GREEN BEAN STUDY IRVINE CALIFORNIA

I met with AG Kawamura, (former Secretary of Agriculture, CA (2003-2010) He had me work with Mr. Mark Lopez, Mr. Kawamura’s farm manager.  

The only thing I requested, was not spray any chemicals (herbicides, pesticides or fungicides) on my 5 rows. He told me he couldn’t possibly take that chance, especially on the first attempt. Understandable.

Green beans were planted in Irvine CA on August 23, 2019 and harvested October 18th, 2019.
On a 200 acre green bean farm, 5 test rows (1/4 acre) of green beans were planted. Adjacent to the left of AGx rows, was another bio-stimulant Mr Lopez was very fond of, and unbeknownst to me, he wanted to see the comparisons.

The fortunate ending was two-fold.

October 18, 2019 Harvested early. Day 55 of a 65 day crop.

Mr. Lopez noted the yields were the same as his other biostimulant he uses, and the plants were beautiful and healthy. The only negative thing he said, was my 5 rows were the only rows which had leaf hoppers (an insect that hops from leaf to leaf)

I was very disappointed and asked, “Why? Why do you suppose mine were the only rows with leaf hoppers?” His response put a big, huge smile on my face. Mr. Lopez said, “Because, I did not spray any pesticides on your 5 rows.” Of course, my next question was “How much did you save not using a pesticide?” The answer was $7.00 (¼ acre) x 400 acres equals $28 per acre.

400 acres of green beans are staggered, planted, grown, and harvested every 65 days. Lowering the input cost of $11,200 per cycle. ($28 per acre x 400 acres is $11,200) and harvesting 10 days early.

The best part was, the BRIX levels showed higher than the other rows, confirming a higher nutrient rich green bean. (BRIX levels on green beans is a 10 or higher) After testing for BRIX levels on the green beans, Symbiosis AGx rows came back at a 9, where the others tested at 7)

Healthier and pesticide free? A win win win for the farmer, and the consumer. The beans were healthy; none destroyed; crop remained healthy throughout the cycle; yields being equivalent with his other rows; and not needing a pesticide with our product, we believe this is a game changer in lowering input costs.