Economics of annual cropping versus crop-fallow in the northern great plains as influenced by tillage and nitrogen

Annualized yields with more intensive cropping (IQ systems tend to be greater than those of spring wheat-fallow (SW-F); however, little economic comparison information is available. The long-term (12 yr) effects of tillage system and N fertilization on the economic returns from two dryland cropping systems in North Dakota were evaluated. An IC rotation [spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)winter wheat (T. aestivum L.)-sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)] and a SW-F rotation were studied. Tillage systems included conventional till (CT), minimum till (MT), and no-till (NT). Nitrogen rates were 34, 67, and 101 kg N ha(-1) for the IC system and 0, 22, and 45 kg N ha(-1) for the SW-F system. Annual precipitation ranged from 206 to 655 mm, averaging 422 mm over 12 yr. The IC system generated higher profits than the SW-F system, but the IC profits were more variable. Within the IC system, MT generated higher profits than corresponding N treatments under CT and NT, but MT profits were more variable. Of the N rates evaluated, the largest N rates generated the largest profits. The dryland IC system with MT and NT was more profitable than the best SW-F system using CT for this location. Stochastic dominance analyses revealed that the SW-F system and IC system CT treatments were economically inefficient when compared with the IC system with MT and NT.