How do You Compare to 1997
 "PEPS" Program Participants?

The 1997 Profits through Efficient Production Systems (PEPS) Program is offered each year to Wisconsin corn and soybean producers as a means to analyze their crop production costs and returns. This year there were 41 corn participants and 35 soybean entrants. The corn division is divided into cash crop and dairy/livestock categories. In the latter, no charge is given to drying costs and often the program fields follow alfalfa. Following are some interesting comparisons from summaries of the 1997 PEPS Program.

Cash Crop Corn Division

Some average variable costs per acre across all participants in this division were as follows:

Seed - $32.15
Fertilizer - $51.42
Chemical - $21.98
Drying - $33.57

The top 20% of these participants had a return per acre of $234.05 compared to the bottom 20% who had a return per acre of $137.93.

The top 20% of these participants had a grain yield of 185 bu/acre compared to the bottom 20% who had a yield of 164 bu/acre.

None of the top 20% of participants were planting corn in rows greater than 30 inches.

None of the top 20% of participants used a moldboard plow.

The top 20% of these participants averaged a full one trip less across the field than the bottom 20% (4.4 vs. 5.4).

Eighty percent of the top 20% of participants had chemical costs of less than $25 per acre while 60% of the bottom 20% of participants had chemical costs over $25 per acre.

One hundred percent of the top 20% of participants used starter fertilizer.

Dairy/Livestock Corn Division

Some average variable costs per acre across all participants in this division were as follows:

Seed - $30.81
Fertilizer - $30.59
Chemical - $24.65

The top 20% of these participants had a return per acre of $274.28 compared to the bottom 20% who had a return per acre of $145.74.

The top 20% of these participants had a grain yield of 175 bu/acre compared to the bottom 20% who had a yield of 133 bu/acre.

None of the top 20% of participants were planting corn in rows greater than 30 inches.

Two-thirds of the top 20% of participants used a moldboard plow.

The top 20% of these participants averaged a full two trips less across the field than the bottom 20% (4.0 vs. 6.0).

One hundred percent of the top 20% of participants had chemical costs of less than $25 per acre while 67% of the bottom 20% of participants had chemical costs over $25 per acre. Interestingly, the other 33% of the bottom 20% participants had chemical cost of $0 - $5/ac.

Sixty-seven percent of the top 20% of participants used starter fertilizer.

Soybean Division

Some average variable costs per acre across all participants in this division were as follows:

Seed - $25.28
Fertilizer - $16.94
Chemical - $30.41

The top 20% of these participants had a return per acre of $281.92 compared to the bottom 20% who had a return per acre of $103.56.

The top 20% of these participants had a grain yield of 64 bu/acre compared to the bottom 20% who had a yield of 45 bu/acre.

Average planting date for the top 20% participants was May 12 compared to May 18 for the bottom 20% participants.

The top 20% of these participants averaged more than one full one trip less across the field than the bottom 20% (4.6 vs. 5.9).

Fifty-eight percent of the top 20% of participants had chemical costs of less than $25 per acre while 85% of the bottom 20% of participants had chemical costs over $25 per acre.

The top 20% of participants tended to be higher users of inoculant and lower users of nitrogen fertilizer.