The cotton acreage in Southeast Missouri has increased over the past ten years. As the acreage has increased so has the interest in minimum tillage cotton systems. The primary minimum tillage system has been ridge tillage. The objective of this paper is to compare the costs and returns of ridge tillage to conventional tillage cotton systems in Southeast Missouri. A second objective is to measure the profitability and financial efficiency of the two tillage systems. To compare the costs and returns of the two tillage systems, a budget generator was used. The tillage operations were based on common tillage practices used by farmers in Southeast Missouri. Products and application rates of direct inputs were based on recommendations by University extension cotton specialists. The results indicated that ridge tillage had a greater return to specified expenses. The financial ratios indicated that ridge tillage was more profitable and more efficient with the resources used. Ridge tillage offers many economic advantages because of its smaller investment in equipment and direct inputs. Advantages are the result of the eliminating many of the pre-plant and post-plant tillage operations.