What are the advantages and disadvantages of crop rotation ?
List of Pros:
- Improves soil conditions
Crop rotation can make a big difference in soil structure over time. By utilizing different crops, especially those with tap or fibrous roots, it can enhance the chemical, biological and physical structure of the soil. This improves the water holding capacity of the soil, as well as organic matter and nutrients.
- Reduces soil erosion and water runoff
Rotating crops can help bring down erosion by improving soil tilth and microbial communities. This creates a more stable soil structure that cuts down on surface runoff.
- Reduces pests and weeds
Insects, weeds and pests can't survive long without their host. By playing musical chairs with your crops, and creating a healthier soil structure in doing so, those pests don't stand a chance.
- Provides Diversification
Certain crops require less work and machinery than others. This means you can distribute the workload throughout the year. It also gives a greater variety to the goods you can sell so you don't have to "put all your eggs in one basket" so to speak.
List of Cons:
- Requires more equipment
Unfortunately, not all seeds can be planted with the same equipment. Same goes for harvesting as well. Because you are working with different crops, you need the equipment to go along with each one.
- May require more skill / knowledge
Working with more than one crop requires you to know more. For each crop, you have to know how to plant it, how to cultivate, how to harvest, what part to harvest, when to harvest and more. The list goes on and on. The more crops you use, the more you need to know how to grow those crops as well.
- May give lower profit at times
Some crops bring in a higher dollar amount than others. With crop rotation, some years you just have to plant it in another crop instead of the high yielding one. This may lead to lower financial returns at times.
Now that you know the Pros and Cons of Crop Rotation, I encourage you to experiment with it yourself. Every farm is different and may or may not work with this technique.
List of Pros:
- Improves soil conditions
Crop rotation can make a big difference in soil structure over time. By utilizing different crops, especially those with tap or fibrous roots, it can enhance the chemical, biological and physical structure of the soil. This improves the water holding capacity of the soil, as well as organic matter and nutrients.
- Reduces soil erosion and water runoff
Rotating crops can help bring down erosion by improving soil tilth and microbial communities. This creates a more stable soil structure that cuts down on surface runoff.
- Reduces pests and weeds
Insects, weeds and pests can't survive long without their host. By playing musical chairs with your crops, and creating a healthier soil structure in doing so, those pests don't stand a chance.
- Provides Diversification
Certain crops require less work and machinery than others. This means you can distribute the workload throughout the year. It also gives a greater variety to the goods you can sell so you don't have to "put all your eggs in one basket" so to speak.
List of Cons:
- Requires more equipment
Unfortunately, not all seeds can be planted with the same equipment. Same goes for harvesting as well. Because you are working with different crops, you need the equipment to go along with each one.
- May require more skill / knowledge
Working with more than one crop requires you to know more. For each crop, you have to know how to plant it, how to cultivate, how to harvest, what part to harvest, when to harvest and more. The list goes on and on. The more crops you use, the more you need to know how to grow those crops as well.
- May give lower profit at times
Some crops bring in a higher dollar amount than others. With crop rotation, some years you just have to plant it in another crop instead of the high yielding one. This may lead to lower financial returns at times.
Now that you know the Pros and Cons of Crop Rotation, I encourage you to experiment with it yourself. Every farm is different and may or may not work with this technique.
