Are you overspending on inputs? Find out in 60 seconds.
Stubborn input costs are eating margins across U.S. farms. This free tool compares your per-acre seed, fertilizer, crop protection, and fuel spending against the latest USDA Economic Research Service averages — line by line — and shows what an alignment would be worth on your acres.
Input Cost Benchmark
Compare your $/acre to USDA averages.
Enter what you spend per acre on seed, fertilizer, crop protection, and fuel. We'll show where you're above the U.S. average from USDA ERS and how much an alignment would put back in your pocket.
U.S. average · 2024
Used to scale per-acre variance to annual dollars.
Category
Your $/ac
USDA $/ac
vs. avg
Annual
Seed
Seed, plants, transplants, and treated/inoculated stock.
Other operating costs (repairs, custom ops, irrigation, interest) for this crop average $79/acre. Excluded from the comparison so you're comparing apples to apples on inputs you control.
Source: USDA ERS Commodity Costs and Returns, corn (2024). Benchmarks reflect USDA ERS 2024 release (crops surveyed 2023–2024). Estimates only — actual costs vary by region, scale, and practice.
Knowing the gap is step one. Closing it is what BAU does.
Our soil-test-driven nutrient plans, rotation engine, and pre-season contracts target the exact line items most farms overspend on — fertilizer first, crop protection second.