For years our organization has been encouraging a systems approach to make direct seeding an even more profitable experience. Crop rotations are the basis of this approach. The art of establishing a good rotation is fundamental to the science of direct seeding in that it influences every other aspect of the system. For instance, a good crop rotation will effectively catch and use water and convert it into the greatest profit potential coupled with an acceptable risk level. Dwayne Beck, from the Dakota Lakes Research Farm in South Dakota, indicates that observing the native vegetation in your farming area can aid in the development of a good crop sequence with proper rotation intensity.
Native plants reflect the precipitation, the temperature and the soil quality of a given area.
Beck describes rotation intensity as the demand for water within a given rotation. Inclusion of high water use crops such as alfalfa will increase the intensity. Thus in drier areas, for example the brown soil zone, including both high and low water use crops is desirable. In wetter areas such as the black and gray soil zones, more high water use crops should be included. If fields are consistently too dry, the rotation intensity is too high.