Independent purchasing intelligence · Agriculture first
Did I pay
too much?
Your paid price. The example historical median. The difference. Your next independent decision.
Explore a fictional 2,800-acre Central Iowa corn-and-soybean operation. An app-style preview shows what three farm-input orders cost, what a matched historical regional median could show, and why a price difference deserves investigation. No real InputBasis median exists here.
Private purchase evidencePrice difference, not promised savingsRegional context for your next decision
Agriculture is the wedge. The Index Factory is the platform.
CENTRAL IOWA · US CORN BELT2,800 cropped acres · 1,600 corn + 1,200 soybeans
Historical price position · three selected purchases
Fictional mediansKnow what your inputs really cost.
Your effective paid costUS$158,400
Example regional median equivalentUS$137,200
Above example historical median+US$21,20015.5% above reference · not proven overpayment
Your orderYou paidExample medianPrice difference
Urea 46-0-0160 US short tons$770/ton$675/ton+$15,200
Matched herbicide250 US gal$64/gal$49/gal+$3,750
Farm diesel3,000 US gal$6.40/gal$5.65/gal+$2,250
Before your next orderCheck specifications, freight, dates and supplier quotes.
All invoices, prices and historical medians are fictional. Real comparisons are suppressed unless rights, equivalent products, contributor counts, privacy and delay controls pass. Not achieved savings or current quotes.
01 Bring your history
02 Find the evidence gap
03 Decide independently
Independent buyer intelligence · potential reach, not members
Millions of potential independent buyers. A future network of better evidence.
Farms already generate records of what they actually pay. With permission, quality controls and delayed aggregation, independent evidence could eventually help buyers see more than their own invoices—without collective purchasing or coordinated prices.
2.14 million
Published farm / agricultural-operation counts summed across AU, US and CanadaIndicative population context from differing definitions and years—not a harmonised market-size estimate, participating farms, paid memberships or live InputBasis evidence.
2,142,770 is a simple sum of the three displayed statistical counts (87,800 + 1,865,000 + 189,970), which have different census definitions and reference years. These are NOT InputBasis members, real contributors, validated eligible buyers or a revenue forecast. Canada remains a planned market.
The buyer's information gap
The people buying essential inputs deserve the intelligence to understand their economics.
“What did I effectively pay? How do I compare? What changed around me? What should I examine before buying again?”
— the intended InputBasis questionIndependence is an operating rule.
InputBasis is intended to be buyer-funded. It does not sell or finance the inputs it evaluates, direct purchasing, coordinate prices, or organise collective buying.
The evidence gap is real
Prices can differ.
Knowledge shouldn’t.
Published agricultural chemical research documents significant high-to-low prices for the same products, including transactions close in geography. The question for buyers is whether they have the evidence to see and explain a difference.
Published external research
Not InputBasis results
Not InputBasis results
Median within-product nationwide high-to-low price range across analysed products.
View 2024 report ↗Up to this reported regional high-to-low price variation for particular products.
View 2025 report ↗Reported selected statewide price extremes approaching 1.5 times the lower observed price.
View 2026 report ↗A spread is a signal to investigate—not a saving.
All three statistics relate to agricultural chemicals, with their reported products, periods, geographies and methods. A price range is neither median farmer overpayment nor an available alternative. FBN also sells agricultural inputs; InputBasis intends a supplier-independent buyer-side position.
Large-farm order · transparent synthetic calculation
Fertiliser can drive the biggest price gap.
Assumed 2,800 cropped acres in Central Iowa, including 1,600 corn acres. At an illustrative 200 lb of urea 46-0-0 product per corn acre, the selected order is 160 US short tons (320,000 lb ÷ 2,000). This is an example purchase volume, not a nitrogen recommendation or complete nutrient plan.
The product/acre and US-short-ton conversion follow extension arithmetic; actual nutrient needs depend on field conditions and agronomic advice. Iowa State Extension nitrogen calculation reference ↗
Historical comparison · entirely fictional prices
Your assumed paid unit priceUS$770/short ton160 US short tons = US$123,200
Example regional historical medianUS$675/short ton160 US short tons = US$108,000
Price above the example median+US$15,200
($770 − $675) × 160 US short tonsA historical price difference is a question to investigate, not proven overpayment or recoverable savings. This US$15,200 is already included in the US$21,200 three-input example.
The fertilizer purchase above is a synthetic large-farm quantity calculation, not a validated Iowa application rate, supplier quotation or regional farm median. A real comparison requires matching timing, grade, delivery, volume, tax, payment terms and evidence quality. Separately, the 3,000-gallon diesel order at $6.40 vs fictional $5.65 has a $2,250 historical difference; it is included in—not additional to—the $21,200 total. FBN evidence here applies only to agricultural chemicals.
A reason to return before every significant purchase
Your purchasing history should work for you.
