The following resources provide evidence-based research connecting soil health and conservation practices to farm profitability, drawn from federal, academic, and industry sources. We are grateful to our colleagues at Land Core, who have cited several of these resources on their site and maintain a broader library of soil health economics research, which you can explore here.
Economic Outcomes of Soil Health and Conservation Practices on U.S. Cropland
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, 2025
This report examines the economic impacts of soil health practices (including conservation tillage, cover crops, nutrient management, and others) on U.S. cropland, drawing on national survey data to analyze adoption trends, profitability, and productivity. It finds that while conservation tillage tends to reduce costs and improve corn yields, cover crops are often unprofitable in the short term, though combining practices together yields greater farm-level efficiency gains.
Economics of Soil Health Systems
Source: Soil Health Institute (SHI) and Cargill, 2021
Analysis of 100 farms in 9 states who have adopted soil health systems finds increased net farm income by an average of $52/acre for corn and $45/acre for soybean, as well as increased crop resilience to extreme weather among 97% of participants.
Conservation’s Impact on the Farm Bottom Line
Source: Soil Health Partnership, Environmental Defense Fund, K Coe Isom, 2021
Study of Midwestern corn and soybean farmers shows how conservation tillage and cover crop usage can be part of a profitable system. Explore the case studies of seven farmers improving their bottom lines through soil health systems.
Regenerative Agriculture: Merging Farming and Natural Resource Conservation Profitably
Source: LaCanne & Lundgren, published in PeerJ, 2018
Peer-reviewed research showing that conservation practices can increase farm profitability by nearly 80%.
Long-Term Evidence Shows That Crop-Rotation Diversification Increases Agricultural Resilience to Adverse Growing Conditions in North America
Source: Bowles et al., published in One Earth, 2020
A synthesis of 11 long-term experiments across the U.S. and Canada (347 site-years) finds that more diverse crop rotations reduced yield losses by 14–90% during the worst drought years at a given site, while increasing yields by an average of 28% across all growing conditions.
Enhancing Farm Profitability through Nitrogen Efficiency and Yield Stability
Source: Basso & Hatfield, Crops & Soils (American Society of Agronomy), November 2025
Using long-term yield data and satellite imagery, this study identifies “stable-low” yield zones making up 29% of Midwest cropland (24 million acres) that consistently underperform regardless of nitrogen input. Reducing fertilizer in these zones to match actual crop uptake saves an estimated $24–$32/acre; for a 320-acre field with 20% of its area in a stable-low zone, that translates to roughly $1,555–$2,040 in savings from a single input adjustment.