Economic benefits that arise from conservation farming practices need to be assessed over several years to account for improvements in soil structure and nutrient levels. A gross margin model was used to assess benefits over the eight-year period 1999-2006 for 12 regions in the central west of NSW. The benefits from improved soil structure ranged from $39.85 to $114.26 per hectare (ha). A reduction in tractor power produced savings in the range of $6.74 to $40.98 per ha. The average net benefit of the adoption of conservation farming practices was $218 per ha over the eight years. The break-even time to pay back costs for the conversion of machinery for no-till seeding and purchasing a GPS guidance system was two to three seasons.