What is a grain storage rental rate?

A grain storage rental rate is a charge paid by a producer or renter to store harvested grain in a landlord's or facility owner's grain bin, typically calculated per bushel of capacity or per bushel stored per month/year.

How is grain storage rent calculated using the ISU AgDM C2-24 worksheet?

The calculation follows Iowa State University Extension AgDM File C2-24 by calculating annual ownership costs: depreciation (original cost divided by useful life), interest/return on investment (charged on average value), repairs, property taxes, and insurance. The total ownership cost is divided by total storage capacity to find the per-bushel cost.

What is the cost per bushel of grain storage?

The cost per bushel varies depending on the original capital cost, age, and useful life of the bin. For typical installations, annual ownership costs average between $0.15 and $0.25 per bushel of storage capacity, excluding energy and labor.

Does the grain storage calculator cover bin dryers too?

Yes, the calculator evaluates separate ownership costs for both grain storage bins (per bushel of capacity) and dedicated bin dryers (per bushel dried per year).

How accurate is this grain storage rental estimator?

It provides baseline ownership cost estimates based on established university extension formulas (ISU AgDM C2-24). Operating expenses such as electricity, drying fuel, labor, and grain handling losses should be added separately.

What is Oaken, and how does it help simplify lease management?

Oaken provides specialized farmland lease software and agribusiness CRM tools to automate farmland agreements, track crop-share and flex lease payments, and manage landowner relationships.

Grain Storage & Dryer Rental Estimator

Asset Inputs

Enter grain bin and bin dryer parameters. Defaults match the ISU Example.

Capacity & Investment

Parameter	Grain Bin	Bin Dryer
Storage capacitybushels (bin volume)
Bushels dried per yearannual throughput
Original cost$ total investment
Useful lifeyears

Ownership Cost Rates (% of original investment)

Cost Item	Grain Bin	Bin Dryer
Rate of return (interest)annual, charged on avg. value
Repairs% of original cost / yr
Taxes% of original cost / yr
Insurance% of original cost / yr

Methodology follows ISU Extension AgDM File C2-24. Depreciation = original cost ÷ useful life. Interest is charged on the average value over the asset's life (original cost ÷ 2 × rate). Repairs, taxes, and insurance are a percentage of the original investment. Total ownership cost ÷ bushels = cost per bushel (bin: per bushel of storage capacity; dryer: per bushel dried). Energy, labor, and grain loss are separate operating costs not included here.

Rental Rate Estimate

Enter your inputs and estimate

Fill in the asset inputs and press
Estimate Rental Rates

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Frequently Asked Questions

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A grain storage rental rate is the annual payment a grain operator pays a landlord to lease a grain bin and, where applicable, a bin dryer. It is calculated from the structure's ownership costs (depreciation, interest, repairs, taxes, insurance) plus operating costs, and is often expressed per bushel of storage capacity.
The Iowa State University Extension Ag Decision Maker File C2-24, Computing a Grain Storage and Dryer Rental Rate, by William Edwards, estimates annual ownership costs from original cost and useful life, adds operating costs, and converts the total to a cost per bushel. This grain storage rent calculator follows that worksheet's methodology and default example.
Cost per bushel is the total annual ownership and operating cost of the bin and dryer divided by the storage capacity in bushels (for storage) or bushels dried per year (for drying). It lets landlords and tenants compare rates regardless of bin size.
Yes. The C2-24 worksheet and this estimator compute a rental rate for both the grain bin (storage capacity) and the bin dryer (bushels dried), combining ownership and operating costs for each into a single annual rate and per-bushel figure.
The estimator is an educational and negotiation tool that replicates the published ISU AgDM C2-24 methodology. It uses the inputs you provide and does not pull live market data. Always verify figures with current costs and your own bin and dryer records before signing a lease.
Oaken is a digital farmland lease management platform and agribusiness CRM designed for farm managers, agricultural investors, and landowners. It replaces manual spreadsheets by automating agricultural lease agreements, calculating market-aligned rental rates, tracking flexible and crop-share payments, and organizing landowner communications in one centralized system.

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