{
    "name": "Crop Rotation Area Calculator",
    "url": "https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/crop-rotation-area-calculator",
    "markdown": "https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/crop-rotation-area-calculator.md",
    "category": "Agriculture",
    "description": "Split your cropping land into equal rotation courses: net area after headlands and tracks, area per crop each year, and a field-by-year rotation plan.",
    "summary": "In a balanced rotation each crop takes the same share of the land every year, and each field moves one step along the rotation each season.",
    "also_called": [
        "Crop rotation planner",
        "Rotation course calculator"
    ],
    "applies_to": "Worldwide",
    "last_updated": "2026-10-29",
    "computation": "Results are computed in the visitor’s browser on the HTML page. This API describes the calculator; it does not compute results.",
    "inputs": [
        {
            "name": "area",
            "label": "Total farm area",
            "type": "number",
            "default": "120"
        },
        {
            "name": "area_unit",
            "label": "Area in",
            "type": "segmented",
            "default": "ha",
            "options": {
                "ha": "Hectares",
                "acre": "Acres"
            }
        },
        {
            "name": "unusable",
            "label": "Land not cropped (tracks, margins, buildings)",
            "type": "number",
            "default": "5",
            "unit": "%",
            "optional": true
        },
        {
            "name": "courses",
            "label": "Crops (courses) in the rotation",
            "type": "select",
            "default": "4",
            "options": {
                "2": "2",
                "3": "3",
                "4": "4",
                "5": "5",
                "6": "6",
                "7": "7",
                "8": "8"
            }
        }
    ],
    "outputs": [
        {
            "key": "per_course",
            "label": "Area per crop each year",
            "format": "number"
        },
        {
            "key": "net_area",
            "label": "Net cropped area",
            "format": "number"
        },
        {
            "key": "per_course_ha",
            "label": "Area per crop",
            "format": "number"
        },
        {
            "key": "per_course_acre",
            "label": "Area per crop",
            "format": "number"
        },
        {
            "key": "return_years",
            "label": "Years before a crop returns to a field",
            "format": "integer"
        }
    ],
    "formula": {
        "text": "Net area = Total × (1 − Non-cropped%);  Area per crop = Net area ÷ Courses;  Field f grows crop ((f + y − 2) mod n) + 1 in year y",
        "variables": {
            "Courses (n)": "number of crops or phases in the rotation, including leys or fallow",
            "f, y": "field number and year"
        }
    },
    "worked_example": {
        "inputs": {
            "area": "120",
            "area_unit": "ha",
            "unusable": "5",
            "courses": "4"
        },
        "steps": [
            "Net area = 120 × (1 − 0.05) = 114 ha.",
            "Area per crop = 114 ÷ 4 = 28.5 ha.",
            "Each of the four fields moves one crop along each year, so a crop returns every 4 years."
        ],
        "result": "A 120 ha farm with 5% uncropped land and a four-course rotation grows 28.5 ha of each crop every year."
    },
    "interpretation": "Equal blocks keep the area of each crop steady from year to year, which steadies workload, storage and income. If your fields differ in size, group them into blocks as close to the per-crop area as you can.",
    "assumptions": [
        "The rotation is balanced: every course gets an equal share of the land."
    ],
    "limitations": [
        "Choosing which crops follow which (disease breaks, nitrogen, soil structure) is agronomic advice outside this calculator."
    ],
    "rules": null,
    "faqs": [
        {
            "question": "Do grass leys and fallow count as courses?",
            "answer": "Yes. Count every year of the cycle, including temporary grass, cover crops occupying a whole season, or fallow."
        },
        {
            "question": "What if one crop needs two years in the rotation?",
            "answer": "Count it as two courses, for example a two-year ley in a five-course rotation takes two fifths of the land."
        }
    ],
    "sources": [],
    "related": [
        {
            "name": "Orchard Tree Count Calculator",
            "url": "https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/orchard-tree-count-calculator"
        },
        {
            "name": "Plant Nursery Tray Requirement Calculator",
            "url": "https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/plant-nursery-tray-requirement-calculator"
        },
        {
            "name": "Ratio Calculator",
            "url": "https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/ratio-calculator"
        }
    ],
    "disclaimer": null,
    "publisher": "GM¹X CalcVerse"
}