Net Returns from 12 Cropping Systems Containing Sugarbeet and Navy Bean

Abstract

Considerable research has been conducted evaluating yield relationships among crops in various rotations and cropping systems. To compare cropping systems of different lengths of rotation and with different crops, however, a common measurement is needed. This paper evaluates annual net return to land and unallocated resources (ANR) from various cropping systems containing sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris L.), navy bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), corn (Zea mays L.), oat (Avena sativa L.), and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). Gross returns using representative crop prices are calculated for each cropping system for yield data from a 15-yr cropping systems study conducted on a Misteguay silty clay soil in the Saginaw Valley of Michigan. Costs in 1991 dollars of agricultural inputs, machinery ownership, repairs, maintenance, fuel, and wages are used to calculate expenses. ANR is calculated by subtracting pre- and postharvest operating costs plus machinery ownership costs from gross income for two farm sizes and two sugarbeet prices. With sugarbeet priced at $36/ton, systems with the greatest proportion of sugarbeet and also including navy bean have the highest ANR. The relative ranking of a cropping system's ANR did not change appreciably when farm size increased from 600 to 1000 acres. A sensitivity analysis shows that sugarbeet priced at or below $18/ton caused the relative ranking of the systems to shift and navy bean to become a more dominant factor in the ANR of these systems. While short rotations for sugarbeet and navy bean production may result in lower crop yields, the high economic return of these crops is probably the major reason growers do not employ longer rotations