Alternative Crops in Double-Crop Systems for Missouri

land is used for crop production and can increase potential profit. There are ecological as well as economic advantages to increasing the amount of time the land is used for production. A winter grain crop, traditionally wheat, can act as a cover crop to prevent erosion. A warm-season double crop, often soybean, may yield smaller returns than a full-season crop but often averages a positive net return. This high-intensity cropping system may reduce disease and pest incidence by breaking pest cycles. There is a need to identify alternative crops that can fit easily into double-crop systems with little or no added equipment costs and with minimal change in management. Acceptable alternative crops will benefit farmers through decreased incidence of pests and diseases, improved soil erosion control, and reduced economic risk for the producer. In a two-year study at the University of Missouri, five alternative crops were evaluated agronomically and economically based on their potential to perform well in a double-crop system in central and southern Missouri. Double crops planted after the harvest of canola or wheat or after a fallow period were evaluated at three locations throughout the state between 1992 and 1994. The agronomic and economic performance of soybean was compared with that of four alternative double crops: amaranth, buckwheat, pearl millet and sunflower (Figure 1).