This article approaches an analysis of grain production on a farm in the city of Chapecó-SC, Brazil. Data collection was held, considering the crops of soybeans, wheat and corn crops during the 2008/2009, 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 harvests. Production costs, technical and economic indicators were analyzed. As a result, it was identified that the raw materials are responsible for most of the costs analyzed in the last three crops, the cultivation of soybeans showed the highest profitability, wheat however, showed losses in two growing seasons of the three considered. The average profitability in the period was substantial, but the return on investment can be considered low (6.75% per year). Taking into consideration the capital invested in the activity (land + machinery and construction + costing) for the profitability of the analyzed period, it was verified that there is a need of 57.28 years to recover that amount. Frequently, it was found that attachment to land, tradition and personal satisfaction are factors that contribute in explaining the permanence of producers in rural areas, even when certain activities prove to be unfeasible or yield low profit margins.
cost of production; economic analysis; technical indicators
