Nebraska Crop Budgets Guide Smarter Farm Planning

By Scout Nelson

Nebraska has released the updated 2026 Crop Budgets to support better farm planning and financial decision-making. The new budgets provide 84 detailed enterprise plans that reflect current production costs, updated input prices, and modern farming challenges.

The budgets were created using the Agricultural Budget Calculator. This digital tool allows users to study costs and make changes based on their own production systems. The budgets serve as a strong reference point for understanding crop expenses and expected returns.

Several important updates are included this year. Fertilizer and nutrient costs have increased for most crops. Pesticide use and prices are also slightly higher as operations manage rising weed and disease pressure. Fuel prices are expected to be lower than previous years, although equipment ownership and repair costs continue to rise.

Machinery costs such as depreciation, labor, irrigation, and repairs were also updated. These changes reflect current market conditions and long-term replacement needs. A new cover crop budget has been added, giving more options for improving soil health and sustainability planning.

The budgets represent statewide averages and are meant to be adjusted to match each operation’s needs. Users are encouraged to customize machinery, land, labor, and input values for more accurate results.

These budgets can help compare crop profitability, choose crop rotations, understand cash and total economic costs, and support lending and insurance discussions. They also guide pricing and marketing decisions during uncertain market conditions.

All budgets are available through a digital system that allows easy editing and comparison. Users can import budgets, change input prices, adjust labor and fuel needs, and review full economic cost summaries.

The 2026 budgets cover a wide range of crop systems including corn, soybean, wheat, alfalfa, sunflowers, oats, dry beans, sugar beets, sorghum, millet, peas, forage crops, and cover crops. Input prices were based on recent market surveys collected in late 2025.

These updated budgets provide clear, research-based information to help operations remain financially prepared and improve long-term planning decisions.

Photo Credit: gettyimages-d-keine