New grass sweetens onion profits. A four-year demonstration project by Cornell Extension has documented the value of planting sudangrass on commercial onion fields. Sudangrass suppresses harmful pests and builds soil. Using sudangrass, growers have experienced a 29 percent increase in onion yields and reduced production costs. Planting sudangrass in rotation with onions on the 12,000 acres of commercial onions in New York would also reduce pesticide and fertilizer applications by 75,000 pounds a year.
Peanuts profit from double rows.
On-farm research in Decatur County, Georgia , demonstrated that planting peanuts in twin rows rather than traditional single rows resulted in yield increases of 591 pounds an acre. One peanut variety, Georgia Green, had a 769-pound per acre yield increase in twin rows. Tomatoes grown in them mature a month earlier, have higher yields and are almost totally free of disease. Harvesting profits involves good timing. Since 1996, county Extension agents throughout Georgia's peanut belt have taught producers to use the peanut hull scrape method to determine the proper harvest time.