Steve West grew up in a multi-generational California citrus farming, ground and aerial application family. He attended Cal Poly Pomona where he studied citrus production, agronomy and integrated pest management and then went on to co-found an independent crop consulting and research business with entomologist Lee West.
 
Research Designed For Agriculture has conducted over 3 thousand field trials in North and South America over the past forty years including all types of crop protection efficacy and residue programs, irrigation trials, seed nurseries, PGR evaluations, fertility, variety trials, etc. These days Steve's primary focus is with biological based products in Pest Management, Bio-stimulants as well as looking at various technologies impacts on abiotic stressors such as heat, cold, salt, drought, etc. Steve and the RD4AG teams are getting ample opportunities to develop new and better systems for evaluation, integrating research methodologies and technologies with an understanding of production agriculture and real world practicalities.
 
Steve believes, “We will not feed the world with better pesticides. Sure, they are critical, but they only protect what you already have. We need more than that. Tomorrow’s agriculture will need improved varieties and better ways to maximize their production”.