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Long-term ag research keys in on profitability 

An extension educator says research comparing the profitability of different management systems should help farmers better adapt to weather and market volatility.

Christine Charles has been studying profitability outcomes from Michigan State University’s Long-Term Agroecosystem Project for the past three years.

“We’re finding that even when our corn hasn’t yielded as much in the aspirational system, we are still more profitable in that corn because our input costs are lower, and in 2024, we did actually yield more on the corn side,” she shares.

Charles says the drought this season will be a good test of how no-till, cover crops, and additional rotations impact crop health.

“There’s still a little bit of season to go with corn and beans, but we are seeing our corn dry down be a little bit more consistent across the field in aspirational systems as opposed to our business issues,” she says.

She says over time, the gap in returns between conventional corn and soybeans and an aspirational system, which also includes wheat, forages, and canola, has been narrowing.

Charles says the research will also guide more specific and relevant soil health recommendations for the region.

Brownfield interviewed Charles during the MSU LTAR Annual Field Day at the Kellogg Biological Station in Hickory Corners.