Surviving High Input Costs
in Crop Production

Manage Costs, Maximize Profits

These stories includes practical recommendations and projected on-farm savings for reducing input costs. Many of the costs used were based on crop budgets revised in early fall 2008 and provided here so you can review the numbers and update as needed.

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Production Practices

Reduce Soybean Planting Populations (Save $10.66 to $18.57/acre)

Eliminate Soybean Inoculant in Fields with a History of Beans (Save $1.50/ac)

Skip-Row Corn Offers Moisture Savings

Eliminate One Field Operation (Save $8-$10/ acre)

No-till Farming In Dryland Cropping Systems (Save $39.50/acre)

No-till and Controlled Wheel Traffic Can Save Irrigation Water (Save $20.10 to $33.50/acre)

Soil Fertility

Take Advantage of Manure Resources for Your Operation (Save $23.81 and more per acre)

Eliminate Unnecessary Use of Phosphorus, Potassium and Sulfur Fertilizer (Save $118.56)

Give Proper Nitrogen Credit for Legumes in Corn and Milo Rotations (Save $30-$80/ac)

Credit Soil Organic Matter for Nitrogen (Save $18.75/acre)

Credit Soil for Nitrate Nitrogen (Save $24/acre)

Related News

Meeting the Challenge: Farming in Uncertain Times, a 10-part series from Nebraska's Panhandle.

UNL Extension Offers Resources to Manage High Input Costs in Crop Production

Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources Unveils New 'Tough Times' Web Site

Machinery Management

Share Machinery, Reduce Costs Through Joint Ownership

Leasing Vs Buying Ag Machinery: Factors to Assess

Leasing Vs Buying Ag Machinery: Weighing the Economics

Pest Management

Using Resistant Varieties to Combat Soybean Diseases

IPM: As Important Now as Ever (Save $5-$10/ac)

Managing Foliar Diseases of Winter Wheat with Fungicides (Save $10-$70/ac)

Comparing Generic Versus Name Brand Herbicides (Save $5.50/ac)

Approximate Retail Price of Selected Herbicides, Comparing 2008 & 2009

Production Management

Using On-Farm Research to Evaluate Profitability

Setting Realistic Yield Goals (Save $7.50-$42.50/ac)

Harvesting Crop Residue: What’s it Worth?

Irrigation

Using Irrigation Management Tools To Save Water And Energy ($20.12 an acre)

Repair or Replace Inefficient Irrigation Pumping Plants (Save $16.52/ac)

Using Cutoff Ratio to Fine-Tune Furrow Irrigations (Save $14/acre)

Repair Leaky Gates/Gaskets And Eliminate A Set (Save $32.10/acre)

Grain Storage & Handling

Fill Drying Bins in Layers to Reduce Drying Time and Energy Cost (0.29-2.5¢/bu/pt of Moisture Removed)

How to Reduce On-Farm Grain Drying Energy Costs

Cost Saving Ideas When Using High-Speed, High-Capacity Dryers

Harvest Soybeans at 13% Moisture (Save $11.48/acre)

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Published by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources Cooperating with the counties and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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