ABSTRACT

The operating cost and revenue data from the 7 tillage systems in a whole farm net returns analysis indicated that the Delta farm (1800 acre) had approximately twice the Northeast Mississippi farm (1200 acre) whole farm net returns with all tillage and crop mix systems. The 50% cotton/corn rotation maximized whole farm net returns for both Delta and Northeast Mississippi farms. This crop acreage-mix for both farms indicated all of the reduced tillage systems showed more whole farm net returns than the conventional tillage system. Net returns for ridge-till Fb do-all (row conditioner, applied at planting) and the fall disk + paratill-bed-roller Fb do-all were similar with the highest whole farm net returns for both farms. Both of these systems showed at least 7% more than the fall disk + bed-roller Fb do-all system and 10% more than fall terratill-bed-roller Fb do-all system for both farms. These systems also had 40 and 28% higher net return than conventional tillage for the Northeast and Delta farms, respectively.