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Where U.S. Corn and Soybean Farmers Have Input-Cost Advantages Over Brazil—and Where They Don’t

U.S. corn and soybean producers had lower per-bushel fertilizer and pesticide costs than Brazilian producers in a 2024 comparison, while soybean seed cost more in the United States. The figures cover selected inputs, not total farm costs or profitability.
From TheFinanceBase Team3 min to read
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In a 2024 comparison, U.S. farmers had lower per-bushel fertilizer and pesticide costs than Brazilian farmers for corn and soybeans. The exception was soybean seed: Brazilian producers paid about one-third less per bushel. These are comparisons of selected material inputs—not a ranking of total production costs, farm profitability, or competitiveness.

How the U.S. and Brazil compared on input costs

Peter Richards and Seth Meyer, identified with the USDA Office of the Chief Economist, compared 2024 material input costs per bushel for corn and soybeans. Their October 6, 2025 analysis found U.S. advantages in fertilizer and pesticides, but a disadvantage in soybean seed costs.

Input Corn Soybeans
Fertilizer U.S. cost was 10% lower per bushel than Brazil’s. U.S. cost was 45% lower per bushel than Brazil’s.
Pesticides U.S. cost was 40–45% lower per bushel than Brazil’s. U.S. cost was 40–45% lower per bushel than Brazil’s.
Seed U.S. cost was about 21% lower per bushel than Brazil’s. Brazilian cost was approximately one-third lower per bushel than the U.S. cost.

All figures are the authors’ comparisons of 2024 input costs, not estimates of what an individual farm paid. The article reports the pesticide differential as a 40–45% U.S. advantage for the crops compared; it does not give a separate exact percentage for each crop. Richards and Meyer’s comparison provides the reported differentials.

Why the comparison is not a total-cost or profit ranking

The analysis compares fertilizer, pesticides, and seed on a per-bushel basis. It does not establish which country has lower total production costs or higher net returns. A lower cost for one input does not, by itself, show that the whole crop is cheaper to produce or more profitable.

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The country estimates also represent different underlying data. The authors use USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) national and regional estimates for the United States, and average data from 18 Brazilian reporting locations published by CONAB. Brazilian costs are reported in reais per hectare; the authors calculate bushels per hectare from reported productivity and convert costs to U.S. dollars per bushel using the 2024 average exchange rate of 5.3872 BRL per U.S. dollar.

The ERS describes its commodity cost-and-return records as “historical” accounts based on actual producer costs, rather than projected university enterprise budgets. However, the survey vintages behind the estimates differ by crop: current ERS soybean estimates are based on a 2023 ARMS survey and corn estimates on a 2021 survey, with annual estimates updated using prices, acreage, and production changes. Those survey years are distinct from the comparison’s 2024 cost year. ERS’s data-product page lists its recent corn and soybean datasets as updated October 1, 2026, and schedules the next update for May 3, 2027. See the ERS methodology documentation and Commodity Costs and Returns data page.

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Actual costs can differ within a country or region depending on when and at what scale inputs are purchased, input quality and technology, financing, and distribution costs. Currency movements can also change Brazil’s costs when expressed in U.S. dollars. The comparison is best read as a cross-country snapshot of selected input costs under its stated data and conversion method.

Why Brazilian soybean seed may cost less

Richards and Meyer identify several possible contributors, but do not measure how much each explains. Farm scale and economies from purchasing seed may matter; however, Brazilian soybean seed costs were lower in nearly all reported regions, including some regions with smaller farms, so scale alone may not account for the pattern.

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Seed reuse may also play a role. Soybean seed can be saved and replanted, while hybrid corn seed loses vigor when replanted. The authors suggest that contracts and differences in intellectual-property enforcement may affect farmers’ ability to reuse seed and suppliers’ ability to collect revenue. They point to an ERS report for context on the possibility of fewer restrictions in Brazil, but these factors are proposed explanations—not established causal findings. The ERS report on U.S. soybean production practices, costs, and returns provides background on U.S. production trends; it is not a measurement of the causes of the cross-country seed-cost gap.

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How to use the figures for a farm budget

For a producer, the reported percentages are context—not a substitute for local quotes or an operation-specific budget. Compare costs in the same units and period, and separate each input from the broader production-cost picture.

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  • Use local prices and your own purchase timing, financing, and distribution costs rather than applying a national percentage directly to your farm.
  • Compare input costs per bushel only when yield assumptions and units are clear; cost per hectare and cost per bushel answer different questions.
  • Keep seed, fertilizer, and pesticide costs distinct from other production expenses before drawing conclusions about total cost or returns.
  • Treat exchange-rate conversions as time-specific: a change in the real-dollar rate can alter a U.S.-dollar comparison even if local-currency costs do not change.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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