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Rising input costs keep focus on seed ROI

The business and supplier strategist at Beck’s says keeping seed costs in check remains a priority for the industry.

Corey Beck says rising input costs have created significant financial pressure for many farmers.

“If you look at the last five years fertilizer costs have doubled,” he said. “There’s a whole lot of things that have caused that. Think about war. Not very good for fertilizer prices. Spikes in demand and supply chain disruption. Not good for fertilizer prices.”

But he says one key input has remained relatively stable.

“You look at the last 10 years, on the low side back in 2022 farmers spent about 10% of their revenue on seed,” he said. “On the high side it’s about 16%, so a pretty narrow band there. The last four years it’s even tighter.”

Beck says seed remains one of the most important investments farmers can make to improve returns.

“At the same time it’s got the most consistent cost profile of any input that a farmer is contending with.”

He says farmers can boost profitability by matching the right seed genetics with their management practices.

Beck made his comments during the 2026 Becknology Days in Colfax, Iowa: