This paper seeks to compare production costs of
similar farms to determine competitiveness across countries. A data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach was
used to calculate efficiency indices for farms producing corn, soybeans, wheat,
both corn and soybeans, and both corn and wheat. Technical efficiency, allocative efficiency,
and cost efficiency were compared for all farms. The data consisted of a five-year (2013-2017)
panel of 24 corn-producing farms, 15 soybean-producing farms, 38
wheat-producing farms, 13 farms producing both corn and soybeans, and 17 farms
producing both corn and wheat. The agri benchmark network at the Thünen
Institute (TI) of Farm Economics manages the dataset that was used in this
analysis. Outputs were measured using
revenue. Input costs included direct
costs, operating costs, and overhead costs.