While there were overall benefits from our wet winter and spring, the downside has been felt by coastal strawberry growers.  Following the wettest period in a generation or more, usually productive fields have struggled to produce many berries so far this year. It has been too cold and too wet to get anything close to normal yields.

I’m working with my growers in Monterey County to incorporate H-85™ Flowable on their strawberry fields, which provides many benefits, including plant stimulation, overall soil health, and nitrogen efficiency. Moisture is better held inside the root zone, helping the symbiotic relationship of the microbes and roots.  At a quart per acre once a week, H-85 provides a key carbon element in the soil, boosting nitrogen metabolism just in time for the key second berry pick for the summer.

We are probably out of our rainy period, and there’s time for berry farms to rebound. The Monterey crop has been several weeks behind a normal pace, and growers hope they can return to normal fruit production, while still finding a window without a lot of competition from Santa Maria and Oxnard.

Hopefully for summer picnic season and the Fourth of July, there’s a much steadier strawberry supply from Monterey County that will be enjoyed by consumers far and wide.

Achieving maximum potential of turf growth and health begins with root development.  But not all soils are equal in their ability to foster strong roots.

If everything the plant needed was already in the soil, you wouldn’t need to add fertilizer.  The fact is that, in most growing environments, phosphorus inputs are a necessary part of root development.  A sufficient amount of plant available phosphorus is required in the soil, to provide the energy source for root development.

Unfortunately, this increasing regulated and expensive nutrient source is easily tied up in the soil with positive charged elements such as calcium (Ca++) and iron (Fer++). Phosphorus tie-up is a serious agronomic problem, particularly in low carbon-based soils where divalent cations such as calcium, iron and zinc are present.

Growers far and wide have experienced a sluggish start to spring. The West, in particular, has been inundated with epic rain and snowfall.

While ultimately beneficial, the influx of water – coupled with a later return to more traditional weather – means growers are in go mode to manage their crops and get them back to where they will deliver the best results at harvest.

Whether it is row crops being planted, grapes at early shoot growth or perennial crops with developing fruits and nuts, ensuring soil health, root growth, efficient delivery of nutrients, and recovery from abiotic stress are all keys to success in farming.

Getting the plant growing well, and overcoming oversaturated conditions includes jump starting the low microbial activity and nutrient availability. A sign of the times is something known as spring fever. When it’s a wet spring, leaves found on trees and vines often have a yellowish hue instead of the preferred dark green color. This is caused by insufficient nutrient availability.

Because of the wet soil conditions, nitrogen availability is often less than optimal.  Other management challenges include poor leaf out and leaf expansion, bacterial blast and phytophthora.

Burley, Idaho: Redox Bio-Nutrients is pleased to announce the addition of a new Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel. Following a successful 24-year career at the Salt Lake City-based law firm Ray, Quinney & Nebeker, Sam Straight has started his new job in a top position at Redox Bio-Nutrients, a leader in carbon-based, ultra efficient plant nutrition.

Straight’s new job as Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of Redox is effective immediately. His position involves a wide range of responsibilities, including operational, sustainability, regulatory, and legal matters.

“I am thrilled to take on this new challenge,” Straight said. “I have worked with Redox as a client for many years and have the greatest respect and appreciation for its people and its innovative work. I am excited to help Redox move even closer to its goals to be the world’s leading bio-nutrient company in agriculture and turf and to help growers achieve the most productive, efficient and sustainable results.”

“We are grateful to have Sam added to our team,” remarked Colton Moon, Redox Bio-Nutrients President. “His depth of knowledge, intelligence, and innovative approach perfectly align with our business.”

Bio-nutrients are a growing area in agriculture. While they are more established in Europe and Asia, an increasing number of U.S. growers incorporate these practices into their farm operations.

Founded in 1994, Redox Bio-Nutrients has manufacturing facilities in Idaho, Georgia, Texas and Mexico, providing several dozen patented and proprietary products, both conventional and organic. These nutritional products help in four key areas: Root Growth, Soil Health, Abiotic Stress Defense, and Nutrient Efficiency. Redox Bio-Nutrients products are sold to agricultural, turf, and ornamental markets throughout the United States and in 20 countries.

To learn more about Redox Bio-Nutrients, visit redoxgrows.com.

Media contact: Jim Morris, Communications: 208-250-6044, jim.morris@redoxgrows.com

Research Objective
The purpose of the trial was to measure the relative impact of diKaP™ on apple blossoms at various freezing temperatures.

Key Outcomes
diKaP™ improves the ability of apple trees to withstand freeze events.

Background
Freezing temperatures during bloom can destroy crops. The evaluation of diKaP™ to minimize freeze damage was made in the field as well as in a freeze chamber.

As we get into spring and temperatures rise, apple, cherry, and pear orchards in the Pacific Northwest will awaken from their winter dormancy. As we enter bloom and shortly after, there are several steps growers can take to get the results they want to see in the bin come harvest time.

Calcium is one key. Mainstay™ Si and Mainstay™ Calcium 2.0 are important tools to help influence the quality you’ll see at harvest.

For tree fruit growers, nitrogen metabolism is key to proper set and sizing. You need to put nitrogen to use for reproduction, not vegetative growth.

Other key inputs include our TriPlex™ Micronutrients, to give the plant everything it needs to achieve optimum fruit quality.

Boise, Idaho: Darin Moon, owner, founder, and CEO of Burley-based Redox Bio-Nutrients was among the honorees at today’s Idaho Ag Summit, presented by Leadership Idaho Agriculture.

Moon was honored for technical innovation as part of the 28^th annual Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Agriculture. Since founding Redox Bio-Nutrients nearly 30 years ago, Moon has guided his company to be at the forefront of technological advancements to help farmers. Ultra-efficient Redox Bio-Nutrients products are an important tool for sustainable and profitable farming. Customers span across the United States and internationally, with Redox products utilized on a wide range of crops, from almonds to turf.

Burley, Idaho: Volatile markets, product shortages, geopolitical unrest and extreme weather have challenged farmers and consumers alike. Ensuring food security is more important than ever, and agricultural research is vital to this process. There’s rising hope that the University of Idaho-led Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (CAFE) will help future agricultural viability.

Burley-based Redox Bio-Nutrients today announced a $500,000 gift to this groundbreaking effort.

“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.”

It’s the calm before one of the busiest times of the year for corn and soybean growers in the Midwest. Right now, growers are finalizing cropping decisions and inputs. They need to be dialed in with their programs in advance of planting in early spring.

A key to spring planting is getting crops into and out of the ground evenly and consistently. Everything that takes too long to engage is going to put downward pressure on yields, which is exactly what every grower wants to avoid.

Many farmers have readily adopted high-tech ways of growing their crops. One of the newest developments saves one of the most precious of all resources, time.

Redox Bio-Nutrients is proud to partner with ChrysaLabs and their cutting-edge soil sampling technology. ChrysaLabs has developed a portable AI-based soil health probe that measures 37 soil nutrients and characteristics in real time for producers and agronomists, replacing the need to wait for traditional lab analysis.

Redox recently incorporated a fleet of ChrysaLabs Probes in their soil testing. The faster soil analysis helps growers get a jump on taking the needed steps to having healthy, productive fields and orchards.