Reconstruct the real cost from invoices you own. Learn how that price compares only when a qualified, delayed historical reference is available. Then review what changed before the next order. A private record remains valuable even if no regional reference qualifies.
01
Bring the records you already own
Historical PDF, scans, photos and multi-invoice batches across fuel, fertiliser and agricultural chemicals.
02
Reconstruct the effective cost
Review product, unit, date, freight, tax, credit, discount and payment terms. Correct extraction or equivalence errors.
03
Understand your price position
See the exact paid unit cost, your own past comparable purchases and, only where eligible, a delayed regional median—not simply annual accounting totals.
04
Prepare your next independent purchase
Review product equivalence, delivery, regional context and source-dated market changes. No coordinated buying or price instruction.
Product concept only. This website cannot upload, process or store real invoices; no live account or OCR operation is enabled.
PRIVATE FARM INTELLIGENCE / ENTIRELY SYNTHETIC
Central IowaKnow your price position. Then plan the next order.
SELECTED IOWA FARM ORDERS / FICTIONAL HISTORICAL COMPARISON
You paidUS$158,400
Example historical regional median equivalentUS$137,200
Above the example median+US$21,200
Fertiliser accounts for US$15,200 of this synthetic price difference. These are illustrative selected orders, not the farm's total annual inputs or verified regional evidence.
Input and order
You paidExample medianPrice gapFarm diesel3,000 US gal · farm delivery
US$6.40/galUS$5.65/gal+US$2,250Urea 46-0-0160 US short tons · 1,600 corn acres × 200 lb urea product/ac
US$770/short tonUS$675/short ton+US$15,200Matched herbicide250 US gal · identical registered product / formulation
US$64/galUS$49/gal+US$3,750Before the next purchase
Check the matched product, order size, freight, tax treatment and reference period. Investigate the price difference with independent supplier quotes—without assuming the historic median is currently available.
Qualified comparisons must fail closed.
No real InputBasis historical medians or contributing farmers are represented here. This is a hypothetical evidence-eligible screen; a real product must suppress a median if independent source, delay, equivalence or privacy controls fail.
Illustrative member experience
Your paid price. The historical median. Your next decision.
Central Iowa · synthetic member example
Your price position
What you paid vs the example historical medianMatched product, units and terms assumed
InputYou paidRegional median*Difference
Farm dieselUS$6.40/galUS$5.65/gal+US$2,250
Urea 46-0-0US$770/short tonUS$675/short ton+US$15,200
Matched herbicideUS$64/galUS$49/gal+US$3,750
Insight, not accounting:
The difference prompts an investigation: was freight higher, was the product or formulation different, were the terms comparable, or did the market move? A real median would appear only after all reference gates pass.
* All values are fictional. No actual regional medians or farmer transactions have been verified; the screen shows the future product's intended decision logic.
Central Iowa · 3,000 US gal
Diesel · 3,000 × US$6.25 US$18,750
Delivered freight + US$600
Invoice credit − US$150
Net effective cost US$19,200
US$19,200 ÷ 3,000 US gal US$6.40/gal
Freight and terms change your actual price.
A low headline price can become a different delivered cost after freight, taxes, credits and payment terms. Normalisation is essential before comparing like for like.
Hypothetical matched historical median
US$5.65/gal × 3,000 US gal = US$16,950. Compared with the fictional invoice, the difference is US$2,250—part of, not additional to, the US$21,200 three-order example.
Data statusEntirely synthetic · no real invoices
Buyer-side price intelligence · prospective example
Compare effective paid costs with eligible historical regional reference prices.
Three inputs · 12-month illustrative portfolio
Synthetic valuesWhat could the difference mean in dollars?
DieselA$2.18/LPaid (assumed)A$1.93/LLower comparator (assumed)A$0.25 × 80,000 LUnit gap × volumeA$20,000
FertiliserA$804/tPaid (assumed)A$640/tLower comparator (assumed)A$164 × 120 tUnit gap × volumeA$19,680
ChemicalsA$17.46/LPaid (assumed)A$10.27/LLower comparator (assumed)A$7.19 × 600 LUnit gap × volumeA$4,314
Combined hypothetical 12-month gapA$43,994Alternative scenario · not achieved savings
Higher-dispersion assumptions across three input categories. Same selected annual quantities; scenarios are alternatives, not additive and not verified local benchmarks.
DieselA$2.18/LPaid (assumed)A$2.11/LLower comparator (assumed)A$0.07 × 80,000 LUnit gap × volumeA$5,600
FertiliserA$804/tPaid (assumed)A$772/tLower comparator (assumed)A$32 × 120 tUnit gap × volumeA$3,840
ChemicalsA$17.46/LPaid (assumed)A$16.90/LLower comparator (assumed)A$0.56 × 600 LUnit gap × volumeA$336
Combined hypothetical 12-month gapA$9,776Alternative scenario · not achieved savings
Lower-difference assumptions across three input categories. Same selected annual quantities; scenarios are alternatives, not additive and not verified local benchmarks.
All values and comparator prices above are hypothetical and not a regional median, an available quote, a supplier finding or achieved savings. The 8,000 L invoice and its A$560 difference are separate from the 80,000 L annual sensitivity; do not double-count. Real comparisons would require eligible product, timing, quantity, tax, freight, terms and independent contributor checks.
One example · three input categories
Fictional mediansWhat you paid, the example regional reference, and why it matters.
Farm diesel3,000 US gal · farm deliveryUS$6.40/galEffective paidUS$5.65/galFictional regional medianUS$0.75 × 3,000Difference per unit × order+US$2,250
Urea 46-0-0160 US short tons · same gradeUS$770/short tonEffective paidUS$675/short tonFictional regional medianUS$95.00 × 160Difference per unit × order+US$15,200
Matched herbicide250 US gal · identical registered product / formulationUS$64/galEffective paidUS$49/galFictional regional medianUS$15.00 × 250Difference per unit × order+US$3,750
Total illustrative historical price gapUS$21,200Paid US$158,400 · median-equivalent US$137,200
This is a synthetic gap in historical paid prices, not an available price today, an amount overpaid, or an achievable saving. Benchmark eligibility must be independently verified in any real deployment.
Prepare your next order
Check 3,000-gallon delivered diesel terms, 46-0-0 urea on a US-short-ton basis, and the exact registered herbicide product, concentration and pack size. Request independent equivalent quotes; use source-dated context and purchase timing before deciding independently.
The assumed medians are invented specifically for design demonstration. Real comparisons would require independent contributor sufficiency, product/volume/date/region equivalence, delay, consent, privacy and anti-inference checks. No live qualified InputBasis benchmark is available.
Before the next independent order · synthetic
Turn a price difference into better questions.
The intended weekly experience connects a corrected purchase with source-dated market changes and an explicit next-purchase review—without automating purchase decisions.
Decision owner: the farmer
Check what changed and obtain your own independent quotes. InputBasis never directs collective buying or presents the old median as today's available offer.
Qualified historical reference
Evidence is not a verdict.
Only independent comparable observations meeting product equivalence, rights, delay, privacy, contributor-count and anti-inference controls could generate delayed regional statistics.
Insufficient evidence is a valid outcome. No live benchmark is displayed in this preview.
Permissioned regional intelligence
An independent network can grow from evidence already in farmers’ hands.
Historical buyer-authorised invoices → private purchasing history → eligible governed evidence → delayed regional comparisons → recurring purchasing intelligence
Independence is counted correctly
One farm uploading 100 invoices supplies useful observations, but remains one contributing business for independent-contributor sufficiency.
Eligibility is conditional
Rights, consent, product equivalence, original purchase dates, privacy, delay, duplicate/outlier controls and anti-inference protections must all pass.
Suppression is a feature
If evidence is insufficient, too concentrated or not comparable, the intended result is no benchmark—not a weaker claim.
Buyer control remains intact
No collective buying, live supplier surveillance, coordinated pricing or individual transaction disclosure is contemplated.
Premium Insights · recurring intelligence
Global signals.
Regional meaning.
Your next decision.
The intended weekly habit: what changed, why it could matter locally, what remains uncertain—and what to examine before committing to another purchase.
Region lens
Input category
Signals
Energy, currency and delivery all matter.
Potential transmission pathway
Global crude and refined product context → AUD/USD and Australian import exposure → regional distribution and farm delivery.
What the evidence would need to establish
Original dated sources, their geographic coverage and whether the observed signal truly applies to the selected input and period.
What remains uncertain
A national wholesale change may not explain an individual delivered invoice. Local freight, timing, credit and supply conditions need checking.
Before the next independent purchaseBefore buying: compare product and delivered basis, volume, date, storage and payment terms.
This is a static, synthetic sample of reasoning structure, not an observed market event, live forecast or buying instruction.
From gas markets to a local paddock.
Potential transmission pathway
Gas and global nitrogen supply → import/shipping and AUD currency exposure → South Australian port, freight and seasonal demand.
What the evidence would need to establish
Original dated sources, their geographic coverage and whether the observed signal truly applies to the selected input and period.
What remains uncertain
Nutrient analysis, grade and freight can overwhelm a headline tonne price; no causal conclusion is claimed.
Before the next independent purchaseBefore buying: normalise nutrient basis, product grade, incoterms, freight and delivery window.
This is a static, synthetic sample of reasoning structure, not an observed market event, live forecast or buying instruction.
Same active does not mean same transaction.
Potential transmission pathway
Global active ingredients and trade → Australian registration and distribution → local spray windows, formulations and pack sizes.
