Table Of ContentThe Economics of
Conservation Tillage
in Alberta
An analysis of the costs and returns
of conservation tillage systems during the five-year
Systems Evaluation Program (1988 - 1992).
in 2016
https://archive.org/details/economicsofconseOOappl
THE ECONOMICS OF
CONSERVATION TILLAGE
IN ALBERTA
By Terry Appleby
October 1993
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This publication was not the product of a single person. Many people provided
help into its final look.
A s pecial thanks to Russel Horvey of the Conservation and Development Branch
for his inspiration to produce a p ublication highlighting the Systems Evaluation program.
Also for some of the ideas that were studied and reported about.
To Frank Jetter and Matthew Machielse of the Crop Production section of the
Production Economics Branch must also go a special word of appreciation: Matthew for
providing data about the costs and characteristics of conventional farm systems in the
province, Frank for providing very timely advice and wisdom about the aspects of direct
seeding.
Of course the study could not have been completed without the availability and
analysis of the data. A b ig thanks is g iven to Loren Yaremchuk for his help in analysing
the data and providing the information contained in the tables. I a lso want to recognize
the contribution of the Regional Soil Conservation Coordinators and agrologists who
have collected the data from producers during the past five years.
The biggest thanks of all must go to the producers who have been enrolled on the
program. The time they have set aside annually to provide information about their
operations has been most appreciated. Their commitment to the program has supplied
unique information about the conservation farming activities in the province. The result
of their commitment has been this publication.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
A. INIRODUCnON 1
B. WEAI HER 8c GROWING SEASON MOISTURE LEVELS 3
C. SYS LEMS EVALUAHON 5
D. IDENTIFYING CONSERVATION FARMING SYSTEMS 8
E. PROFILE OF A C ONSERVATION PRODUCER 10
F. CHANGING THE WAY TO FARM 12
G. THE MACHINERY COMPLEMENT IN CONSERVATION
TILLAGE 15
H. IS WEED CONTROL A P ROBLEM? - PRODUCER FEEDBACK 17
I. CONSERVATION FARMING SAVES PRODUCERS TIME 19
J. THE ECONOMICS OF CONSERVATION TILLAGE 23
K. SHOULD PRODUCERS MAKE A C HANGE TO
CONSERVATION TILLAGE? 25
L. CONCLUSIONS 28
APPENDIX
29
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A. INTRODUCTION
There is g rowing awareness that crop production practices must change if soil
productivity is to be preserved and enhanced. As a result many producers have
changed the way they farm. These changes have come with both economic and
management considerations. Farm managers need to be flexible, comfortable with
change, and prepared to accept more risk than in the past. In the area of economics
they have needed to assess their profit picture with yields, uncertain moisture levels
and field operation and machinery costs all changing.
This publication reviews the management and economic aspects associated with
changes occurring in conservation farming. It also provides information about the
attitudes and flexibility required by farm managers. And it p rovides an economic and
agronomic overview of the producers or cooperators involved in conservation farming
activities in Alberta in 1992.
A table is p resented that provides an overview of the number and types of
conservation systems in use in the province. The costs involved in conservation
farming systems producing wheat over the past five years are also provided.
All the data involved in this analysis and review originates from the Systems
Evaluation (SE) database. This database is updated annually and monitors farm
activities associated with conservation farming. Information about the agronomic
conditions of various farms and the field operations associated with tillage, crop
rotations and herbicide usage is collected annually. A thorough survey form is
completed each fall by participating farm managers and Regional Conservation and
Development Branch personnel.
The program began in 1988 as a subcomponent of the Canada Alberta Soil
Water and Cropping Research Technology Transfer (CAR 11) program. From an
initial four producers and seven fields enrolled in the program that year participation
levels have grown to 47 producers who enrolled 65 fields in 1992.
The SE program has two primary goals directed to the conservation farming
public: (1) economic efficiency - to measure the net economic returns per acre when
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farm cropping practices are changed; and (2) system description — to describe the
farming activities that are proving to be successful in addressing conservation farming
goals. Participating farm managers provide information and receive annual reports
that list the farm activities on their fields and provide a summary of the costs and
returns for their operation. Summaries are also provided about the costs and returns
of other participants in the province producing under similar crop conditions. The
information provided includes costs per acre for herbicides, field operations and
fertilizer usage.
In using this publication farm managers are advised to consider this information
as a supplement to that obtained from fellow producers or farm information sources.
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