Costs of Producing Selected Crops in the United States - Final 1979, 1980, and Preliminary for 1981

摘要

Costs of producing 11 major U.S. crops rose in 1981 with the largest increases being in seed prices (17 percent), short-term interest rates (14 percent), and fuel prices (13 percent). Seed prices in 1981 increased primarily because of the rise in crop prices in 1980, due in many cases to the drought-reduced 1980 harvest. From 1980 to 1981, average variable costs per acre increased by 40 percent for peanuts, 22 percent for cotton, 15 percent for corn, sorgum, soybean, and wheat, 11 percent for rice, flax and sunflowers, and 9 percent for barley and oats. The large increase in peanut costs was due to the rise in peanut seed prices in 1981 and added costs of harvesting, hauling, and drying the 1981 peanut crop, which was 71 percent larger than the 1980 crop.