Impacts of Reduced Tillage on Operating Inputs and Machinery Requirements

Many advances in crop production have resulted from the development of alternative production systems requiring changes in the types and quantities of factors used. For example, reduced tillage production systems substitute herbicide applications for tillage operations. Reduced tillage practices may involve a significant change in the types and quantities of inputs, including machinery, used in crop production. In this paper we present some work regarding alternative tillage systems for wheat production in Oklahoma. We include a section describing the physical and economic environment which has prompted our efforts in this area. Other sections describe our approach to estimating resource requirements of alternative systems.