Why crops may not be best for underperforming acres

It might be difficult to consider “messy” fields as a pathway to improved crop production and profitability.

But in the early going, a Prairie-wide university-developed research project suggests taking poor-producing acres out of annual crop production might be a means of improving overall efficiency, as well as the all-important bottom line.

And an “informed guess” based on early research data suggests that across Western Canada, up to 12-15 per cent of farm fields perform at marginal levels — not totally below the profitability line, but not producing consistently high returns.

And recent figures from Manitoba Agriculture show the total cost — that is, operating and fixed costs — of growing crops has climbed, from around $300-$500 per acre in 2018 to about $500-$800 per acre in 2023. So taking less productive acres out of production could be a significant cost-saver.

Rather than seed every acre fencepost to fencepost with a canola or cereal crop, lead researcher Paul Galpern suggests the lower-yielding acres be taken out of annual crop production. Seed them to forages or let them grow as natural areas, or wildlife habitat, for example.

That’s where the term “messy” applies to fields, Galpern says. “It is not going to look as neat as a solid crop stand. In some respects you are going to have these messy fields with areas with irregular boundaries that are growing forages, perhaps even shrubs or a shelterbelt.”

So that’s the idea, but what are the benefits? As the research work unfolds, there might be several, Galpern told about 500 producers attending the recent CrossRoads Crop Conference in Calgary.

First, by identifying unprofitable acres, you can save on inputs by not seeding a crop into them.

Also, however, by having such mini-buffer zones in and around the field, it can produce several indirect benefits to the productivity of surrounding canola or cereal crops.

“Research indicates it is a win-win proposition,” Galpern says, “a win for profitability and a win for sustainability.”

Galpern, an associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Calgary, has been studying unprofitable acres for some time.

Now, he and researchers at the University of Saskatchewan have created the Prairie Precision Sustainability Network (PPSN) to study the idea of taking those acres out of annual crop production and seeding them to perennial forage stands or natural areas at the farm level.

More producers welcome

The network now works with about 70 producers across Western Canada and welcomes more to join the research project.

In 2022-23, the research covered about 660,000 acres, on farms ranging in size from 900 to 45,000 acres.

On a confidential basis, producers provide crop yield data and the network matches that with satellite imagery, ultimately producing maps for individual farms and fields.

By combining grower harvest data and satellite imagery, PPSN is building a model that will predict future yields on low-production areas, by individual fields.

“We are analyzing unproductive field zones over multiple years, accounting for variations in crop, weather and markets,” Galpern says. “Our research will provide insights across thousands of fields and multiple years, leading to better-informed decisions and preparedness for future challenges.”

Participating producers receive a Marginal Area Map and a Marginal Area Report from the network’s agricultural economist, outlining options for improving the profitability of the operation now and into the future.

The research project doesn’t require farmers to do anything, but the information on unprofitable acres is there, if farmers want to develop a plan that fits their operation, which may include taking those acres out of annual crops.

Producers interested in getting involved or learning more can visit the PPSN website. There is lots of information posted and producers can connect with Andrea Astieford or Tamara McLoughlin, grower-co-operator liaisons who will be able to answer questions.

The benefits package

Saving on input costs by not seeding, say, 10 acres of less-productive farmland is an obvious benefit to a producer, but the concept has other perhaps less obvious or more indirect benefits, Galpern says.

If, for example, those 10 acres are seeded to perennial forages, there’s potential for the forage itself to have a value as a hay crop. But Galpern’s research shows these forage patches or messy areas can provide benefits to surrounding crops.

It’s described as the halo effect — a benefit that ripples out away from the forage stand into an adjacent crop.

For example, that 10-acre messy area can become a sanctuary or habitat for beneficial insects, such as more than 325 species of bees, wasps, spiders and beetles.

“These beneficial insects can improve crop pollination or provide natural predators for biological control of pests that can infect the crop,” Galpern says. “Our studies have shown that within that halo effect zone, that canola had a higher yield than crop that was protected by bee-blocking cages.”

The most improved yield was within about 25 metres of the forage stand.

And while the messy area becomes a safe haven for beneficial insects, the research also showed it did not serve as such a haven for crop pests.

These forage areas can also help with water storage and regulation, provide habitat for birds and other forms of wildlife, and help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, serving as sites for carbon storage.

“Establishing these perennial forage sites can help reduce the risk of producing greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide, and also can serve as carbon sinks,” Galpern says. “And there are companies now working with producers to compensate them for measures such as these which benefit the environment. It may not be a huge return but it is one more benefit these messy areas can provide.”

Ducks Unlimited, for one, also has programs available to help farmers manage marginal cropland.

Galpern says the research project presents a challenge to traditional thinking. “Let’s call it what it is,” he says. “Non-crop vegetation can be messy. European farmers have been creating messy landscapes on their farms for years, with research showing the halo effect does produce benefits to the crop.

“The practice also helps improve the sustainability of the farming operation, which is something farmers today are looking for, and is also important to the agriculture industry as well as consumers.”

– Lee Hart is a field editor for Grainews.