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ARS Home » Northeast Area » University Park, Pennsylvania » Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #429069
Research Project: Managing Water Resources to Foster the Sustainable Intensification of Agroecosystems in the Northeastern U.S.

Location: Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research

Title: Long-term economic returns to no-till adoption: Evidence from trials in the US Midwest

Author
item ZHANG, YIEFEI - North Carolina State University
item REJESUS, RODERICK - North Carolina State University
item Cavigelli, Michel
item White, Kathryn
item KNIGHT, LYNN - Retired ARS Employee
item Dell, Curtis
item LANE, ERIN - Forest Service (FS)
item SUHR-PIERCE, JULIE - Retired ARS Employee

Submitted to: Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/18/2026
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: No-till farming is effective in preventing soil erosion and can improve soil health and reduce production costs. However, long-term economic returns associated with no-till farming are not well established. This study compared 30 years of crop yield and input cost data from comparisons of no-till and conventional tillage at three research sites in Ohio and Michigan. Net profitability (economic returns minus production costs) was consistently reduced with no-till, indicating that no-till methods can provide farmers with both economic and environmental benefits.

Technical Abstract: No-till farming improves soil health and can increase farm profits, but national adoption remains low due to uncertainty about long-term economic returns. Using 30 years of plot-level field trial data from Ohio and Michigan, we estimate yield and input cost effects with site-by-crop fixed effects models and calculate net profitability via partial budgeting. Results show no-till consistently reduces operational costs and generates positive net returns relative to conventional chisel tillage, suggesting that long-term use of no-till farming has great potential to offer a significant positive impact on farmers' profitability.