Farm input costs
What Iowa fertilizer and fuel dealers are asking for anhydrous, liquid nitrogen, phosphate, potash, diesel and propane, compared with the last report, a year ago and the 5-year average. Plus how many bushels of corn it takes to buy a ton of anhydrous.
- Anhydrous ammonia: $906/ton, up $82 from the last report, 17% above a year ago.
- 32% liquid nitrogen (UAN): $488/ton, up $32 from the last report, 3% above a year ago.
- MAP (11-52-0): $964/ton, up $14 from the last report, 7% above a year ago.
- Potash (0-0-60): $492/ton, up $26 from the last report, 1% above a year ago.
- Farm diesel: $5.55/gal, up 5¢ from the last report, 95% above a year ago.
- Propane: $1.58/gal, up 10¢ from the last report, 5% above a year ago.
- A ton of anhydrous costs 189 bushels of corn at today's price (185 a year ago, 167 on average the last 5 years).
| Iowa dealer price week ending Friday, Oct 2 | Price | Change | vs year | vs 5-yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anhydrous ammonia /ton | $906 | +82 | +17% | +4% |
| 32% liquid nitrogen (UAN) /ton | $488 | +32 | +3% | n/a |
| MAP (11-52-0) /ton | $964 | +14 | +7% | +13% |
| Potash (0-0-60) /ton | $492 | +26 | +1% | -17% |
| Farm diesel /gal | $5.55 | +0.05 | +95% | +62% |
| Propane /gal | $1.58 | +0.10 | +5% | -7% |
Prices are distributor asking prices in Iowa, average of dealers reporting, freight on board (picked up). Your dealer's price will differ. A year ago and 5-year average use the report nearest the same date in each year. Higher numbers in red cost you more.
Fertilizer and fuel are the biggest costs you can still shop. Comparing today's price with last year and the 5-year average shows whether now is a cheap or expensive time to book.
Dividing the anhydrous price by the corn price shows how many bushels a ton of nitrogen costs. When the number is low, nitrogen is cheap compared with what your crop sells for.
USDA posts this report every 2 to 4 weeks, usually early in the week. We check for it every 15 minutes while markets are open and again each evening.
Source: USDA AMS Iowa Production Cost Report (Livestock, Poultry and Grain Market News). Corn: delayed front-month futures. Market information only, not advice. Break-even calculator · Corn · Cash bids · Report calendar