How do you calculate break-even crop price?

Divide total cost per acre by expected marketable yield per acre. At $920/acre and 180 bu/acre with a conversion of 1, that is 920 / 180 = $5.11 per bushel, the price you must average to cover all costs.

What yield should I use, trend or actual?

Use a realistic marketable yield after harvest loss and shrink, not your best-ever field. Overstating yield understates break-even: drop the 180 to 160 bu and the break-even climbs from $5.11 to $5.75.

What is a good break-even crop price?

Good means comfortably below where you can actually sell. If corn is bid at $4.50 and your break-even is $5.11, you are underwater; if bids are $5.75, you have 64 cents of margin per bushel to work with.

When is the price unit conversion factor not 1?

Use 1 when cost per acre and yield are already on your target price unit. Set it otherwise for unit conversions, for example converting a per-ton cost to a per-hundredweight price, or adjusting for a crop-share split.

Should land and overhead be in the cost figure?

For a full break-even, yes, include cash rent or land charge, machinery, overhead, drying, storage, and interest. Leaving them out gives a variable-cost break-even that looks reachable but does not keep the farm solvent.

Break-even price vs. break-even yield, what's the difference?

This tool solves for the price needed at a fixed yield. Break-even yield flips it: the yield needed at a fixed price. Marketers use price break-even to set sell targets; agronomists use yield break-even to justify inputs.

Agriculture, Soil, Fertilizer & Farm Operations calculator

Break-even Crop Price Calculator

Break-even Crop Price answers the single most important marketing question on a grain or forage operation: what price per bushel or ton do I have to get to cover my costs? It divides total cost per acre by expected marketable yield, then applies a conversion factor for cases where cost and yield units differ. Grain farmers, forage producers, and grain marketers use it to set floor prices, decide when to pull the trigger on a contract, and judge whether a basis or futures offer clears their cost. It is the number that separates a hedge that locks in profit from one that locks in a loss.

What this calculator does

Calculate break-even crop price from total cost per acre, expected yield, and price conversion factor.
Use it when checking marketing targets, crop budget risk, rented ground offers, or input spending limits.
It computes the crop price per bushel or ton needed to break even, dividing total cost per acre by expected marketable yield and applying a unit conversion factor.

Formula used

Break-even crop price = total cost per acre / expected yield x conversion factor

Inputs explained

Total cost per acre: Include inputs, field operations, land, overhead, labor, drying, storage, and interest as needed.
Expected marketable yield per acre: Use realistic yield after expected harvest loss and shrink.
Price unit conversion factor: Use 1 when cost and yield are already on the desired price unit.

How to use the result

Use it to set a marketing floor, evaluate a forward contract or futures offer, and sanity-check whether current bids cover your cost of production.
It is only as good as your cost and yield estimates; an optimistic yield or an incomplete cost figure produces a break-even that is too low and can lure you into selling below true cost.

Current U.S. benchmarks

U.S. manufacturing runs at 75.6% of capacity (Federal Reserve, Jun 2026). New factory orders are up 2.3% year over year (Census).
Industrial natural gas averages $4.9 per Mcf (EIA, Apr 2026), down 7.7% from a year earlier, with industrial electricity at 8.66 cents per kWh. Process heating and refrigeration budgets track both.

Common questions

How do you calculate break-even crop price? Divide total cost per acre by expected marketable yield per acre. At $920/acre and 180 bu/acre with a conversion of 1, that is 920 / 180 = $5.11 per bushel, the price you must average to cover all costs.
What yield should I use, trend or actual? Use a realistic marketable yield after harvest loss and shrink, not your best-ever field. Overstating yield understates break-even: drop the 180 to 160 bu and the break-even climbs from $5.11 to $5.75.
What is a good break-even crop price? Good means comfortably below where you can actually sell. If corn is bid at $4.50 and your break-even is $5.11, you are underwater; if bids are $5.75, you have 64 cents of margin per bushel to work with.
When is the price unit conversion factor not 1? Use 1 when cost per acre and yield are already on your target price unit. Set it otherwise for unit conversions, for example converting a per-ton cost to a per-hundredweight price, or adjusting for a crop-share split.
Should land and overhead be in the cost figure? For a full break-even, yes, include cash rent or land charge, machinery, overhead, drying, storage, and interest. Leaving them out gives a variable-cost break-even that looks reachable but does not keep the farm solvent.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.