Howard Miller Insurance Agency

Midsouth farmers battle rice delphacid This is no longer a Texas ratoon problem. The rice delphacid showed up across the Midsouth in September, and control options are limited.

Per-acre production costs for all nine principal row crops are projected to rise again in 2026.

The USDA-Economic Research Service (ERS) December update to Commodity Costs and Returns provides a comprehensive look at per-acre production costs for the nine principal row crops: corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, rice, barley, oats, peanuts, and sorghum.

At a high level, ERS projects average total costs per acre to increase for every crop in 2026, underscoring the persistence of elevated production expenses across U.S. agriculture.

When operating expenses and farm-wide costs like equipment, land, and management are combined, costs vary widely by crop. In 2025, total per-acre costs were estimated at:

*$1,308 for rice,

*$1,166 for peanuts,

*$943 for cotton,

*$890 for corn,

*$658 for soybeans,

*$498 for oats,

*$491 for barley,

*$443 for sorghum, and

*$396 for wheat.

Looking ahead, ERS projections for 2026 suggest continued upward pressure across most cost categories, with total costs increasing by 2.2% to 3.3%.

Source: Faith Parum, Ph.D., Economist, American Farm Bureau Federation
Image credit: Mark Stebnicki

How to calculate cost of production on the farm Knowing how much it costs to produce an acre of crops is more important than ever as farmers face ever-tightening margins.

Arkansas farm income drops as crop receipts decline Arkansas net farm income projected to fall 8% to $2.91 billion in 2025, with crop receipts down 13% due to rainy spring planting challenges.

FSA offices reopen Thursday to process payments Farm Service Agency offices will reopen with limited staff to process $3 billion in assistance payments and loans during the government shutdown