and K, Moulton said many growers will seek ways to increase efficiency with inputs. Redox technology, including RDX-N®, is specially designed to help growers optimize inputs, while maintaining or enhancing yield and quality.

Born and raised in South Africa, Herman Els has covered a lot of ground before finding his ideal job. As Agronomy Manager at Limoneira, a large and historic farm in Southern California, Herman is overseeing a major cropping change.

They are switching hundreds of acres from lemons to avocados, and are in process of being America’s largest avocado grower.

Els said their new orchards are looking great, and Redox nutrition has been a big factor.

“It’s been really nice seeing these young orchards grow,” he said. “Our goal is to push them into production as soon as we can. I’m working hard on the root health, the soil health with products like H-85®, Rootex®, RootRx® and Rx Platinum®. They’re all amazing products and I’m seeing good responses. The trees are looking really good, and I’m getting lots of compliments on the vigor, the health of the flush and just the rate that these trees are growing.”

Sometimes in farming, more isn’t always better. Plant nutrition is a classic example where quality trumps quantity.

Plant charge balance is crucial to yield and quality. It’s not pounds per acre, but charge per acre that matters most. Redox Active Molecules (RAM) balance plant charge by donating or accepting electrons.  RAM are part of every product at Redox Bio-Nutrients.

Our growing understanding of successful farming is evidenced by RDX-N, patented proven technology that replaces 50 percent of synthetic nitrogen, while maintaining yields and enhancing crop quality.

“We have a molecule or molecules in our extraction process of the botanical extracts that is more powerful than anything I have ever seen,” remarked Redox owner and CEO, Darin Moon.

Moon said his optimism for the company and technological advancements has never been greater.