Crop Budgets

The SDSU Extension Crop Budgets are provided for producers to determine the preliminary cost of production for the major commodities grown in South Dakota.

 

To use the spreadsheet, producers should provide their own costs for the different expense items listed. In the spreadsheet, producers should know their anticipated seeding rate and seed cost, the rate of fertilizer (nitrogen, potassium, phosphorous, sulfur etc.) that will be applied, and the cost per unit for these items. The same needs to be done for all pesticides (insecticides, herbicides and fungicides) that will be used.

 

Other costs that need to be included are: crop insurance, fuel and oil, repairs, custom hire, drying and operation interest rate.

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.