The economic analysis within agri benchmark is conducted using the instrument of so called "typical farms". At the moment the agri benchmark Cash Crop Network embraces 31 typical farms world-wide.

To work out the economics of different tillage systems 12 typical farms in 9 countries were selected and analysed in detail.

How a typical farm is constructed

• Construction of typical farms is based on local consultancy’s expertise and panel discussions with farmers. These typical farms are characteristic of a relevant farm population in the defined area, though they do not exist. The denotation follows the following pattern:
  RUS7000BS
  RUS … abbreviation for the country
  7000 … acreage in ha
  BS … abbreviation for the region
  
• Physical and monetary key figures are collected, calculated and compared according to a harmonised method.
• In addition to an annual update of prices, costs and yields, all data is checked periodically by the panel every 3 years. This is relevant for the option to analyse single farm development over a certain period of time.
• Advantage of this procedure: The discussion with farmers in panels makes sure to get first hand and farm based information. The combination of economical and production data enables analysis of the causes of the strengths and weaknesses of farms in the international comparisons. This facilitates agri benchmark to identify strategical challenges as well as motives for management decisions.