4HM hires West Coast sales manager

4HM, an independently owned manufacturer of automation equipment and packaging, continues to expand its on-the-ground presence in Yakima, Washington, with the appointment of Brant Carman as regional sales manager, according to a news release. Carman will cover the entire West Coast region, with the primary focus being Washington state, where he will work closely with the lead technician and 4HM founder, Jarek Sochacki.

Carman, who grew up in the Yakima Valley, spent the past several years engineering geographic information systems for the Washington State Department of Agriculture. 

“Brant is a great fit for this position, and we’re looking forward to having him on the ground supporting our clients in the Yakima area and beyond,” said Chip Manuel, managing partner of 4HM. “I am confident that his passion for the industry and knowledge will help cultivate our customer-focused sales model to deliver outstanding service and support. Having Brant in this territory is a big win for our customers.”

For more information on 4HM offerings, contact Manuel at 559-593-6236 or go to: 4hmsolutions.com.

Redox partners with ChrysaLabs for agricultural soil testing

Redox Bio-Nutrients recently announced a partnership with ChrysaLabs and its soil sampling technology, according to a news release. ChrysaLabs has developed a portable AI-based soil health probe that measures 37 soil nutrients and characteristics in real time for producers and agronomists, eliminating the need to wait for traditional lab analysis. 

“This exciting technology brings, in essence, lab-level analysis to the field,” said Gifford Gillette, Redox Bio-Nutrients lead researcher. “Analyzing soil in 30 seconds instead of the current standard of three days provides tremendous value by saving time and expense over the traditional approach.”

The ChrysaLabs probe uses three onboard sensor technologies, cloud computing and artificial intelligence to extract real-time data from its patented spectroscopy technology. The joint venture allows Redox, which recently incorporated a fleet of ChrysaLabs probes in its soil testing process, to help growers get a jump on taking the steps needed to have healthy, productive fields and orchards.

For more information, go to: chrysalabs.com and redoxgrows.com.

Sym-Agro expands availability of fungicide, adds new hires

Sym-Agro Inc. recently announced that ProBlad Verde fungicide is now available to growers across the U.S. for use on a variety of crops, including stone fruit, caneberries, strawberries, pome fruit, grapes, almonds, leafy greens, herbs and tomatoes, according to a news release. ProBlad Verde is effective against a broad spectrum of fungal and bacterial pathogens, including powdery mildew, botrytis and brown rot.

“Growers and distributors from across the country are requesting this product after seeing the results in the West,” said Peter Bierma, Sym-Agro president.

Also, Sym-Agro announced that Shaun Lough, Jeremy R. Kenkel and Jon Martin have recently joined the company in sales management positions, representing the company’s portfolio of biopesticides in the Pacific Northwest and California.

“As our company continues to grow and increase distribution of products nationwide, the importance of adding to our sales team paralleled with the opportunity to welcome all three highly experienced professionals to our team,” said Bierma.

Lough, Pacific Northwest sales manager, brings 30 years of experience as a Washington state licensed commercial consultant, with degrees from Washington State University. Kenkel, Northern California sales manager, brings 17 years of experience in agriculture consulting as a California pest control adviser, with a degree from California State University, Chico. Martin, coastal California sales manager, brings nine years of experience in viticulture as a California pest control adviser, with degrees from University of California, Santa Cruz.

Sym-Agro, headquartered in Visalia, California, provides fungicides, biologicals, pesticides and solar protection products for high-value agricultural markets. For more information, go to: sym-agro.com.