Key findings

Integrated Farm Management offers comparable profits to conventional farming.

Profitability of integrated system more than conventional when wheat price lower than £65 per tonne.

Cultivation costs saving of 16% and 1.3 fewer cultivation passes under the integrated system.

Seed costs marginally higher on integrated.

No significant differences in fertilizer costs but efficiency of nitrogen use improved and N rates decreased under integrated system.

Savings in number of fertilizer applications by using spring applied compounds rather than autumn applied straights.

Crop protection costs of integrated system 30% lower.

Lower herbicide costs on integrated, contrary to perception of minimum tillage effects on weed control.

Fungicide costs nearly 40% lower on integrated system.

Higher input of management time and in-field agronomy required to allow input reduction to be effective.

Organic profitability much greater than conventional system in most years.

Wheat yields 7.5% lower on integrated system.

Winter bean yields 13% lower on integrated system, mainly due to establishment difficulties.

Silage yields 15% lower on integrated system, mainly due to establishment difficulties.

No additional cost of slug control from minimum tillage.

Organic wheat yields 40% lower than conventional.

Pesticide active ingredients nearly halved on integrated system.

Nitrate leaching reduced under integrated system.

Organic system requires three times more draft energy per tonne of crop.

Soil organic matter increased in integrated soils above both the conventional and organic systems, sequestering almost 3t/ha more carbon.

Earthworm numbers increased under integrated system.

Bird numbers increased under integrated system.

Beetle numbers increased under integrated management.

Increased phosphorus uptake by mycorrhizal fungi in organic system.

Diversity of hedge management and field margins is important. These account for 80% of biodiversity within the farm environment.