Crop Production Systems

Production Decisions
• Crop Selection
• Hybrid/Cultivar Selection
• Tillage for Weed Control and Seedbed Production
• Time and Method of Seeding
• Time and Method of Fertilizer Application
• Time and Method of Irrigation (if Used)
• Pest Management Operations
• Harvesting and Storage Methods

Crop Rotation
• Alternating Crops Grown on an Area of Land
– Can Be Annual Crops or Perennial Crops
– Usually some Sort of Rotation
– Soil Type will Determine what Crops can Be Included in a Rotation
– More Common when Fertilizers and Chemical Pest Controls less Available to
Producers
• Advantages
– Effective Pest Control
– Helps Maintain Soil N and Organic Residue Levels
– Different Rooting Habits Leave different Root Residues, Enhancing Soil Structure
and OM
– May Need less Chemical Pest Management
• Disadvantages
– Market Pricing and Government Programs
– Climate and Soil Factors
– Equipment
– Crop Failure
Continuous Cropping
• Only 1 Crop Grown Year after Year on a particular Piece of Land
• More Common now with Low-Cost Fertilizers and Chemical Pest Control
• May Be most Productive if Erosion Control Practices Used
• Advantages
– Only 1 Set of Machinery Needed, Producer can Become a Specialist
Disadvantages
– Greater Incidence of particular Pests

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 – More Pesticide and Fertilizer Use Required
Multiple Cropping Systems
 More than 1 Crop on a Unit of Land during a given Growing Season/Year
• Intercropping
– Growing 2 Crops in the same Field Simultaneously
– Used more in Subsistence Farming or in Vegetable Production
• Strip Intercropping
– Growing Crops in Alternate Strips along Contours or across the Prevailing
Direction of Wind
– Requires different Kinds of Tillage
• Double or Sequential Cropping
– Irrigation for 2nd Crop – Weed Competition
– Herbicide Carryover – Becoming more Common

Fallow System
• No Vegetation Grown for 1 or more Years
• Allows Soil to Store as much Precipitation as Possible
• Plant Residue Management Is Important
• Use Herbicides to Minimize Tillage which can Enhance Erosion
– Keep Soil Aggregates Large

Sustainable Agriculture
• Stewardship of both Human and Natural Resources
• A Production System that Reduces Amount of Purchased Inputs and Minimizes the
Negative Environmental Impact of Cropping Systems
• Key Factor Is to Maintain Long-Term Productivity and Provide Economic Value to
Producer
• Often Combines both Crop and Animal Production for Best Sustainability
• Soil Productivity Is Enhanced via ‘Organic’ Means
– Crop Rotations with Legumes – Farm Organic Wastes
– Using Crop Residues – Soil and Water Conservation
– Using Animal Wastes as Fertilizer
• Have Lower Input of Chemical and Non-Renewable Energy
– More Integrated Pest Management
• Using Cultural, Mechanical and Biological Controls when Effective
• Limit Use of Synthetic Pesticides
• With Proper Management, Crop Yields can Be Comparable to Yields of Conventional
Production
• Indirectly, Is an Approach that Moves Agricultural Production Closer to Natural
Ecosystem

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• Producer often Is a ‘Generalist’

Organic Farming
• A Type of Sustainable Farming that Prohibits or Extremely Limits the Use of
Synthetic (Manufactured) Agrochemicals
– Fertilizers – Growth Regulators
– Pesticides – Feed Additives
– Usually cannot Use Genetically-Engineered Species or Products
• Now Has National USDA Guidelines
• Generally Requires more Labor Input, more IPM to Be Profitable
• Generally less University-Based Research Available
• Growers Rely on Own Network of Producers and Related Publications
Organic Farming
• Market for ‘Organic’ Products Is Increasing
• Organic Growers not always ‘Sustainable’ from Standpoint of Minimizing Outside
Inputs

Advantages of Sustainable or Organic Agriculture

• Looks at whole Environment, Social Aspects of Agriculture
• Best at Conserving and Enhancing Soil Fertility and Quality
• Attempts to Minimize Use of Synthetic Inputs
• Closer to a Natural Ecosystem
• Opportunity to Grow/Produce Alternative Crops/Animals

Disadvantages of Sustainable or Organic Agriculture

• More Time, Knowledge and Labor Intensive
• Little to Limited Government Support
• More Diversity Required
• More Effort Required to Make Profitable

Soil Fertility Maintenance

• Can Be Done by Crop Rotations that include Legumes or Perennial Grasses
• Green Manure Crops can Temporarily Increase Fertility
• Crop Residue Management can Return Nutrients to Soil
• Soil Erosion Prevents Loss of Existing Soil and Nutrients
• In Organic Systems, Animal Wastes, other Organic Sources Added to System
• Need to Use Soil Tests to Identify Additional Nutrients Needed and Find Source
(Organic or otherwise) to Provide what Is Inadequate

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 Weed Control
• Non-Chemical Control
– Crop Rotations – Mulching with Crop Residues
– Cultivation – Biological Control via Predators
– Higher Crop Densities and Parasites
– Narrower Rows
• Conventional
– Based on Weed Species Present, Crop Being Grown and Knowledge of Economic
Threshold

Insect Control
• Cultural Controls can Help Reduce Insect Pest Problems
– Resistant or Tolerant Crops – Planting Dates
– Crop Rotations – Weed Control
– Crop Residue Management
• Biological Control Available for some Species
• Sulfur and Organic Insecticides can Be Used in Organic Production
• Conventional Chemical Control Best when Crop Monitoring Is Used and then
Combine Synthetic Insecticide with Cultural Controls

Disease Control
• Best Choice: Use Resistant and Tolerant Varieties
• Field Sanitation and Residue Management Important
• Sulfur Used as Preventive in some Crops
• Conventional Chemical Control Best when Crop Monitoring Is Used to specifically
Identify Disease and then Apply Fungicide to Control the Disease

Yield Levels
• Sustainable can Be Similar to Conventional
• Organic
– Usually Less than or equal to Conventional
– More Labor and Information Intensive than Conventional
– Lower Input Costs and Higher Market Price of Products
• Rate of Increase in Sustainable and Organic Farming Methods Depends on many
Factors
– Political – Social
– Economic