Looking Back to 2026 to Plan a Better 2027: Using This Season’s Experience and Farm Records to Plan Next Year’s Vegetable Crops

A practical late-fall and winter planning article for vegetable growers 

Manphool Fageria, PhD, P.Ag. 

As the vegetable season comes to an end, growers naturally begin thinking about next year: What should I plant? Should I increase the acreage of one crop, reduce another, or change how a particular field is managed? Before making those decisions, late fall and winter are excellent times to look at the economics of this year’s crops.

During farm visits this season, I saw many different vegetable production systems and many well-managed, productive crops. Good crop performance and high marketable yield are important for farm success. In addition to looking at crop performance, it is also useful to understand the economics behind each crop. Labour, seed or transplants, fertilizer, crop protection, machinery, fuel, irrigation, harvesting, packaging, storage, and marketing all contribute to the cost of production.

The key questions are: Which crops performed well? Which crops and fields provided good returns? Which crops required the most time and inputs? Could shorter-duration crops provide an opportunity to grow a cover crop after harvest? This can add diversity to the rotation, build soil health, and provide longer-term benefits to the farm.

Figure 1. A productive vegetable crop is the starting point, but reviewing marketable yield, production costs, labour, and returns can help with planning for the next season. Photo credit: Thomas Harrington, BRAGG

 

Figure 2. A productive vegetable crop is the starting point, but reviewing marketable yield, production costs, labour, and returns can help with planning for the next season. Photo credit: David Blanchard, Pleasant Hill Farm

 

Start With Each Crop, Each Variety and Each Field — Separately

For farms growing several vegetables across multiple fields, start by reviewing each major crop separately and, where practical, each field separately. Two fields growing the same crop may have very different economic results because of differences in soil, drainage, fertility, weed pressure, pests and diseases, irrigation needs, distance from the farm, labour requirements, and marketable yield.

For each crop and field, record the area planted, quantity harvested, marketable yield, quantity actually sold, average selling price, and total revenue. Then record the costs that can reasonably be assigned to that crop or field. The purpose is simple: understand what each crop and field is contributing to the farm.

Know Where the Money Went

Begin with direct production and marketing costs. Depending on the crop and field, these may include seed and transplants; field preparation such as plowing, ripping, disking, bed preparation, and planting; fertilizer, lime, compost, and other amendments; herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and other crop-protection products; spraying costs, including application labour, fuel, machinery time, and custom application where applicable; hired or seasonal labour; fuel and machinery operations; irrigation costs, including water, pumping, fuel or electricity, repairs, and irrigation labour; plastic mulch and other supplies; harvesting, washing, grading, and packaging; cold storage or other storage costs; transportation; market fees; and other costs directly associated with producing and selling that crop.

Then consider shared farm expenses that support the whole farm and cannot easily be assigned to one crop or field. These may include equipment repairs and maintenance, machinery ownership or depreciation, insurance, office and administrative expenses, accounting, power and electricity, utilities, buildings, property costs, and other overhead. They still must be paid by the farm. Where power, storage, irrigation, or equipment use can be clearly traced to a particular crop or field, those costs can be assigned directly.

Do Not Forget Labour

Labour can be one of the largest costs in vegetable production, and it is easy to underestimate. Record not only hired labour dollars but also the hours spent planting, hand weeding, cultivating, irrigating, harvesting, washing, grading, packing, and marketing. Owner and family labour also has economic value. A crop may appear profitable until the amount of labour required to produce and market it is considered.

Marketable Yield and Sales Matter

Total yield alone does not pay the bills. Record how much of the harvested crop was marketable and how much was sold. If a substantial portion was rejected, left in the field, or remained unsold, ask why. Was the loss caused by weeds, disease, insects, quality, harvest timing, insufficient labour, oversupply, or lack of market demand?

Reducing losses can sometimes improve profitability more effectively than trying to produce a higher total yield. A crop with a high selling price may also carry high labour, input, harvest, storage, or marketing costs.

Calculate a Simple Crop and Field Margin

Crop/field revenue − direct crop/field costs = contribution margin

This simple calculation is a useful starting point. It is not the same as whole-farm net profit because shared overhead and ownership costs still need to be covered. However, it helps compare crops and fields and identify where further investigation is needed.

Another useful number is cost of production per marketable unit. Divide the relevant production cost by the amount of marketable product produced or sold. Knowing this cost can help with pricing, marketing, and decisions about whether expanding a crop makes sense.

Use Your Own Numbers

Every farm is different. Input prices, labour efficiency, machinery, soil conditions, yields, marketing channels, and selling prices vary widely. The most useful numbers for planning next year are the farm’s own records. Keeping the same type of records, every year also makes it easier to compare the same crop or field over several seasons rather than making a major decision based on one unusual year.

Ask Why Before Changing the Crop Plan

If a crop or field performed poorly, do not automatically remove it from next year’s plan. First determine why. A poor result may have been caused by unusual weather, a weed or disease problem, delayed planting, poor drainage, excessive labour requirements, low marketable yield, or weak market demand. Some problems can be corrected; others may indicate that acreage should be reduced or resources shifted elsewhere.

Similarly, a crop that performed very well should not automatically be expanded without considering market demand, labour availability, crop rotation, and whether the additional production can be sold at a similar price.

Make the Most of Existing Equipment

New machinery can be a major investment, and depreciation and ownership costs should be considered before replacing equipment that is still doing the job well. In my previous work, I saw farm equipment from the 1960s that was still operating efficiently with regular maintenance. Before buying new equipment, ask: Can the existing machine reliably serve the farm for a few more years? What will repair and maintenance cost compared with the cost of replacing it? New equipment can be a good investment when it improves reliability, capacity, safety, or efficiency, but replacement should be based on the needs of the farm and the expected return on the investment, rather than simply the age of the machine or the desire to have newer equipment.

Will New Technology Pay?

The same thinking applies to new technology. Before investing, consider what problem it will solve and whether the benefits justify the cost. Will it reduce labour, save fuel, improve input-use efficiency, increase marketable yield or quality, reduce losses, or allow work to be completed more efficiently? Compare the expected savings or additional returns with the purchase, operating, maintenance, and training costs. Technology can be a good investment when it provides a practical benefit to the farm and can reasonably pay for itself over time.

Match Crops to the Right Fields

Field selection can also affect production, costs, and harvest efficiency. Some heavier or poorly drained fields dry slowly in spring and may become wet again during fall harvest, making timely field operations difficult. Where appropriate, these fields may be better suited to shorter-season vegetables that can be planted after the soil is ready and harvested before wet late-fall conditions. Fields that dry earlier in spring and remain accessible later in fall may provide more flexibility for longer-season crops. Knowing each field and matching crops and harvesting timing to its conditions can reduce production risk, avoid machinery traffic when soils are too wet, and make better use of the growing season.

Plan Pesticide Needs Before the Season

Winter is a good time to review the farm’s pest, disease, and weed history and prepare a list of pesticides that may be needed for the coming season. For each product, record the crop, target pest, labelled application rate, and approximate cost per acre. You may find that the per-acre cost varies considerably among products, which can help with crop budgeting and purchasing decisions. When planning a pesticide program, also consider rotating products with different modes of action to help manage resistance. Always follow the product label, including registered crops and pests, application rates, maximum number of applications, and pre-harvest intervals. If you are unsure which products or rotations are appropriate, discuss the plan with the Perennia team before the season begins.

 

A Simple Winter Review for 2027

•        Which crops and fields generated the strongest margins?

•        Where did I spend the most money: field preparation, labour, fertilizer, crop protection and spraying, equipment maintenance, fuel, irrigation, power, storage, packaging, or marketing?

•        Which costs increased compared with previous years, and why?

•        Which crops required the most labour per acre, bed, or dollar of sales?

•        How much of each crop was marketable, and how much was sold?

•        Which fields repeatedly required extra input or produced lower marketable yields?

•        Could management changes improve a weak crop or field, or should acreage be shifted?

•        Which crops had reliable markets and prices?

•        What should I plant more of, less of, or differently in 2027?

•        Which equipment needs maintenance or repair, and should any important spare parts be ordered during the winter? 

•        Which pesticides may be needed next season based on field history, and what are their application rates and approximate costs per acre?

Simple Crop/Field Record

A grower can begin with a simple table like this and add detail as needed:

Crop / field	Area	Marketable yield	Sales ($)	Production costs ($)	Labour ($ or hrs)	Harvest / storage / marketing ($)	Margin ($)	Notes

Production costs can include seed/transplants, field preparation, fertilizer, crop protection and spraying, fuel, machinery and maintenance, irrigation, power, and other direct production expenses.

Manage Risk and Develop the Market Before Planting

Profitability also depends on managing risk. Where practical, avoid putting too much of the farm’s income into one crop, one variety, one planting date, or one buyer. Growing a diversity of cash crops or varieties and staggering planting dates can help spread production and market risk. For high-value crops, plan for the major production risks and take appropriate preventative measures to protect crop quality and marketable yield.

Winter is also a good time to work on the marketing plan. Talk with different potential buyers—retailers, wholesalers, restaurants, institutions, farmers’ markets, and other outlets—before finalizing what and how much to plant. Discuss expected volume, quality, packaging, delivery timing, and food-safety requirements. Strong food-safety, traceability, sanitation, and recordkeeping practices should be part of the production and marketing plan from the beginning.

Figure 3. Integrating cover crops and livestock can add diversity to the crop rotation while keeping the soil covered, building soil health, and providing biological termination of cover crops through grazing. Photo credit: Lawrence Spears.

Figure 3. Integrating fall-planted cereal rye with frost-seeded single cut red clover. The cereal rye is planted in the fall to provide winter soil cover, and red clover is frost-seeded into the rye the following March. The rye is harvested for grain in summer, while the red clover continues growing after harvest, adding biomass, fixing nitrogen, and building soil health. Photo credit: Ben McMahon, Longspell Point Farm

 

Keep a Field-by-Field History

A simple field-history template can be a very useful winter planning tool. Prepare a record for every field and keep updating it throughout the season and from year to year. Recording crops and varieties, cover crops, field preparation, planting and harvest timing, fertilizer and spraying, irrigation, major weed, insect or disease issues, and other important field events creates a practical history for each field. Over time, this makes crop-rotation planning much easier and helps explain why one field may perform differently from another.

The Goal Is Better Decisions, Not Simply Lower Costs

Efficient farm management is not about cutting every input. Fertilizer, crop protection, labour, irrigation, machinery, and other inputs can be good investments when they protect yield, quality, or marketability. The goal is to understand which expenses are generating a return, where money is being lost, and where management changes can improve efficiency.

Before finalizing the 2027 crop plan, ask three questions: What worked? What did not? And where did the farm actually make money? If you are unsure about some decisions, discuss them with your family, farm staff, or trusted grower friends. Sometimes a good conversation can bring a different perspective and help you make better decisions for the next season.

Reusable Field History and Crop-Rotation Planning Template

Prepare this simple field-history table in winter and keep updating it throughout the season. It may take only a few minutes each month, but over time it can become one of the most useful records on the farm. It provides a clear history of cash crops, cover crops, rotations, and important field activities and helps plan well in advance. One goal should be to avoid leaving fields bare for long periods in late fall, winter, or early spring whenever practical. Planning ahead can help identify opportunities to fit cover crops between cash crops and keep the soil covered.

This table can also be shared with farm staff and family members, so everyone knows what has been grown in each field and what is planned next. This makes the farm plan easier to follow and reduces the need to make or explain the same decisions each time. Add or remove field columns to fit your farm. Field A is shown only as an example of how a cash crop can be followed by a cover crop and then the next cash crop.

Month / activity	Field A – Example	Field B	Field C	Field D	Field E
January 2026
February	Cover crop	Cover crop
March	Cover crop	Cover crop
April	Field preparation	Field preparation
May	Lettuce	Green Onions
June	Lettuce	Green Onions
July	Lettuce	Green Onions
August	Lettuce – harvest	Green Onions
September	Cover crop: Winter rye + hairy vetch	Cover crops: Oats + tillage radish
October	Cover crop: Winter rye + hairy vetch	Cover crops: Oats + tillage radish
November	Cover crop: Winter rye + hairy vetch	Cover crops: Oats + tillage radish
December	Cover crop: Winter rye + hairy vetch	Cover crops: Oats + tillage radish
January 2027	Cover crop: Winter rye + hairy vetch	Cover crops: Oats + tillage radish
February	Cover crop: Winter rye + hairy vetch	Cover crops: Oats + tillage radish
March	Cover crop: Winter rye + hairy vetch	Cover crops: Oats + tillage radish
April	Cover crop: Winter rye + hairy vetch	Winter termination → Carrots
May	Terminate cover crop → Cucumbers	Carrots
June	Cucumbers	Carrots