%0 Journal Article %A Alfons Weersink %A Michael Walker %A Clarence Swanton %A James E. Shaw %T Costs of conventional and conservation tillage systems %D 1992 %J Journal of Soil and Water Conservation %P 328-334 %V 47 %N 4 %X The costs of three conservation tillage systems—chisel plow, ridge-till, and no-till—were compared to a conventional moldboard plow system for hypothetical corn-soybean farms in southern Ontario, differentiated by farm size and soil type. Total farm costs per hectare were higher in all farm scenarios for the moldboard plow and chisel plow tillage systems compared to no-till and ridge-till systems because of their larger machinery complement. Variable costs per hectare for the no-till and ridge-till systems were higher than for the fall tillage systems for each farm scenario. This was due largely to the pre-emergent herbicide treatment costs, which were higher for the two reduced tillage systems. The reductions in labor associated with the reduced tillage systems indicated that labor costs could be reduced up to 61% annually compared with a moldboard plow system. %U https://www.jswconline.org/content/jswc/47/4/328.full.pdf