Redox Grows

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.” 

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. 

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.” 

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.

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.    

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.

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.”

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.

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.”

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.”