By rethinking their system from the bottom up, they have recognized that crop rotation can play a larger role in their operations. But they rarely cover the human side. For example, farmers report that by zero tilling they spend less time in the tractor cab and more time planning their cropping system and capturing important market information. And then there's the time that always seems to be in short supply - family time. Increasing net returns requires identifying the factors most limiting farm profit.
Water is less limiting in zero tillage.
But, as Figure 3 shows, there is little sense in filling the barrel with water only to have it cascade out because of a weakness elsewhere in the system. Gaining an economic advantage is a lot like setting a combine. A new and improved combine provides the potential to harvest and save more, but if it is not properly adjusted, economics could be worse than staying with the old one. Zero till is the thoroughbred of tillage systems. Decision making is intensified and information needs are great.