Economic Advantage of No-Tilling Winter Forages for Stocker Grazing

The stocker cattle grazing enterprise in the Southern Plains regions of the United States is an important economic activity. The objective of the study was to determine the difference in the expected net return of a no-till forage establishment system relative to the intensive clean-till establishment system typically used in the region. Results show a reduction in fuel, lube, repairs and labor expenses, and fixed machinery costs of the conventionaltill system outweigh the expenses associated with herbicide and herbicide application of the no-till system. Over the eight-year duration of the study, the no-till system realized an average of 11 greater days of grazing compared to the conventional-till system. The expected net return of the no-till establishment system was $36.44 per acre greater than the conventionaltill system; however, this economic advantage is sensitive to relative differences in cattle performance between systems. It is also sensitive to the price of herbicide and price of diesel fuel