43 research outputs found
Effects of precision farming, N rate, and temporal trends on wheat yield and productivity
Non-Peer Reviewe
Economic assessment of pulse crop rotations in western Canada
Non-Peer ReviewedPulse crops have become essential to farming practices in the Northern Great Plains, but little has been studied how rotation systems with different crop mixes affect the economic returns. Initiated in 2010, a four-year crop rotation study was repeated at Swift Current, Saskatchewan, and Brooks, Alberta to identify effective crop rotation length and frequency of pulses in a rotation and to evaluate the economic returns for individual crop and for the entire crop rotations in western Canada. Rotation systems that included one or two lentil crops in the 4-year sequence lead to greater and consistent revenue gains at all sites. Wheat monoculture resulted in the lowest net return due to higher cost and lower product prices compared with other crops in the rotation
Economics and science of hog manure handling and storage technologies
Non-Peer ReviewedHog production has been growing rapidly in Canada and this growth has created concerns over manure handling and the risk of soil and water contamination. There is limited information available to swine producers as to which technologies and manure management systems would best serve them both economically and environmentally. The objective of this study is to assess hog manure handling and storage systems and outline their environmental advantages and disadvantages. Five main technologies are reviewed which include (1) manure handling, (2) solid/liquid separation, (3) composting, (4) land application, and (5) manure storage. The average cost of hauling liquid manure within 2-3 mile distance is about 1.22 to 4.85 to 0.0039 to $0.0953 per gallon depending on availability of equipment and materials and additional costs may also required for adding a liner of clay. Other types of storage system generally cost higher but they might be more environmentally friendly. Operation and maintenance costs of manure storage is mainly limited with seasonal labor for agitation the waste, removal of sludge, and performing pump outs
Economics of mixed farming under rotational grazing with low input system
Non-Peer ReviewedThis study was conducted at the Manitoba Zero Tillage Research Farm (MZTRA) located 17.6 kilometres north of Brandon, Manitoba. The objective was to evaluate new farming systems designed to improve economic return, sequester carbon, and reduce inputs, energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions of mixed production systems. Yield and net revenue varied across MZTRA landscapes due to spatial and temporal variability of soil fertility and biophysical properties. Relative to studies with conservation tillage in the Canadian Prairies, producers can expect to achieve higher crop yields with most crops under zero tillage. Compared to crop yields reported for conventional tillage (CT) in Thin Black soil zone of Saskatchewan, spring wheat was 11 to 32% higher, winter wheat 41 to 66% higher, pea 27% higher, and flax was comparable. There were no significant differences in total input cost among annual crop rotation. Our results indicated that small-scale mixed crop and livestock operations had higher operating costs, the success of which depended on animal and environmental conditions as well as management. Hay and grazing systems also had higher risk. Among annual crops, although net revenue was higher for canola and peas, risk was also higher due to higher net revenue variation for these two crops. The findings showed that the use of zero tillage with low inputs has the potential to save energy use and improve energy use efficiency. The use of zero tillage provided significant energy savings (compared to CT reported by Zentner et al. (2004)) in on-farm use of fuel and in machine operation and manufacture. The ratio of grain, oilseed and pea yield to emission of CO2 (kg yield per kg CO2 emitted) varied considerably between crops. This ratio was similar for winter wheat and spring wheat, but not for canola and flax. Canola ratios were higher than flax (2.03 compare to 1.92 kg of flax). Peas had a higher ratio (8.47 kg), due to low fertilizer rates. Alfalfa had the highest ratio (17.8 kg yield kg CO2, due to low inputs of fertilizer and pesticides. Overall the crops and rotations studied were highly energy efficient and reduced the calculated contribution of GHGs to the environment especially when legume and N-fixing crops were incorporated
Modelling soil dynamics and the effect of nitrogen levels on potato yield function
Non-Peer ReviewedCrop yield is maximized when optimal levels of nutrients, water, and other inputs are available to the crop and the influence of disease and weeds has been minimized. While each crop has differing responses to nutrient availability, modelling soil dynamics and the effect of nitrogen levels on potato yield is very important. The objective of this study was to model several environmental components of potato yield function including soil characteristics and organic matter content, soil nitrogen, temperature component, moisture component, solum and nitrogen mineralization, nitrogen fertilizer, and nitrogen sufficiency. The interaction of these components
with moisture availability and nitrogen sufficiency was shown to impact potato yield
The economics of potato crop rotations in southern Manitoba
Non-Peer ReviewedRapid expansion of the potato industry in Manitoba has led to increased potato
production in Manitoba. While the introduction of potatoes into current cropping systems
may provide an opportunity for producers to increase the profitability of their farming
