Long term success in agriculture greatly benefits from smart innovation. New technology is not only tractors and software, it also includes crop nutrition.

Christopher Hight at Bonipak Produce in Santa Maria, California, is constantly innovating. As lab manager of a large grower/packer/shipper, his job includes in house soil testing and on-site tank mixing. He’s a certified crop advisor and helps growers achieve nitrogen management plans.

His nutrition program includes Redox technology to grow several dozen crops, which ultimately end up with customers far and wide through outlets such as Costco and Safeway.

Christopher will soon achieve a PhD from UC Davis in Soil and Biogeochemistry.

Those savvy enough to continually evaluate data have an edge on keeping their business successful.

David Holden of Holden Research and Consulting in Ventura County California has for many years helped companies, including Redox, evaluate products for their effectiveness.

His research has included more than 750 biostimulant type trials in the last 20 years, and Holden said well-researched biostimulants can significantly help growers.

“Generally, biostimulants are going to make a grower money,” he said. “There’s going to be a return on investment. I see them as insurance policies.”

Holden said stress relief is one of the biggest biostimulant benefits. One research focus he hopes will be emphasized is the “why” behind how this technology works.

The movie character Indiana Jones is one of the most iconic and adventurous characters in history. While Harrison Ford carried out his impressive acting as Indy, Dr. Richard Hansen has carried out similar adventures in real life – with a few major differences.

“Before he crashed in the airplane, he always jumps out and saves himself. We stay on the airplanes until after they crash,” Hansen said. “Indiana Jones was out plundering archeological sites to get the famed treasure. Our objectives aren’t the artifacts. Our objective is to tell the story. The artifact is a consequence, not the objective.”

Hansen is a world-renowned archeologist who has mapped and excavated 56 ancient cities in Central America, as part of the Mirador Basin Project.

He has spent 42 years working in the jungle, with jaguars, poisonous snakes and drug runners nearby. The Idaho native also has a long farming history, and supports learning from past civilizations for brighter, more sustainable future for our food and natural resources.