Humic and fulvic acid are gaining popularity on the farm, and new scientific understandings should lead to an even brighter future.

“I think of humics and fulvics in agriculture as one of the greatest areas of opportunity for a farmer to bring biology into his system,” remarked Dr. Gifford Gillette, head researcher at Redox. “They really meet the needs placed upon us in agriculture right now from an efficiency standpoint.”

The two most documented benefits from these substances are an increase in root biomass and a boost in nitrogen uptake, but there are more than 60 different impacts that a humic substance can have on a crop.

Gillette said growers interested in humics and fulvics should look beyond a product label and ask questions to better understand benefits. Redox technology undergoes careful extraction and fractionation, so it provides consistent and highly targeted benefits.

The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) provides the biggest and what many feel is the best show of its kind in the world. This year’s events in San Diego attracted some 10,000 industry professionals from all over the world.

“I love seeing the new products that are coming out and being able to network with friends and other superintendents,” said James Rauhuff, Superintendent of Hawk’s Ridge Golf Club in Ball Ground, Georgia, which utilizes Redox TurfRx™ technology. “This helps me make sure we’re staying at the forefront of our industry.”

The golf industry has been on a growth clip in recent years, and there are positive feelings that this trend will continue. In fact, Jeff White, immediate past president of the GCSAA described the industries current growth streak as “rocket fuel,” with many booms in recent memory.

The GCSAA event wrapped up with a stirring account from industry leader Rhett Evans on his climbing Mt. Everest and baseball legend Ozzie Smith, known as “The Wizard of Oz” for his incredible defensive skill at shortstop, receiving the Old Tom Morris award for his work to help propel golf to even greater heights in the future.

More than 10,000 turfgrass professionals are meeting in San Diego this week, for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America Conference and Trade Show, the largest event of its kind.

The GCSAA show has been a staple for Dean Piller, longtime superintendent of Cordova Bay Golf Course in Victoria, British Columbia.

“Well, I think to be successful in anything you do in your life, you need to have connections and build strong relationships with friends,” he said. “People and companies that you can rely on. I’ve built those relationships coming to this show for 35 years, and I look forward to it every year.”

New technology is of interest of many attendees. Piller has long utilized Redox TurfRx™ products, and recently added TurfRx™ OsmoPro, which generated excellent results.

Longtime industry agronomist Scott Poynot attended along with two superintendents he works with in Louisiana – Kiwi Robinson of Pelican Point Golf Course and Scott LeBouef with Farm d’Allie Golf Club.

Like many superintendents in their region, Robinson and LeBouef needed quick action to deal with a rare heavy snowstorm early this year. They said the Redox TurfRx products they employed helped their greens come through the cold and snowy conditions without any significant issues.

Weather can be friend or foe to farmers, and two hurricanes since 2023 have been disastrous for many growers in the southern US.

Two years after Hurricane Idalia wreaked havoc, Hurricane Helene packed an even more powerful punch.

Pecan grower Buck Paulk of Shiloh Farms lost 19,000 trees during Idalia, and 23,000 more with Helene. Georgia is the nation’s largest pecan-growing state, and their growers suffered nearly $700 million in crop losses from the latest hurricane.

“I have orchards that I planted when I was a young man, they’re gone,” Paulk said. He said it may take a generation for his region to fully recover. A week after the disaster, President Biden toured Paulk’s farm to see the damage firsthand.

Photo Credit: Georgia Pecan Growers Association

Thanks to a program by The Fertilizer Institute, members of Congress are learning more about the essential elements to growing crops.

Allen Spray of Willard Agri Service and grower Bryant Lowe of Lakeside Farms in Delaware recently walked the halls of Congress, meeting with elected officials, their staff and Non-Governmental Organizations, to outline the importance of having sufficient tools to grow crops. They emphasized the Four R Program for fertilizer use – the right rate, source, placement and timing.

“It takes us as average everyday citizens to make the country what you want it to be, you have to get involved,” Spray said.

Both Spray and Lowe said the trip was worthwhile, with excellent dialogue. They mentioned following up with all parties in Washington, D.C. and being a future information source for them are critically important.

Nitrogen has long been the engine that has propelled agriculture to productive new heights. It sparked an agricultural revolution, benefitting farmers and helping feed the world.

While nitrogen has many positives, concerns have been raised regarding overreliance and in environmental areas.

Dr. Hugh Gorman of Michigan Tech is among those closely watching this situation.

Gorman said the process of producing ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen is one of the great advancements in American history. He said he’s optimistic rewarding sustainable practices will help alleviate current areas of concern.

Gorman authored the book, “The Story of N: A Social History of the Nitrogen Cycle and the Challenge of Sustainability.”

New technologies, including those at Redox, are poised to help growers optimize nitrogen use in the future.

For many growers, crop nutrition has advanced beyond the traditional NPK strategy of old.

ValleyAg Consulting Services owner Tracy Miller works with farmers in California’s San Joaquin Valley to get the best results through the latest nutrition choices.

Miller said some of the most promising crop nutrition includes micronutrients like boron, cobalt and molybdenum.

He’s also a big proponent of bio-stimulants, including from Redox Bio-Nutrients.

“They’re almost mainstream already,” he remarked. “There’s a lot of use of them, at least with the growers I work with. I think that there is a real role that they are going to continue to provide versus traditional inputs. We’re probably going to have less chemical controls going forward, and we’re going to have to have tools that can boost the plant’s metabolism and immune system. This will enable us to overcome some of the pest challenges we have right now, specifically disease issues.”

As owner of ValleyAg Consulting Services since 2010, Tracy Miller works with growers in California’s San Joaquin Valley. His agricultural pedigree is long and impressive.

Although he grew up on a family farm and helped his father’s cling peach operation at a young age, his future career course wasn’t cemented until he helped his mother tend to their family garden.

“Every morning, I would wake up and run out to the garden, to check to see if anything happened,” Miller said. “It was probably about a week later that you would start to see the ground break and the plant would start to push up. That was so fascinating to me, that here’s this little seed that appeared dead and dry. There was life in it, and it burst forth…It was a real opportunity to see a crop from start to finish… it began to make me fascinated with how plants grow. It’s really a miracle of life.”

Miller is a proponent of growing strategies that improve soil health, provide strong plants and improved returns for growers. He’s bullish on new technology, including micronutrients and bio-stimulants, to help get there.