Better Farming Prairies: The economics of rotations
An article by Derek Brewin in the March 2020 issue of the magazine Better Farming Prairies reviews the data on the effect that crop rotations have on yields, and the research gaps that still need exploration. It reads:
Each year, at the University of Manitoba, we train future farmers to consider what crop to seed to maximize profit.
For many of the last 15 years I have reviewed those budgets, canola returns looked very good. Recently, some new crops have entered the budgeting process. Now, soybeans, navy beans and grain corn are often the highest-earning options if the farm can consistently produce reasonable yields with these crops.
As a result, students often ask why they seed so much wheat on their family farms if canola or soybeans would make more money. A bad answer to this question is this is what we have always done. A great answer, in contrast, is that we need to consider rotations.
Read the full story here.