By Andi Anderson
For the Illinois Corn Precision Conservation Management (PCM) program's recent data analysis, no-till emerged as a consistently profitable choice with an average yield of 219 bushels per acre over the past eight years, despite lower power and direct costs.
The annual data publication from the Illinois Corn PCM program highlights trends and delves into the practices that distinguish the top 25% most profitable farms within the program.
PCM, a program of the Illinois Corn Growers Organization, helps farmers adopt conservation practices that are both financially and environmentally beneficial, assessing tillage, cover crops, and nutrient management.
“We work with farmers to help pull in their management data on a pass-by-pass basis and pull this into our platform and break this down from an economic standpoint and a sustainability standpoint," said Greg Goodwin, Director of the Precision Conservation Management Program. “We work to provide agronomy resources and expertise to help them understand any questions they may have related to making a practice change or things of that nature, or connect them to expertise when we aren't confident we're the right resource for them.”
Gary Schnitkey, an agricultural and consumer economics professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, helps break down the data.
The data from 2015-2023 reveals the impact of different tillage methods on yields and costs. The report focuses on farmers using no-till, one tillage pass, two tillage passes, and strip-till in east-central Illinois.
“One thing to note is 2021 and 2022 were profitable years,” said Schnitkey. “Those were the years of those high prices due to a number of factors. But the Ukraine conflict was one of those things that spiked those up. And now in 2023 we're sort of back to normal, we're back to levels that we were beforehand.”
No-Till ROI
Schnitkey says while one tillage pass often provides a slight yield advantage over no-till, additional tillage passes do not significantly increase yields and do increase costs.
From 2015 to 2023, no-till yielded an average of 219 bushels per acre, generating $944 per acre in revenue, with $432 per acre in direct costs and $108 per acre in power costs. Total non-land costs were $584 per acre, resulting in an operator and land return of $360.
In contrast, the one-pass system had higher direct costs at $437, with $116 in power costs and total non-land costs of $587, leading to an operator and land return of $365. The $360 land return in no-till was $5 lower than the 1-pass land return of $365.
Overall, the data suggests that while no-till methods result in slightly lower returns compared to a single tillage pass, they remain a cost-effective and sustainable option for many farmers.
The reduced costs and consistent yields make no-till an attractive choice for those looking to balance profitability with conservation.
Photo Credit: kinze-manufacturing
Categories: Illinois, Harvesting, Sustainable Agriculture