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/.

Fortitude is very much a necessary part of the toolkit for successful farming. Those at Kimball Ranches- El Hogar know that as well as any. One of California’s most devastating natural disasters, the 2017 Thomas Fire wreaked havoc to their and many other farms in their region.

“You could be called crazy for being in partnership with Mother Nature, because as a farmer there are so many things outside of your control,” said Rachael Laenen, Director of Farming and Operations at Kimball Ranches in Ventura County, California. “But it just means that actually you can really focus on the things that are in your control and do better every day.”

This persevering attitude has led to a successful recovery and retooling of their operation, including their crop nutrition.

“We were really lucky to come across Redox,” she said. “They have fundamentally changed the way we farm here.”

Laenen said Rx Platinum™ has been a crucial part of their young tree establishment program, while Mainstay® Calcium and diKaP have provided major benefits to their older trees.

Laenen is the first female chair of the California Avocado Commission’s Board of Directors. She and her father, Gordon, carry on the family farming legacy.

Find out more about Kimball Ranches- El Hogar, including their retail sales, at https://www.kimballavocados.com.

Whether advancements in crops or livestock, upgrading mechanization or efficient use of resources, research carried out by universities has gone a long way to the abundance in agriculture that benefits us all. It’s a top priority for the University of Idaho, one of the top ag schools in the nation. Leslie Edgar, Dean of the University’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, recently visited Redox Headquarters to strengthen our partnership.

"Theory is amazing, but making sure that we can actually apply it so it works for producers is really important," Edgar said. "That's the blessing of being at a land-grant university that we get to do that. The value of us partnering with companies like Redox is that you have the innovation, and that we have the scientists and the students that can work with you and then partner at a really high level."

Golf is far more than a cherished pastime, it’s an immense economic engine, source of jobs and, perhaps surprisingly, an awesome way to learn about science, math and many other vital subjects.

The First Green program from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GSCAA) makes this all possible.

“I hear teachers saying things like ‘Hey guys, look at this. This is what I’m teaching you in class, but this is how you apply it in real life,” remarked Dave Phipps, former superintendent and one of the organization’s nine regional representatives.

Dave is part of a team passionately working in First Green; connecting students with many relevant topics and making them aware of future job opportunities. A growing area of focus is working with the more than one million FFA students in the U.S.

More growers are utilizing biological products on their crops—it’s an emerging category that includes biostimulants, biopesticides and biofertilizers. The global agricultural biologicals market is expected to more than double in value in the next decade. It’s promising technology to help with productivity and many other key areas.

“Globally, the biostimulant market is growing, and that market is going to explode here in the United States once we get a clear path to market,” remarked Keith Jones, Executive Director of the Biological Products Industry Alliance (BPIA) in Washington, D.C.

Jones said a key benefit would be a uniform federal definition on biostimulants, which is being considered by Congress this session.

The BPIA's mission is fostering continued improvements to the biological products regulatory process.

The industry's leading market research firm DunhamTrimmer expects the global non-microbial biostimulant market will reach nearly $8 billion by 2030.

FInd out more at BPIA.org and DunhamTrimmer.com.

Planting season is a time for renewal and labor, as the Midwest is home to some 180 million acres of corn and soybeans. There are hurdles every year, and 2026 is no different, with low crop prices coupled with high fertilizer costs.

Fourth generation grower Jared Brown in Central Illinois grows 2,000 acres of corn and soybeans. This is his second year working with RDX-N® for nitrogen optimization, and so far the results are encouraging.

“ We’re going to have RDX-N® across half of our acreage this year,” Brown said. “We’ll have really good data next year to say yes, it definitely paid us by cost savings number one, and number two if we can get a yield increase, it’s just icing on the cake.”

Brown was a top performer in nitrogen management trials with the National Corn Growers Association. He said more growers are intrigued with new technology like RDX-N® because low crop prices and high input costs have created more incentives to make efficiency gains.