With corn at $3 per bushel, soybeans would have to be $7.32 per bushel to compete with corn in east central North Dakota.

That's according to Dwight Aakre, NDSU Extension farm management specialist.

Soybeans would have to be as high as $8.15 in the southern Red river Valley to compete with $3 per bushel corn.

Spring wheat would need to reach $6.81 in the southern Red River Valley to compete with $3 corn.

In other parts of the state, spring wheat is crop to beat.

The NDSU Extension Service has developed a spreadsheet calculator called "Crop Compare" to determine the cash price needed for each crop to provide the same return over variable costs as the base crop. The choices for the base crop for comparison are corn, soybeans and spring wheat. You can input the futures price and basis for corn, soybeans or spring wheat, as well as the expected yield and variable costs for each crop. The results show the cash price needed by other crops to be as profitable as the crop selected as the base crop. Find it at www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/aginfo/farmmgmt/farmmgmt.htm.  

Spring wheat is most competitive with corn in the northwestern region at $5.35 per bushel.

Likewise, barley is most competitive in the northwestern region at $3.17 per bushel, while it must be $4.64 per bushel in the southern Red River Valley.

This would be the average price received for all barley produced, not just that portion that makes malting status.

The comparable price for oil sunflowers is $14.38 per bushel in the northwest and $19.98 per bushel in the southern Red River Valley.

Canola is equal to $3 corn in the northwest at $13.64 per bushel, but must be at $23.46 per bushel to compete in the southeastern region.

Flax competes best with corn in the northwest, where it needs to be at $7.61 per bushel, but must be at $12.75 per bushel in the southeast.