AN ECONOMIC COMPARISON OF THE WHEAT-FALLOW AND WHEAT-SORGHUM-FALLOW CROPPING SYSTEMS

Dryland wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in the central or southern Great Plains is typically grown in the wheat-fallow (WF) cropping system. Th e WF system produces only one crop in 2 yr. When wheat is grown in rot ation with grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench) in the wheat-so rghum-fallow (WSF) system, two crops in 3 yr are produced. An economic analysis was conducted using grain yields collected from 1987 to 1991 at Garden City, KS, to determine whether the WF or the WSF system was the most profitable and to evaluate the impact of the current governm ent program (1990 Farm Act) on the selection of a cropping system. Con ventional- (CT), reduced- (RT), minimum- (MT), and no-tillage (NT) tre atments in the WF system were compared with CT, RT, and NT in WSF with and without government program participation. With program participat ion, comparisons were made with four different acreage reduction (ACR) levels (0, 5, 10, and 15%) and two different wheat base acreage level s (50 and 60%). Although participation and provisions of the governmen t program affected returns, rankings of the various cropping systems w ere not greatly affected. Both WSFRT and WSFNT returned more than all WF systems except WFRT as the number of harvested WF acres declined wi th increasing ACR at 50% base. With 50% wheat base acres and 0% ACR an d with 60% wheat base acres at all levels of ACR, the returns from WSF RT and WSFNT were not significantly higher than WFRT returns. Returns from the WFCT, WFRT, WFMT, and WSFCT did not differ significantly. We concluded that the WSFRT and WSFNT cropping systems will produce more income than the traditional WF system and that the current government program should not influence selection of a cropping system.