Alfalfa Fungicide ROI Calculator

Information on the Alfalfa Fungicide ROI Calculator

The purpose of this calculator is to share results from university alfalfa fungicide trials conducted in the United States and allow farmers and others in the agricultural industry to calculate the potential return on investment (ROI) for alfalfa fungicide application across a variety of user-defined factors, which is based on research data included in this calculator.

The treatment cost, expected return, and breakeven probability values shown in the calculator are estimates based on data and not guaranteed values. Also, values are derived from data collected in trials designed to test specific product comparisons, and data are not available for all labeled fungicides on alfalfa. Data are not comprehensive and represent only the treatments tested in these trials.

Definitions for the calculator are:

Cutting duration. The time between alfalfa harvests. The longer the duration between alfalfa harvests, the more likely disease will reach levels that cause crop defoliation. Typical alfalfa cutting intervals for dairy production are 30-days or less.

RFQ. Relative feed quality (RFQ) is a measure of how much nutritive value is in the feed. An RFQ of 150 or more is typically considered “Prime”.

Defoliation. An estimate of the proportion of leaflets that have fallen from the standing plants at harvest. Defoliation typically occurs when foliar disease severity reaches 15-20% or more.

How to cite information from this resource:

Crop Protection Network. 2025. Alfalfa Fungicide Return On Investment Calculator. Alfalfa Pest Management Working Group. https://doi.org/10.31274/cpn-20250804-0.

How were fungicide products selected for inclusion in the calculator?

Alfalfa disease management specialists test fungicide products as part of their research at land grant universities. Products are selected based on availability and market share and typically represent products available to and used by most farmers.

How were treatment costs determined?

Alfalfa disease management specialists solicit information on fungicide product pricing and application costs from university extension specialists annually. Methods for collecting these costs vary by state or province and year. Specialists may collect pricing information from surveys or direct feedback from university Extension, industry, farmers, and other agricultural personnel. Product and application costs are averaged, and a national mean and median are determined for each product based on submitted data. The treatment costs for each product listed can be changed to tailor the expected benefit estimates to local pricing.

How are expected net benefits/acre calculated?

The expected net benefit is an estimate of ROI when considering several variable factors that can be measured or estimated. These factors include the proportional yield benefit (yield of the treated plots vs. non-treated) for each fungicide across a range of disease levels. This is then combined with total treatment cost (cost of the fungicide plus application cost) and expected commodity sale price per bushel with both parameters fit to a function that estimates the expected net benefit per acre. This function is only a best estimate based on the available data and reported, real-world treatment costs. Unaccountable error and uncertainty exist in the data and actual ROI may occasionally be significantly different from the estimates reported here.

How are expected breakeven probabilities calculated?

Thousands of simulations were performed to estimate the expected ROI of fungicide usage application across a range of inputs used to calculate expected net benefits. The expected breakeven probabilities represent the proportion of total simulations that had an expected net benefit of zero or greater, given a fungicide and set of crop characteristic inputs.

Disclaimer

This information is only a guide but is based on multi-year research across multiple locations. Contributors and data managers assume no liability resulting from the use of these estimates.

References to products in this resource are not intended to be an endorsement to the exclusion of others that may be similar. Individuals using such products assume responsibility for their use in accordance with current directions of the manufacturer.

Find out More

The Crop Protection Network (CPN) is a multi-state and international collaboration of university and provincial extension specialists, and public and private professionals who provide unbiased, research-based information to farmers and agricultural personnel. Our goal is to communicate relevant information that will help professionals identify and manage field crop diseases.

Find more crop protection resources at the Crop Protection Network.

Acknowledgments

Data compilation:

Maria Oros, Data Science Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Contributors:

Damon Smith, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Shalini Yerukala, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Brian Mueller, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Scott Chapman, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Bryan Jensen, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Bill Halfman, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Jason Lo, University of Wisconsin-Madison; and Paul Esker, Penn State University.

This project is funded through the North Central Integrated Pest Management Center. This work is supported by the Crop Protection and Pest Management Program, project award no. 2022-70006-38001, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.

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