Redox Grows

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!’”