Redox Grows

Just like the industry it is serving, the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Strawberry Center has grown a lot in the last decade. 

This year’s 10th annual field day attracted more than 600 growers, scientists and industry members.  While the California strawberry crop value has increased markedly to $3.5 billion last year, work at Cal Poly has intensified.

“The three main areas we cover are entomology, plant pathology and automation,” said founding director, Gerald Holmes. “Part of our mission statement is that the research and education that we do addresses grower’s needs. If we’re not doing that, we’re not doing our job.”

Automation is a top industry focus because about 60 percent of a grower’s expenses come from labor. Innovations of interest include robotic harvesters, a double-barreled bug vacuum and an autonomous pest and disease control using ultraviolet light.

Find out more about the strawberry center at strawberry.calpoly.edu.

As it turns out, dreams do come true. For Wayne Cawley, it took a broken truck and not so subtle reminders from a preacher and social media to realize his dream to become a farm owner.

Today, Redemption Farms in Maryland is a highly successful, 38-acre U-pick farm, featuring a plethora of produce items, such as strawberries, tree fruit, potatoes and pumpkins. 

Cawley credits his strong faith for providing him the right mental frame and fortitude for success.
 
 “The more that I started to lean towards my faith, I wouldn’t say things got better, but the better I got with things,” he said. 

Cawley utilizes Redox technology on his farm, including diKaP™, Mainstay® Si and Mainstay® Calcium 2.0.

Modern farming has seen many changes over the generations. Understanding the latest technology, including biostimulants and biofertilizers, can be powerful tools to maximizing productivity. 

DunhamTrimmer Chief Technology Officer Vatren Jurin provides thoughtful insight into this subject with The Reckoning, his Substack of scientific writing rooted in practicality in finding positive outcomes for growers.  

“Be accountable to what you said to the grower,” he said. “not for one season, but for 35 or 40, because that’s the last span of decision making that our clients have.” 

Jurin said he wants to see more grower input in new product development, better use of updated agronomic tools and more specialists guiding growers.

Find out more at https://dunhamtrimmer.com and https://vatrenjurin.substack.com/.

Continuing to expand our technology for the betterment of farming is the driving force at Redox. It is passionate quest of our research team, headed by Dr. Gifford Gillette.

“It’s an incredibly challenging time in agriculture right now,” Gillette said. “We are doing our absolute best to provide answers and solutions for the challenges that growers face.”

Each summer, a group of talented interns helps this effort, and this year’s additions of  Sheldyn Rogers, Dallas Cummins, Shianne Bair and Cyrus Taylor have made an immediate, positive impact with their work ethic and quick acclimation. 

The company’s firm commitment to research is evidenced by a new state of the art laboratory, three PhD’s on staff and the recent addition of Jackeline Garza as Chief Technology Officer. 

Traditional Fourth of July fireworks and festivities will feature a little extra this year, with America’s 250th birthday. It’s a good time to reflect on U.S. history and the foundations for our success. 

“There’s so much to be proud of in our countries history” remarked Idaho State Historian, HannaLore Hein. “These different arenas include innovation, development of new technologies, opportunity that has existed in this country for individuals and for organizations , and just the growth and the progress that the country has led the world in deserves a moment of praise.”

Agriculture has long been a central part of America’s success, as productive farms have yielded abundant food and positive economic impacts.  

The incredible service by our military has also been crucial, and many veterans are involved in farming. 

“Patriotism is something that’s ingrained in a big part of our culture,” said Tommy McMurren of Five Patriots Farms in Illinois, whose family has had generations of military service. “I think it’s encoded in our genetics.”

While our nation faces challenges, optimism continues to many, including Tyler Adams, Vice President of Sales for Willard Agri-Service on the East Coast. Tyler carried out nine years of active duty in the U.S. Army, including in Afghanistan. 

“The core of this country is the things I'm really the most optimistic about” Adams said. “It's the ones quietly coaching the kids' sports teams, the ones running the small business, the ones that are raising good kids and families and engaging their communities. They know what America is all about, and that's about working together as a team, building something that's real, showing up.”

Working along California’s Central Coast, Vishal Shinde excels at two different jobs in agriculture – growing food and helping other growers succeed.

Shinde is Research Director at Growers Research and Innovation Network (GRIN). He and his team work with many clients, including Redox, to garner valuable data, including product efficacy. 

He also grows organic blueberries, which are in high demand and help major retailers including Costco maintain good supplies for their customers. 

Shinde said new technology, including biostimulants, offers great promise for productive farming, providing proper research is carried out.

“Since I've grown up with this biological pest management, and so I minimize least amount of pesticides and this blueberry operation, I have not used any insecticides because I rely on those natural enemies of all kinds of pests,” he said. “That's helping us pretty well.’

Whatever the crop or region, growers prioritize the same things – yield and quality. Understanding the relationship of redox active molecules in maintaining plant charge balance provides a crucial pathway to achieving those goals. 

“Energy is either building yield and quality or fixing problems” said Dr. Gifford Gillette, Redox lead researcher. “A redox active molecule enables the plant to do more with less.”

“What we are talking about is continuing with the fertilizer base that people have,” said Redox CEO Darin Moon. “In order to get better ROI, we have to wrap this inside of plant charge balance. The way you deal with plant charge balance is a redox active molecule, properly evaluated, fractionated and put into a product mix, that can literally affect the ability of a plant to absorb energy,  create energy flow, improve nutrient efficiency, yield and quality.” 

Redox RAM Technology is unrivaled in its ability to balance plants, helping growers do more with less and improving performance.

Combine the wisdom of a fifth-generation superintendent with a historic golf course in one of the most picturesque parts of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and you begin to understand the appeal of Blowing Rock Country Club.

This golf course dates back to 1915, and is impeccably maintained by Josh Costner and his team. It fits well into this scenic part of North Carolina’s High Country, which has a wide array of wildlife, and 160 species of birds, including Bald Eagles. Costner relies on Redox TurfRx products for their impressive playing conditions.

“We try to focus on playability a lot,” he said. “That’s how we got into Redox, was getting more into the fast, firm, yet healthy grass plants.” 

Redox TurfRx® products utilized at Blowing Rock include K+, Linx™, XTraction™, Micro+, OxyCal®, CA, Supreme. Platinum and RDX-N®.

Find out more about Josh’s golf course at blowingrockcountryclub.com. It’s the only Seth Raynor-deigned golf course in North Carolina. 

The challenges in agriculture are easy to name and experienced broadly. The opportunities are also there, and Sierra Pacific Farms is helping navigate successful farming for the longterm. 

The Southern California-based company began in 1988 and is a professional farm management firm that helps growers with a wide variety of areas, including grove management, development, harvesting, consulting and pest management. Hayden McIntyre and Allisen Carmichael head their northern division, and utilize Redox products in the farms they work with.

Sierra Pacific specializes in citrus and avocados in high- value California agriculture. Ventura County farm ground exceeds $100,000 per acre, on average. 

Learn more about Sierra Pacific Farms at spfarminc.com.

The classic proverb “fortune favors the bold” holds widespread truth, including in agriculture. Thoughtfully incorporating new technology can provide a boost to a grower’s bottom line, which is especially helpful during their current economic difficulties.

John Dunmore with the Biological Products Industry Alliance walks the halls of Congress to help provide raise the profile of biological products, which help crops perform better.

Key legislation currently being considered would provide a uniform federal definition of plant biostimulants, which would bolster grower confidence.

“These are innovative products,” Dunmore said. “They are great for soil health, the environment, and for agriculture as a whole.”

Find out more at bpia.org/.