Case Studies

This case study examines results from 2 years of a full AEA program at a California almond orchard.

Key achievements:
• 40% reduction in water use, with no detrimental effect on yield
• Reducing annual pesticide applications from 7 to 2
• Eliminating synthetic nitrogen applications; replacing with manure

This case study examines a 20-acre block of underperforming blueberries in Washington State. The grower was contemplating bulldozing the block. Instead, they approached AEA to see if we could save it.

Key achievements:
• 5x increase in fruit tonnage in one year

Cherry grower Mike Omeg ran a trial comparing AEA programs side-by-side with his conventional management programs on a number of blocks, each with different management objectives.

Key achievements:
• $2000 (13%) increase in revenue per acre from increased fruit size alone
• Saved a problem block from bulldozing; cheaper than the cost of replacement
• Eliminated bacterial canker infestation after 3 years
• 4x yield increase on infected block

You can watch Mike Omeg give a tour of the infected block after it recovered here.

We performed a field trial that tested various rates of AEA’s nutritional product Accelerate™ when applied to cotton at three stages of growth, on an otherwise conventional management program. The goal was to determine the rate and timing of an Accelerate application to deliver the most return on investment.

Key takeaways:
• Product costs as low as $6.40 per acre delivered a 10x ROI
• All 13 trial variations delivered a yield increase over the control
• Earlier applications–at the pinhead square stage–gave the most ROI: up to 11.5x

This trial shows the potential of Accelerate to be a very cost-effective option for cotton growers to improve profitability, even with no other changes to their management practices.