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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Indiana farmer Jason Mauck’s “Constant Canopy” approach explored whether overlapping crops could keep fields growing longer—and possibly produce three cash crops in two years. A 2017 account described an experiment with winter wheat, soybeans and radishes, but it did not establish three profitable harvests as a repeatable result. The distinction matters: relay intercropping is a cropping strategy to evaluate, not a guaranteed farm-income formula.
What Jason Mauck’s Constant Canopy experiment involved
In a May 25, 2017, Successful Farming feature, Anna McConnell reported that Mauck planted radishes with winter wheat in fall 2015. He then planted soybeans between the wheat rows. When the wheat was harvested in 2016, the soybeans had reached the V3 growth stage.
Mauck’s underlying idea was to keep the ground planted by overlapping crops rather than leaving the space between rows unused. He summarized that outlook with the line, “The biggest waste in agriculture is the space between the rows.” He also said, “The crop is my boss,” reflecting the need to manage around the crops’ growth and timing.
The story describes an experiment and its planting sequence. It does not provide a complete two-year harvest record, a controlled comparison, or verified financial results showing that the sequence reliably delivered three profitable cash harvests. The radishes were part of the planting sequence, but the feature does not establish them as a third cash crop in a documented, profitable harvest.
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How relay intercropping differs from double cropping
Both approaches can grow soybeans in the same broad season as winter wheat, but the soybean planting date is different. In conventional double cropping, a farmer harvests wheat first and then plants soybeans. In relay intercropping, soybeans are planted between rows of standing wheat before the wheat is harvested. That overlap gives the soybeans a longer period to grow than waiting until the wheat field is cleared.
| Approach | When soybeans are planted | What the timing changes |
|---|---|---|
| Double-crop soybeans after wheat | After wheat harvest | The soybean growing window begins later; the practice is more constrained where the remaining season is short. |
| Relay-intercropped soybeans | Between rows of standing wheat, before wheat harvest | The soybean crop gets a head start, but the crops overlap and require management that accounts for both. |
Purdue Extension explains that double-crop soybeans after winter wheat are common in southern Indiana, where the growing season is longer. Across central and northern Indiana, the time left after wheat harvest may be too short for a satisfactory soybean crop. Relay intercropping addresses that timing constraint by establishing soybeans before wheat harvest; it does not eliminate the agronomic and harvest risks of growing two crops together. Purdue’s guidance discusses factors including wheat variety, row spacing and soybean planting.
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Those factors make local conditions central to the decision. A system that can extend the soybean growing window is not automatically suited to every field, planting date or farm operation. Purdue’s guides explain general management considerations; farmers should confirm current recommendations with local extension or an agronomist before treating an experimental setup as a prescription.
What the economics do—and do not—show
A crop sequence can produce more potential revenue opportunities, but added revenue is not the same as added profit. The relevant question is what remains after seed, fertilizer, crop protection, machinery, labor, harvest and other costs—and how much yield or harvest risk the added crop creates.
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Purdue University’s Center for Commercial Agriculture estimated a contribution margin of $263 per acre for wheat followed by double-crop soybeans on average-productivity Indiana soil in its 2025 crop budget. Purdue defines contribution margin as market revenue less total variable costs, before overhead such as machinery ownership, labor and cash rent. The figure is a budget estimate under Purdue’s stated assumptions, not Mauck’s observed result and not an estimate for relay intercropping.
| 2025 Purdue estimate, average-productivity Indiana soil | Contribution margin per acre |
|---|---|
| Rotation corn | $173 |
| Rotation soybeans | $239 |
| Wheat followed by double-crop soybeans | $263 |
These are estimates, not guaranteed returns. They provide context for comparing the budgeted systems, but they are not a side-by-side analysis of Mauck’s relay-intercropping approach. The available reporting does not establish its yield, costs, machinery and labor needs, or net return relative to conventional double cropping.
Farm Progress reported in January 2016 that Mauck believed relay intercropping could increase the potential for gross revenue and profit. That statement describes his view of the opportunity, not measured financial performance. To assess a particular farm, a producer would need local budgets that account for the crops’ expected yields and prices, all added and avoided costs, equipment and labor capacity, and the risk of one crop affecting the other.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read the “three cash crops in two years” claim
The phrase captures an ambitious goal: use overlapping planting to get more from a field and its growing season. But the 2017 feature does not prove that Mauck consistently harvested three profitable cash crops within two years, nor that other farms can do so. USDA NRCS Indiana’s October 2015 technical note describes a three-crop sequence in two years that includes a winter cover crop. That soil-health guidance is not evidence that Mauck’s particular cash-crop system meets a yield or profit target.
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The feature also reported that Mauck was farming 3,000 acres of corn, soybeans and wheat, with about 100 acres of seed and 25,000 wean-to-finish pigs. Those are figures from the 2017 article, not current operating statistics. The story described his aim to reduce pesticide use over time while acknowledging that herbicides and pesticides still had a place on his farm then. His comments about chemical exposure and his father’s illness were personal beliefs reported in the article, not evidence establishing a causal link.
What a farmer should evaluate before trying relay intercropping
- Location and season length: Consider how long the local growing window is and whether conventional post-wheat soybeans are viable in the area.
- Crop establishment: Assess wheat variety, row spacing and soybean planting timing using current local agronomic advice.
- Harvest and field operations: Plan how overlapping crops affect machinery access, labor scheduling and harvest logistics.
- Yield and crop risk: Estimate how each crop’s establishment and development could affect the other, rather than assuming the added planting yields an additional full crop.
- Whole-farm economics: Build a local budget that includes variable costs and overhead, and compare it with the farm’s realistic alternatives.
The available evidence supports treating Constant Canopy as an intriguing experiment in keeping soil planted and extending the soybean growing window. It does not support treating three cash crops in two years as a dependable income outcome or assuming Purdue’s double-crop budget applies to relay intercropping.
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