💰 BREAK-EVEN CALCULATOR
⚡ Yield Checklist
- Your APH (Actual Production History)
- County average vs. your field history
- Trend-adjusted yield for this year
- Soil type & drainage quality of field
- Planting date impact on potential
Conservative estimates protect your plan. Better to beat your target than miss it.
💲 Price Considerations
- Current futures contract price
- Local basis adjustment (+/- from futures)
- Forward contract commitments
- Harvest vs. spring delivery basis
- On-farm storage premium potential
Use the live price above if available, or check your local elevator.
🌱 Don't Forget
- Base seed cost per bag
- Seed treatment (fungicide/insecticide)
- Technology / trait license fees
- Replant seed reserve
- Inoculant (soybeans)
🧪 Don't Forget
- Nitrogen (anhydrous, urea, or UAN)
- Phosphorus (MAP/DAP)
- Potash (K₂O)
- Lime application (amortized)
- Sulfur & micronutrients (zinc, boron)
- Application / spreading fees
Soil test recommendations should drive rates. Don't guess — test!
🧴 Don't Forget
- Pre-emerge herbicides
- Post-emerge herbicides
- Fungicide applications
- Insecticide (foliar or in-furrow)
- Adjuvants & surfactants
- Custom application fees
🛡️ Don't Forget
- Net premium (after federal subsidy)
- Hail / wind endorsement
- Replant provision cost
- SCO or ECO add-on premiums
- Private hail policy
Your agent can provide exact per-acre premium. Ask about ECO — it's heavily subsidized.
🚜 Don't Forget
- Fuel & lube (all field passes)
- Repairs & maintenance
- Depreciation (annual / per-acre)
- Custom hire (planting, spraying, harvest)
- Hauling / trucking costs
ISU & UW-Extension publish annual machinery cost estimates by equipment type.
👷 Don't Forget
- Hired labor (hourly × hours/ac)
- Owner/operator time value
- Seasonal help (planting & harvest)
- Benefits & payroll taxes
- Management time allocation
🏡 Don't Forget
- Cash rent (or flex rent estimate)
- Property tax (if owned)
- Drainage tile payments
- Conservation compliance costs
- Opportunity cost of owned land
USDA NASS publishes county-level cash rent averages annually.
📋 Don't Forget
- Interest on operating loan
- Crop drying costs
- Storage / bin costs
- Marketing & basis fees
- Farm liability insurance
- Utilities, phone, internet
- Accounting & legal fees
Cost Breakdown
RESULTS
Total Cost/Acre
$808/ac
Cost/Bushel
$4.49/bu
Break-Even Price
$4.49/bu
Gross Revenue/Acre
$810/ac
Net Profit/Loss
+$2/ac
Return on Investment
0.2%
Yield Needed @ Market
180 bu/ac
Farm Total Profit/Loss
--
Margin Indicator
-$200/ac
Break-Even
+$200/ac
What-If: Profit/Loss per Acre