Economics of dryland cropping systems in the great plains: A review

Dryland wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in the Great Plains generally is planted in a wheat- fallow (WF) rotation. Wheat grown in rotation with a summer row crop like corn (Zea mays L.), sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], or sunflower [Helianlhus annuus var. macrocarpus (DC,) Ck11.] increases cropping intensity, allowing a crop to be produced annually on 67 to 100% of tillable acres. A review of economic analyses of dryland cropping systems in the Great Plains was conducted to compare net returns, production costs, financial risk, and compatibility with the 1990 Farm Bill. Seven of eight studies reported that net returns were greater from a more intensive crop rotation than from WF when reduced-tillage (RT) or no-till (NT) were used following wheat harvest and prior to the summer crop planting, With government program payments, WF was more profitable with conventional tillage (CT) than with NT. Production costs increased as cropping intensity increased and tillage decreased. Economic risk analysis showed that wheat-sorghum-fallow (WSF) was less risky than WF in Kansas. Cropping systems using more intensive rotations with less tillage had higher production costs than WF, but also had increased net returns and reduced financial risk, while remaining in compliance with 1990 Farm Bill provisions.