Pulse grains in wheat rotations can increase profits

An analysis by Montana State University researchers has shown that replacing summer fallow with a pulse grain crop, even in dry regions, can increase profits for farmers.
Farmers in regions with low precipitation, such as Montana’s Golden Triangle, know there is an economic risk to continuous small grains cropping, according to Perry Miller, professor of sustainable cropping systems in MSU’s Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences.
However, leaving fields fallow in summer is not ideal for soil health and generates no revenue, he said. So, alternatives to fallow are being tried and have demonstrated economic success.
In a 2015 study, Miller found that, in relatively wet southwest Montana conditions, pulses harvested for grain, in rotation with wheat, provided higher net returns compared to wheat in rotation with wheat, fallow or legume cover.