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Cropping Systems Calculator

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When thinking about switching to a different farming system, one of the first questions many farmers want answered is: “How will this work financially?” The Chippewa 10% Project developed the Cropping Systems Calculator to help answer this question by allowing farmers to plug in various planting and grazing scenarios and weigh the financial pros and cons of each option.

Cropping Comparisons

This easy-to-use Excel-based tool (see example below) allows you to compare two crop rotations, each up to six years in length, and provides average yearly returns as well as a year-by-year breakdown. The Calculator takes into account the crop-specific costs for many popular crops, but also the overhead costs of the entire farm operation. The default values are gathered from the FINBIN Database for either a 10-county region in the Chippewa River Watershed in west-central Minnesota or a 9-county region in southeastern Minnesota. The defaults for southeastern Minnesota include options for organic and non-organic operations.

A version with Illinois specific defaults is now available. Regionally specific defaults are split up between northern, central, and southern Illinois with row crops, perennials, cover crops, and grazing crop options.

A Sample Rotation

Click on the image below to see an example of how the Cropping Systems Calculator can help determine a viable rotation.

Image

Grazing Scenarios

The Calculator also allows farmers to compare various grazing systems on a per-acre basis. Based on the Grass-fed Beef Calculator from the Pasture Project (an initiative of the Wallace Center at Winrock International), farmers can compare types of cattle (cow/calf, stocker, feeder-to-finish, custom) as well as management style (continuous, basic rotational, managed intensive, mob grazing). The opportunity to compare row crops to a grazing system is one of the unique features of the Calculator.

The calculator does not provide a definitive income level for the following season, but it does produce a solid estimate of the possible range of returns a farmer can expect.

Try it for Yourself

The Cropping Systems Calculator is available here. For more information or questions, contact LSP’s Robin Moore at 612-767-9480 or via e-mail.

Calculator Fact Sheet

The basics of the Cropping Systems Calculator are described in this LSP fact sheet.

Contact

Robin Moore, LSP soil health organizer, 612-767-9480, e-mail

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Upcoming Events

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September 2025

Wednesday September 17

9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Grazing for Invasive Species Management in Oak Savannas
Wednesday September 17
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Grazing for Invasive Species Management in Oak Savannas
Myre-Big Island State Park, 19499 780th Ave, Albert Lea, MN 56007, USA

For details on this workshop, click here.

12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Extending the Grazing Season with Cover Crops & Native Grasses
Wednesday September 17
12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Extending the Grazing Season with Cover Crops & Native Grasses
Bluffton Resort & Bar, 2619 W Ravine Rd, Decorah, IA 52101, USA

This Ducks Unlimited workshop will feature a discussion of how livestock producers can utilize cover crops and native grasses to extend the grazing season. Featured speakers include Adam Janke, who will discuss Iowa State University’s research on CRP grazing, and Brian Dougherty of Understanding AG, who will discuss the economics of grazing cover crops. There will also be a presentation on Ducks Unlimited’s Advancing Markets for Producers Partnership. 
 
For details, see this flier. or call Ducks Unlimited’s Liam Bonk at 612-483-3577. To register, click here.

Thursday September 18

5:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Minnesota Women in Conservation: Conservation Land Walk in Dawson
Thursday September 18
5:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Minnesota Women in Conservation: Conservation Land Walk in Dawson
Dawson, MN

During this Minnesota Women in Conservation event, participants will walk around a “homestead” farm site — exploring areas and goals the landowner hopes to improve in the future, including pollinator habitat, perennial plantings, wind breaks, privacy/noise screens, water quality improvements, well sealing, and compost placements. Participants will hear feedback and recommendations from a conservation professional on potential programs that could assist the landowner in achieving those goals. 
 
This is a FREE event, but you must RSVP here to get the address. For more information and to RSVP, click here.

Saturday September 20

All Day
Farm Aid
Saturday September 20
Farm Aid
Huntington Bank Stadium, 420 23rd Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA

 Farm Aid is heading to Minnesota for the first time for its 40th anniversary festival on Saturday, Sept. 20, at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The event will launch a year-long celebration of four decades of impactful advocacy, historic cultural moments and unforgettable music.

Farm Aid 40 — a full day of music, family farmers, HOMEGROWN food and agricultural experiences — will feature performances by Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young (and the Chrome Hearts), John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews (with Tim Reynolds), and Margo Price, as well as Billy Strings, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Trampled by Turtles, Waxahatchee, Eric Burton of Black Pumas, Jesse Welles, Madeline Edwards and more artists to be announced.

For details, click here.

Monday September 22

9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Twin Cities Urban Farm Bus Tour
Monday September 22
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Twin Cities Urban Farm Bus Tour
Leatherdale Equine Center, 1801 Dudley Ave, St Paul, MN 55108, USA

Join University of Minnesota Extension, Hennepin County, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service on Monday, Sept. 22, for a bus tour of urban farms. We’ll discuss the challenges of city growing, including compaction, contamination, soil health, water management, and more. And we’ll learn about how growers are using soil health practices to mitigate these challenges. Stops will include: 

  • The St. Thomas research gardens, where researchers have been studying different methods for maintaining fertility in urban garden beds for 8+ years, and learning about how these different approaches impact soil health and water quality
  • Our Roots Community Garden, where gardeners have implemented a variety of soil health practices to remediate a brownfield contaminated site into a lush garden with healthy soil and plants. Gardeners here are also working to establish a micro forest at the site
  • Urban Roots farm at Rivoli Bluff. The team at Urban Roots has worked for years to establish a thriving farm at a former street sweeping site. They’ve tried many different practices to address compaction, replace invasive species with native plants to mitigate erosion, and to grow vegetables for their community. 

This is the first tour in a three part soil health bus tour series. Participants can sign up for just one, two, or all three tours. Register at https://z.umn.edu/vegetablebustours. The cost is $15 (flat fee, covers 1, 2, or 3 tours). There are more details in the attached flyer.

View Full Calendar

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