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| I've gone line by line in the crop budget and tried to make a cut to everything. I was looking at an 85$/a loss based on my historical soybean yields and current price. Our average yields over the last 20 years are 37.5 bu.
Before I get to the cuts to the budget, I want to say that I think maximizing yield is huge. It doesn't matter as much when prices are high because the crop can still produce adequate amounts of money with subpar yields. This year we will be planting with a vacuum planter on narrow rows, generic propi and azoxy with boron at r3. I'll be dropping a max of 100k seeds. I think doing an excellent job and planting in good conditions is wise. There's not much room for error with the market and our sandy fields. Also, I'm decent at growing wheat so I've tried to double crop more to spread costs.
OK here is my budget from 2025: --> changes for 2026
bean insurance ($/A)17.18 -- I doubt this item will go down.
overhead 240.09 -- The major plays here are double cropping more acres to spread cost over more acreage, not financing any equipment, and fuel and repair savings from notill.
seed 48.47 -- My play here is that I've saved seed from the highest yielding, nongmo public soybean for my area and I'm continuing to plant lower populations. The savings over 25 should approach $40.
burndown 16.39 -- I used to use leadoff, powermax or paraquat, and 2-4d. I'm doing to use generic valor, glyphosate, and 2-4d. Haven't calculated the savings yet but it will be a few dollars.
lime 19.90 -- The lime costs will go down as less has been spread than in 25. Plus the double cropping of beans and wheat in most fields will reduce this number.
pre - envive & metribuzin -- I've gone to prowl, metribuzin, and valor. I think envive would be cheaper but I've got a good amount of this in the chem shed and it will save money.
post 1 16.40 -- In the past we've used Prefix and Roundup. Now it will be clethodim, warrant, and generic 1.88 foma. I've got a good amount leftover from previous years of cropping. Ill throw in some borax powder too.
post 2 r3 + extra Insecticide 18.82 -- In the past we've used a fancy insecticide with good residual but it was cheaper to go with two passes of generic pyrethroid. I'll probably go with 2oz of propiconazole and 6oz azoxy. It's cheap and doesn't take many beans to pay for the treatment. I also add borax power here too. It takes very little money to add it and Beck's has shown a consistent but small response.
macros p & k 29.11 -- I'm going to try and tell the fertilizer guy to only spread where the values are critical. He won't be happy with me. Also double cropping will spread the bill over more acres.
land rent 27.09 -- We don't rent much land and will reduce rented acres in 26.
harvest aid 1.83 -- I'm planting a hair later, with later soybeans. Hopefully a frost will save me a few dollars and a ride in the sprayer.
Soil Sample 6 -- Probably will need to do this ourselves in the future but this number will stay the same in 26.
total cost to grow 1 acre in 25 was 453.108 -- I tried my best to cut 85 $/a for 26 - and I've come close.
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Cutting soybean corn costs
