# Illinois simulation finds winter canola lifts corn-soy productivity, carbon balance, and profit

_Saturday, August 8, 2026 at 10:40 AM EDT · Science · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

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A University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign simulation study finds winter canola added to a conventional corn-soy rotation in the U.S. Midwest could raise farm returns while improving carbon metrics, phys.org reported from a university release.

Senior author D.K. Lee said cover crops protect soil between fall harvest and spring planting but typically do not generate revenue, whereas a winter oilseed such as canola could protect soil and supply feedstock for sustainable fuels. The team used the DayCent model under conditions measured between 2019 and 2024, comparing a corn-soy baseline with corn-canola-soy under four nitrogen regimes.

An integrated ranking on yield, biomass, greenhouse gas intensity, total emissions, carbon balance, and net return favored the diversified rotation with full-season nitrogen support for canola. Co-author Chunhwa Jang said the diversified system increased overall productivity by 18% while keeping greenhouse gas intensity stable. Lee said net ecosystem carbon balance improved by about 21% to 27% across diversified scenarios as continuous cover and residues added soil carbon, and every diversified scenario out-earned the conventional rotation with annual profits 10% to 23% higher.

Results are simulation-based and still need field validation. The paper is in Agricultural Systems (2026), DOI: 10.1016/j.agsy.2026.104813.

## Sources

- [phys.org](https://phys.org/news/2026-08-winter-canola-profit-illinois-farmers.html)
- [Agricultural Systems](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2026.104813)

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