Tillage 296 Agronomy Journal  Volume 101, Issue 2  2009 Published in Agron. J. 101:296–304 (2009). doi:10.2134/agronj2008.0090x Copyright © 2009 by the American Society of Agronomy, 677 South Segoe Road, Madison, WI 53711. All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. A lthough no-till has been successful in warmer, drier areas, there are continued challenges with its use on heavy soils in cool, wet areas of the U.S. northern Corn Belt. From 1994–2004, NT adoption has ranged from 2.5 to 3.8% of planted cropland in Minnesota (CTIC, 2008), where use of intensive tillage, including MP tillage is common (Napier and Tucker, 2001). Strip tillage has been developed as an alterna- tive that may provide many of the conservation benefts of NT while maintaining productivity and economic returns (Vetsch and Randall, 2002; Vetsch et al., 2007). Efects of tillage on crop yields in a corn and soybean rotation vary considerably. Yield reductions have ofen been noted for NT relative to MP or CP treatments, particularly for soils with root-restricting tillage pans (Camp et al., 1984; Busscher et al., 2006) or for poorly drained soils and cool climates (Archer et al., 2008; Brown et al., 1989; Chase and Dufy, 1991; West et al., 1996; Vetsch and Randall, 2004; Al-Kaisi and Yin, 2004). Strip till- age systems were developed for use in the Southeastern United States as a method to manage soil compaction in Coastal Plain soils by combining deep tillage with crop residue cover (Harden et al., 1978; Busscher and Sojka, 1987). Strip tillage systems were proposed for cooler, wetter locations based on observations that removal of crop residue from a strip over the row may increase early-season soil temperatures and subsequent corn yields (Kaspar et al., 1990). For Coastal Plain soils in the Souteastern United States, ST generally results in higher yields than conventional tillage (Edwards et al., 1988; Ewing et al., 1991; Hunt et al., 2004). However, observed yield impacts for ST systems in the northern Corn Belt have been inconsistent. Vetsch and Randall (2004) observed ST corn yields were intermediate to and not signifcantly di ferent from CP and NT corn yields in a corn-soybean rotation in south-central Minnesota. Vyn and Raimbault (1992) observed lower corn yields under ST than MP on silt loam and clay loam soils for a continuous corn system in Ontario; however, ST resulted in yields not signifcantly di ferent from CP and higher than NT for some years on a sandy loam soil. Al-Kaisi and Licht (2004) observed that a fall ST treatment resulted in higher corn yield than NT for one of four site-years in Iowa. Similar to grain yields, the economic performance of corn and soybean under NT varies with soil type and climate condi- tions, with generally better performance noted for well-drained soils and warmer climates (Yin and Al-Kaisi, 2004; Al-Kaisi and Yin, 2004; Pendell et al., 2006), and poorer performance for poorly drained soils and cooler climates (Yin and Al-Kaisi, 2004; Al-Kaisi and Yin, 2004; Yiridoe et al., 2000; Chase and Dufy, 1991). Vetsch et al. (2007) observed NT and ST net returns were comparable with net returns under full-width tillage systems for a tile-drained clay loam soil in south-central Minnesota. However, efects of tillage system on economic risk were not evaluated in the foregoing analyses. Klemme (1985) evaluated economic risk for MP, CP, NT, and ridge-till systems for a corn-soybean rotation in Indiana, showing that MP and CP dominated NT for all risk-averse producers unless ABSTRACT While no-till (NT) cropping systems can provide conservation benefts in the northern Corn Belt, adoption has been low due to concerns about potential yield reductions and economic risk. Strip-tillage (ST) systems have been proposed as an alternative that may provide many of the conservation benefts of NT while maintaining productivity and economic returns. Te objectives of this study were to evaluate the efects of NT and fve ST alternatives: fall residue management (Fall RM), Fall RM + ST, spring residue management (Spring RM), Spring RM + ST, and Fall RM + Subsoil, relative to conventional moldboard plow (MP) and chisel plow (CP) tillage systems on corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] yields and economic risks and returns. Average yields over the 7-yr study were not signifcantly di ferent among tillage systems, but average net returns for NT, Fall RM, and Spring RM were $85, 92, and 53 ha -1 higher, respectively, than for MP. Risk analysis showed tillage system prefer- ences ranked as: Fall RM > NT > Fall RM + ST > Spring RM + ST, Spring RM > CP > Fall RM + Subsoil > MP for risk neutral or risk averse producers facing uncertain yield, crop price, and input price conditions. Tus, ST and NT may be economically viable alternatives to conventional tillage systems for corn and soybean production in the northern Corn Belt. D.W. Archer, USDA-Agric. Res. Serv., Northern Great Plains Res. Lab., P.O. Box 459, 1701 10th Avenue SW, Mandan, ND 58554; D.C. Reicosky, USDA-Agric. Res. Serv., North Central Soil Conserv. Res. Lab, 803 Iowa Ave., Morris, MN 56267. Received 12 Sept. 2008. *Corresponding author (david.archer@ars.usda.gov). Abbreviations: CE, certainty equivalent; CP, chisel plow; Fall RM, fall resi- due management; LDP, loan defciency payment; MP, moldboard plow; MVE, multivariate empirical distribution; NT, no-till; RA, risk aversion; SERF, sto- chastic efciency with respect to a function; Spring RM, spring residue man- agement; ST, strip-tillage. Economic Performance of Alternative Tillage Systems in the Northern Corn Belt David W. Archer* and Donald C. Reicosky