operation, development of economically and environmentally sustainable production
systems is key to the long-term success of the industry. Currently, little information is
available about the economic and environmental impacts of such crop rotations with
respect to potato production in Canada. Recognizing the importance of sustainable
production systems, in 1998, a potato crop rotation study was established at Manitoba
Crop Diversification Center (MCDC) at Carberry to develop recommendations for
irrigated potato management in southern Manitoba. Six crop rotations ranging from two
to four years in duration, and containing potatoes in combination with oilseed, cereal
and/or legume crops, were included in this study. Each phase of each rotation was present
in each year making a total of 18 treatments. This paper discusses the economic return of
these six different crop rotations. The data with respect to all the production practices,
including storage, transport and marketing for the period of 1998 to 2001 were collected
and analyzed using a computer model developed for this purpose. Econometrics View
software was used to develop this model, and the model takes into account the whole
system for each rotation when analyzing the data. The preliminary results suggest that,
for the period of 1999 through 2000, both potato-canola and potato-oat-wheat rotations
appeared to be promising rotations. However, the poor potato yield of the potato-oatwheat
rotation in 2001 resulted in low average net income for that rotation. The higher
net benefit of the potato-canola rotation during the time period analyzed was primarily
the result of a higher proportion of the tuber yield being of marketable size, not for higher
gross tuber or canola yields. It is, however, difficult to make firm conclusions at this
point of time as to which rotation will be most profitable in the long term. This is mainly
because of the rotation treatments have only been in place since 1998 and, as such,
observed differences among rotations may be a function not only of the rotation but also
of environmental conditions and management within a given year
Impact of tillage system, preceding crops, and P fertilizer on economic performance of flax production
Non-Peer ReviewedConservation farming is a system approach that considers all factors that affect production. Reduced tillage is one of the methods of conservation farming and is becoming increasingly popular on the prairie. This will impact directly on nutrient availability and on fertilizer and other chemical management decisions. Phosphorus (P) supply, and its availability in early stages of plant growth, is critical to the determination of optimum crop yield. Producers frequently avoid P application in flax and increase the P supply in the preceding crops since flax is very sensitive to seed-placed applications of monoammonium phosphate. Along with supplying residual P, a preceding crop such as wheat and canola may also have different impacts on yield and performance of flax depending upon its association with mycorrhizae. Since flax is a highly mycorrhizal crop, it is possible that mycorrhizal associations could be responsible for part of the
positive response that flax shows in zero-till systems and the limited P response observed in recent studies. If so then P fertility requirements in flax could be greatly affected by the tillage system and by whether the preceding crop was mycorrhizal or not. Phosphorus fertilization could possibly be reduced or eliminated in flax grown in zero-till following a mycorrhizal crop and optimized in flax grown under conventional tillage management. By more clearly defining the P requirements of flax, canola and wheat grown under different management systems, it is possible to reduce inputs while maintaining or improving crop yield and quality. While many research studies have evaluated the economic impact of tillage systems on N fertility requirements, there has been very limited information available on the economic impact of
tillage management and P phytoavailability or on the impact of the tillage system and past phosphorus fertilizer management on phosphorus response of crops. The objective of this study is to evaluate the economic impact of flax on tillage system, P fertilizer application, preceding crop, and level of P fertilizer applied in preceding crop
Contribution of legume preceding crops to improve economic and non-renewable energy use efficiency of canola production
Non-Peer Reviewe
Economics of preceding crops and nitrogen application rates for canola and barley production in western Canada
Non-Peer ReviewedThe objective of this study was to evaluate the economic effects of a range of legume and non-legume preceding crops and N rates on costs and net revenue (NR) of canola (Brassica napus L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and canola-barley rotation under various environmental conditions. Legumes such as field pea (Pisum sativum L.) and lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) as preceding crop generated higher net revenues for the following crops canola and barley than when wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and canola were the preceding crops. Although faba bean (Vicia faba L.) grown as a green manure produced the highest annual net revenues for the following crops canola and barley, this contribution was not enough to compensate for the loss of income during the green manure production year. Therefore, growing faba bean as a green manure was not economical. Response of net revenue to N rates was mainly linear or quadratic, and N was optimal at 60 to 90 kg ha-1 at most sites. The results indicate that growing legumes for seed prior to canola can increase net revenues of canola and subsequent barley