Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Corn profit comparisons

Monday, October 7, 2013

Is corn more profitable to grow now than a decade ago, or nearly 40 years ago for that matter?  Kansas State University ag economics professor Brian C. Briggeman says "yes" to both scenarios for American corn farmers. According to a fact sheet the ag economics department published in early August, the cost to produce an acre of corn has risen to US$639 an acre from $417 since 2002. Economists blame seed costs that have more than doubled to $90 an acre from $40, and fertilizer costs that have tripled to $158.

However, taking it back to 1975, on an inflation-adjusted basis the total cost of producing an acre of corn is up only two per cent. Seed costs have nearly doubled in that time, while equipment costs are up 92 per cent.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the total profit per acre in 1975 was $120, based on 2012 dollars, while the 2012 profit was $162.

The average corn farmer has experienced the longest-running stretch of positive profits since 1975 in the years 2007 to 2012. Interest on loans cost just less than $8 an acre in 1975, but today "that cost has plummeted nearly to zero," Briggeman writes, because of lower debt levels and very low interest rates.

Believe it or not, land rentals in the United State remain below historical levels – nearly 25 per cent or $50 an acre lower. BF

Current Issue

October 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

New Holland IntelliSense Tech Elevates Crop Efficiency

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

The IntelliSense system features a forward-looking sensor mounted at the cab’s center line, allowing the sprayer to assess crop quality up to 50 feet ahead. It operates in two main modes: variable rate application and spot spraying. In variable rate mode, the system uses sunlight... Read this article online

Effective Strategies for Corn Soybean and Wheat

Thursday, October 2, 2025

As reported on the OMAFRA website fieldcropnews.com, effective crop residue management in corn, soybean, and wheat fields is key to profitability and long-term soil health. It begins at harvest, with combines and headers set correctly to size and spread residue evenly across the... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2025 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top