Soybeans Today January 2001

Alternative crop rotations give producers more flexibility

by Fred Miller

New crop rotation systems may give Arkansas producers greater flexibility and sustainable profits in a tough agricultural economy, said Merle Anders, cropping systems researcher at the Rice Research and Extension Center near Stuttgart.

"The Right to Farm Act aims to make producers more responsive to markets," Anders said. "Our objective is to give producers more flexibility in rotations that allows them to be responsive while maintaining profitability and natural resources."

The long-term integrated study examines the benefits of new crop rotation systems for soybeans, rice, corn and wheat. It covers tillage,fertility, varieties and genetics on 360 test plots, Anders said.

Each rotation sequence is duplicated with conventional and no-till plots, normal and high fertility soil treatments and two crop varieties. The project is in its second year and is funded in part by the Rice Research and Promotion Board, the Soybean Promotion Board, the Wheat Promotion Board and the Corn and Grain Sorghum Promotion Board.

"We should have some recommendations for the conventional till rotations after this season," he said. "This is the first season we could run o-till plots, but we should have recommendations for no-till after next year's rotations."

Anders has high hopes for the no-till sequences because he said declining organic matter in Arkansas demands careful management of resources.

"Fertilizer is costly and less efficient when organic matter is low," he said. "There are good long-term benefits to conservation tillage, especially in the maintenance of organic matter in the soil.

"You can't beat the resource to death, you have to take care of it," he said. "But how do you do it while maintaining profitability? That's what we're trying to find out."

Although Anders has no recommendations yet, he said some results are becoming clear.

"We're beginning to see that variety selection is going to make all the difference in yields, especially for no-till rotations," he said. "For example, the Arkansas rice variety Wells surpasses other varieties when grown in no-till rotation with other crops."

Anders has designed the study to encompass as many climate and environmental influences as possible, and the broad scope of the project yields a lot of data to record and analyze.

"It's a challenge at the end of the day to sort out what we did," he said, "but the long-term benefits will support a sustainable agricultural economy for Arkansas."

Soybeans Today January 2001
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