F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 9 POTATO GROWER 29 People, Product News only projected a return to labor and management of $13 in the north-central region and losses ranging for $20 to $50 per acre in other regions. Durum wheat projected a return to labor and management of about $10 to $15 per acre in the east-central, southwestern and south-central regions. Losses between $6 and $18 per acre were projected for the north-central, northwestern and southeastern regions. "The southwestern, north-cen- tral, and south-central regions had the most crops that project a positive return to labor and management," Swenson adds. "However, the returns are mod- est." For most crops the projected total costs per acre were slightly higher than last year's projec- tions. Fertilizer, interest expense and expenditures for chemicals were higher. Expenditures for seed was generally similar to last year. Crop land rents for most regions declined and projected crop insurance expenditures were generally lower. Swenson cautions that the budg- ets are guides for large multi- county regions and that returns and costs can vary considerably between producers within a region. Also, the budgets estimate returns to labor and manage- ment with no consideration of price and yield variability, or risk. A perfect "apples-to-apples" comparison of crops is not achieved because different levels of labor and management, and risk, exist.