The input costs for growing alfalfa, corn, soybeans, and wheat in Wisconsin are predicted to be mixed in 2015. Crop prices are forecasted to be lower. Fertilizer prices are mixed. Pesticide prices are expected to be slightly higher. Fuel prices should be lower. Seed prices are expected to be stable to lower, according to Ken Barnett, University of Wisconsin-Extension educator emeritus.
“When deciding how much of an input to apply, producers can maximize their investment in that input by considering its marginal rate of return,” said Barnett.
The 2015 Crop Budget Cost of Production Calculator for Wisconsin can help producers in making their cropping decisions in the upcoming year. It allows producers to construct enterprise budgets for corn after corn, corn after soybeans, corn silage after alfalfa, corn silage after corn, soybeans, winter wheat, seeding alfalfa and established alfalfa for hay and haylage.
This Cost of Production Calculator can be downloaded from the Farm Team web site at http://www.uwex.edu/ces/farmteam/. Look in the Enterprise Budgets heading and then go to the Field Crop section.
Source:uwex.edu