Profit and risk analysis of alternative no-till and conventional tillage crop rotation systems in east central South Dakota

This study summarizes key economic results from 10 different no-till (NT) crop rotations and two conventional tillage (CT) corn-soybean rotations based on agronomic data (2001 – 2012) from a long-term crop rotation experiment conducted by the North Central Agricultural Research Laboratory located in Brookings County, which lies in the East-Central region of South Dakota. A 1200 acre model crop farm was constructed for farm management budget and simulation analyses. Results indicate: (1) the CT rotation had the highest average net returns, but higher risk were also involved, (2) several four-crop NT rotations were preferred as producer risk aversion increased, and (3) diversification is a key risk management tool.