Economics of flex-cropping in southwestern Saskatchewan

Abstract

The economic returns and riskiness of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production using fixed sequence rotations were compared to flexible cropping systems wherein the annual crop/fallow decisions are based on the level of available water at or near the time of planting. The study used 25 yr of data from a long-term crop rotation experiment conducted on a medium-textured, Orthic Brown Chernozemic soil at Swift Current, Saskatchewan. Fixed cropping systems included fallow-wheat (F-W), fallow-wheat-wheat (F-W-W), and continuous wheat (CW), while flex-cropping systems included 2YR-IF, 3YR-IF, and CW-IF. The study concluded that widespread use of flex-cropping practices by producers in southwestern Saskatchewan could increase farm-level net returns and reduce risks of financial loss, while potentially reducing soil degradation -from Authors