Producing soybean seed for your own use is an economical option for rural producers?

The cost of seeds in soybean production is high. Looking for alternatives to reduce expenditure on this input is interesting from an economic point of view. The aim of this study was to measure the cost of producing soybean seed on the farm itself and to carry out an economic analysis of this activity in comparison with certified seed. The case study was carried out on a farm located in the municipality of Jataí-GO. The variable and fixed costs and the total operating cost of four materials (CZB32, CZB43, 73i75, Foco and Bônus) were determined in four parts: sowing and handling, harvesting, post-harvesting and administration. In the end, there was a high production cost for saved seeds, but their average total cost was lower than certified seeds and they were financially profitable for the rural company, as they had lower costs and greater savings for the rural producer. The average saving generated by self-production was R$10,351.70 bigbag-1 compared to certified seed. After being produced, they were sown in the 2022/2023 harvest. However, for this study, some saved seeds proved to be economically viable. However, others had low final yields, which meant that the decision point between using one or the other was close, making saving unfeasible. Investments in both handling and post-harvest are needed to increase the agronomic efficiency of saved seeds and make them more economically interesting for producers.