Economics of Soil Health Systems
Through a cooperative agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), NACD and the Soil Health Institute (SHI) worked to assess, demonstrate and communicate the economic benefits of various soil health practices on a range of different operations.
To accomplish these goals, NACD and SHI interviewed 30 producers, including 25 NACD Soil Health Champions across the nation on the economics of soil health management systems (SHMS) across a range of different crop types, soil types, geographies, weather patterns, management practices and more. Click the StoryMap to browse the project participants based on geographic distribution. Individual fact sheets can be accessed on SHI’s Economics Webpage.
Access the Executive Summary here.
Executive Summary
Key findings from the soil health management systems research included:
- On average, after implementing a SHMS, it cost producers $14/acre less to grow corn, $7/acre less to grow soybean, and $16/acre less to grow all other crops.
- Adopting a SHMS not only reduced expenses, but also increased net farm income.
- Across 29 farms, SHMS increased net farm income by an average of $65/acre.
- Yield increases due to SHMS were reported for 42% of farms growing corn, 32% of farms growing soybean, and 35% of farms growing other crops.
- Cover crop seed costs averaged $21/acre for corn, $16/acre for soybean, and $25/acre when used with other crops.
- Four farms grazed cover crops, allowing them to increase revenue by an average of $26/acre.
- Additional reported benefits of adopting SHMS included decreased erosion and soil compaction, earlier access to fields in wet years, and increased resilience to extreme weather, among other benefits.
At A Glance – Producer Summary
| City, State | NACD Region | Crop Type | Soil Type | |
| Farm 1 | Georgetown, DE | Northeast | corn, soybean, lima beans, poultry, flowers | sandy loam |
| Farm 2 | Keota, IA | North Central | corn, soybean | silty clay loam |
| Farm 3 | Poulan, GA | Southeast | corn, cotton, peanut, cattle, hogs | clay loam |
| Farm 4 | Twin Falls, ID | Pacific | corn, winter wheat, dried bean, alfalfa, barley | silt loam |
| Farm 5 | Tonkawa, OK | South Central | soybean, grain sorghum, winter wheat, cattle | loam soil types |
| Farm 6 | Madison, SD | Northern Plains | alfalfa, oats, soybean, corn, cattle | silt loam |
| Farm 7 | Laurel, DE | Northeast | corn, soybean, vegetables, watermelon, poultry | sandy loam |
| Farm 8 | Arcadia, IN | North Central | corn, soybean, hogs | clay |
| Farm 9 | Haxtun, CO | Southwest | winter wheat, rye, winter peas, chickpeas, oats, flax | silt loam |
| Farm 10 | Scotts Hill, TN | Southeast | corn, soybean | silty clay loam |
| Farm 11 | Athens, AL | Southeast | cotton, soybean, wheat | sandy loam to clay |
| Farm 12 | Pipestone, MN | North Central | corn, soybean, forages, cattle, alfalfa | silty clay loam |
| Farm 13 | Cashton, WI | North Central | corn, alfalfa, oats, dairy cows | clay loam |
| Farm 14 | Waseca, MN | North Central | corn, soybean, cattle, small grains | silty clay loam |
| Farm 15 | Reinbeck, IA | Southeast | corn, soybean | silty clay loam |
| Farm 16 | Elkmont, AL | Southeast | cotton, corn, soybean, winter wheat, broilers | silt loam |
| Farm 17 | Saint John, WA | Pacific | winter wheat, spring wheat, canola, alfalfa | silt loam |
| Farm 18 | Kingstree, SC | Southeast | corn, soybean | sandy loam to fine sand |
| Farm 19 | Pemberville, OH | North Central | corn, soybean, winter wheat, barley, hogs | clay |
| Farm 20 | Postville, IA | North Central | corn, soybean | silty clay loam |
| Farm 21 | Clayton, MI | North Central | corn, soybean, alfalfa, dairy cows, rye | silty clay loam |
| Farm 22 | Greenwood, MS | Southeast | soybean, cotton | sandy loam to clay |
| Farm 23 | Electra, TX | South Central | cotton, winter wheat, grain sorghum, canola, corn, sesame, cattle | various soil types |
| Farm 24 | Colusa, CA | Pacific | walnut orchard | silty clay loam |
| Farm 25 | Claypool, IN | North Central | corn, soybean, wheat | silty loam to heavy clay |
| Farm 26 | Charleston, MS | Southeast | soybean | clay to sandy |
| Farm 27 | Buhl, ID | Pacific | spring wheat, dried bean, corn, cattle, popcorn | sandy and silt loam |
| Farm 28 | Headland, AL | Southeast | cotton, peanut, wheat, oat, triticale, grass hay | clay to sandy |
| Farm 29 | Wasco, OR | Pacific | winter wheat, sunflower | silt loam |
| Farm 30 | Dillon, SC | Southeast | corn, soybean, yellow pea | sandy loam |
Video Playlist
Soil Health Management Systems in the Delaware River Watershed
With a grant from the William Penn Foundation and in consultation with local conservation districts, NACD conducted interviews with three farmers implementing SHMS in the Northeast Region’s Delaware River Watershed. The interviews assessed the impact of adopting conservation practices like no-till production and cover cropping on net farm income and the water quality and health of the surrounding watershed. With support from SHI, fact sheets and videos for each of the three farms were created to support soil health training, education, and outreach both regionally and nationally.
Learn more in the Economics of Soil Health Systems in the Delaware River Watershed report which includes summaries and fact sheets for each farmer.
All three farms experienced positive soil health outcomes after implementing a SHMS, summarized in the table below. In addition to increases in net farm income, other benefits reported by the farmers include improved water infiltration, increased soil organic matter, reduced soil compaction and erosion, and increased resilience to drought stress.
At A Glance – Producer Summary
| Mitchell Jones Farm | Hicks Brothers IV Farm | Deerfoot Farm | |
| Location | Warren County, NJ | Kennett Square, PA | Burkes County, PA |
| Crop Type | Corn and soybeans | Corn and soybeans | Soybeans and wheat |
| SHMS | No-till and cover crops | No-till and cover crops | No-till and cover crops |
| Results | Decreased costs of production for corn and soybeans while increasing corn yield | Increased profitability by increasing soybean yield in rotation with corn | Increased profitability by increasing soybean and wheat yields |
| Net Farm Income | Increased $22.13/acre for corn and $9.52/acre for soybeans | Increased $34.37/acre for the farm in a 50% corn and 50% soybean/wheat double crop rotation | Increased $63.21/acre for the farm in a soybean and wheat rotation |