Compare the expected per-acre value of keeping a damaged corn stand with replanting it using your own yield, price, and cost estimates.
Advanced options
Optional cost adjustments
Table of contents
How to use our Crop Stand Loss, Replant Cost and Break-Even Yield Calculator
- Enter the planted population from your record in "Original planting population (plants/acre)" and your representative surviving count in "Current healthy stand (plants/acre)."
- Estimate "Estimated yield if kept (bu/acre)" for the damaged stand and "Estimated yield if replanted (bu/acre)" for the likely delayed replanting date.
- Enter your expected sale value in "Expected grain price ($/bu)" and the direct incremental cost in "Basic replant cost ($/acre)."
- Open Advanced options only if separate financing cost, time opportunity cost, or seed reimbursement is not already included in the basic cost.
- Click Calculate. Check whether the estimated replant yield is above "Replant yield needed to break even (bu/acre)" and compare it with a realistic delayed-planting yield estimate before deciding.
Definitions
Original planting population: The number of plants per acre planted at the start, taken from a planting or monitor record.
Current healthy stand: The estimated number of surviving plants per acre likely to produce grain.
Stand loss: The share of the original planted population missing from the current healthy stand. It is a plant-count measure, not a yield forecast.
Net replant cost: Basic replant cost plus separate financing and time costs, minus expected seed reimbursement.
Break-even replant yield: The replant yield needed for replant net value to equal the gross value expected from keeping the current stand.
Return compared with net replant cost: The net value difference divided by net replant cost, shown only when net replant cost is greater than zero.
Common mistakes and quick fixes
Mistake: Using every visible plant in "Current healthy stand (plants/acre)," including plants unlikely to recover.
Fix: Count healthy plants likely to contribute, using representative areas of the field.
Mistake: Treating "Calculated stand loss (percent)" as the same thing as yield loss.
Fix: Enter separate field-based estimates for "Estimated yield if kept (bu/acre)" and "Estimated yield if replanted (bu/acre)."
Mistake: Entering the original crop yield expectation as "Estimated yield if replanted (bu/acre)."
Fix: Use the likely yield for the actual replant date and target stand, including the effect of delayed planting.
Mistake: Adding seed reimbursement by lowering "Expected grain price ($/bu)."
Fix: Enter the expected dollar amount in "Seed reimbursement ($/acre)" so it offsets only replant cost.
Mistake: Counting financing or delayed-work costs twice in "Basic replant cost ($/acre)" and the advanced cost fields.
Fix: Use "Financing cost not in basic cost ($/acre)" and "Time opportunity cost not in basic cost ($/acre)" only for costs missing from the basic amount.
Limitations & Key Assumptions / Boundary Conditions
- This is an economic worksheet, not a regional corn yield-response model. It does not predict yield from population, planting date, weather, soil, hybrid, pest damage, or field uniformity.
- Yield estimates are the main judgment inputs. Large gaps, uneven stands, plant health, and delayed planting can change actual yield even when plant counts are similar.
- The calculation uses one "Expected grain price ($/bu)" for both choices. Different delivery dates, quality differences, basis, drying, storage, and marketing costs are outside this worksheet unless included in your estimates.
- "Basic replant cost ($/acre)" should contain only incremental costs caused by replanting. Shared costs should not be counted as a replant-only cost.
- Blank advanced cost entries count as $0. A seed reimbursement reduces replant cost only; it does not reduce equipment, chemical, fuel, labor, or other expenses unless your agreement actually covers them.
- A positive net value difference favors replanting under the entered estimates, while a negative value favors keeping. It is not a guarantee of the final crop outcome.
Methodology
Calculation method
The calculator first measures the surviving stand, then compares estimated crop value per acre for the keep and replant choices. In the formulas, population means plants per acre, yield means bushels per acre, and price means dollars per bushel.
Stand loss (%) = (original population - current healthy stand) / original population x 100
Keep gross value ($/acre) = estimated keep yield x grain price
Replant gross value ($/acre) = estimated replant yield x grain price
Net replant cost ($/acre) = basic replant cost + financing cost + time opportunity cost - seed reimbursement
Replant net value ($/acre) = replant gross value - net replant cost
Net value difference for replanting ($/acre) = replant net value - keep gross value
Break-even replant yield (bu/acre) = estimated keep yield + net replant cost / grain price
Return compared with net replant cost (%) = net value difference / net replant cost x 100
Worked example
With an original population of 32,000 plants/acre and a current healthy stand of 28,000 plants/acre, stand loss is 12.5%. If keep yield is 170 bu/acre, replant yield is 185 bu/acre, price is $5.00/bu, and net replant cost is $100/acre, keeping has gross value of $850/acre. Replanting has gross value of $925/acre and net value of $825/acre. The net value difference is -$25/acre, so keeping is higher under these estimates. Replant yield would need to reach 190 bu/acre to break even.
Optional financing and time costs are added only when entered. Seed reimbursement is subtracted from replant cost. The return percentage is omitted when net replant cost is zero or negative because division by that value does not give a useful cost-return percentage.