Diverse crop rotations boost productivity and profits in Northern Great Plains.
Increasing crop diversity in farming systems can improve sustainability and profitability. A study in North Dakota compared different crop rotations over 12 years. Rotations with more crop diversity were more productive and profitable than those with fewer crops. Even though some rotations had higher production costs, the overall economic returns were better with diverse rotations. This suggests that using a variety of crops can help maintain or increase crop productivity while making farming more economically viable.