What the evidence would need to establish
Original dated sources, their geographic coverage and whether the observed signal truly applies to the selected input and period.
What remains uncertain
Different concentrations, rebates, freight and payment terms may break equivalence.
Before the next independent purchaseBefore buying: check APVMA registration, active ingredient, formulation, rate, packaging and terms.
This is a static, synthetic sample of reasoning structure, not an observed market event, live forecast or buying instruction.
Track the route from energy to field.
Potential transmission pathway
Crude and refined fuel context → US distribution and policy → Midwest trucking, terminals, delivery and farm demand.
What the evidence would need to establish
Original dated sources, their geographic coverage and whether the observed signal truly applies to the selected input and period.
What remains uncertain
Regional stocks and seasonal delivery constraints can diverge from national prices.
Before the next independent purchaseBefore buying: compare US gallon basis, taxes, grade, freight and delivery terms.
This is a static, synthetic sample of reasoning structure, not an observed market event, live forecast or buying instruction.
Natural gas is only part of the invoice.
Potential transmission pathway
Natural gas, global nitrogen trade and tariffs → domestic/imported supply → river, rail, truck and planting-season timing.
What the evidence would need to establish
Original dated sources, their geographic coverage and whether the observed signal truly applies to the selected input and period.
What remains uncertain
Two fertiliser invoices can differ because of nutrient analysis, location, storage and credit.
Before the next independent purchaseBefore buying: check short-ton vs metric-ton basis, nutrient grade, timing and freight.
This is a static, synthetic sample of reasoning structure, not an observed market event, live forecast or buying instruction.
Follow product equivalence and local supply.
Potential transmission pathway
Active ingredient production and trade → US EPA/state requirements and distribution → crop timing and regional availability.
What the evidence would need to establish
Original dated sources, their geographic coverage and whether the observed signal truly applies to the selected input and period.
What remains uncertain
National price dispersion alone cannot verify an Iowa regional equivalent historical reference.
Before the next independent purchaseBefore buying: match registration, active, concentration, pack size, transaction date and terms.
This is a static, synthetic sample of reasoning structure, not an observed market event, live forecast or buying instruction.
No material verified change.
A trusted intelligence partner should not invent an alert merely to bring someone back. When source coverage is insufficient or no relevant evidence materially changes, the intended screen says so.
What remains useful?Review private purchasing history, upcoming needs and which qualified comparisons are—or are not—available.
Static demonstration, not an actual review of market data.All panels are explicitly illustrative. No live source feed, observed current event, regional benchmark or guaranteed savings are represented.
Future platform vision
One governed evidence core. Many independently qualified adapters.
The proposed Index Factory combines authorised evidence, product equivalence, effective-cost normalisation, dated provenance, confidence, delayed historical analysis and auditable correction.
Australia and the United States are the initial agricultural priorities. Canada is planned/conditional. Energy, logistics, construction, mining and industrial inputs are future evidence-gated adapters—not operating products.
Illustrative prospective capabilityAuthorised
evidence
evidence
Governed
evidence core
evidence core
AU adapterUS adapterCanada · plannedFuture industries
Illustrative institutional workspace
Evidence that can be inspected—not simply asserted.
Country: United States (illustrative)Sector: Farm inputsPeriod: Delayed historical
Static illustrative design labels — not functional live filters.
Synthetic example records after rights and provenance checks.
Illustrative records with product, unit and terms review.
Visible source dates, uncertainty and correction trail.
No comparison is shown unless delay, independence, equivalence and no-inference controls pass.
Prospective design demonstration only. The Index Factory is not a commercially operating product, and these metrics are synthetic.
Membership — proposed
Premium intelligence, designed to earn its place before the next purchase.
Annual membership is envisaged as a private corrected record, regular Premium Insights, and—only where controls pass—qualified delayed historical context. It must earn repeat use; it does not promise a saving.
Future enterprise and institutional access may be considered through separately contracted intelligence services where rights, evidence, staffing and unit economics support them. No public enterprise price is proposed.
Proposed Australian farmer membership
A$850/ year
An unlaunched working-price hypothesis, subject to pilot learning, customer-value validation and approved commercial release.
- Private normalised purchasing history
- Regional historical context where qualified
- Recurring Premium Insights and before-purchase intelligence
- Independent buyer control
“
Founder perspective
Learn. Do. Correct. Repeat.
After leaving law school, the founder found himself managing regional fuel operations in rural South Australia. The practical question—why can effective input costs differ between buyers, terms and places?—grew into a wider independent intelligence ambition for fuel, fertiliser and chemicals.
InputBasis is being shaped as a useful agricultural product first, then a governed platform for other essential-input economics. The work ahead is to earn the trust, rights, safety and repeat customer value that vision requires.
Before customer access
A careful release path matters.
Publishing reliability improvements, infrastructure migration, and further security and privacy validation are underway. Operational customer access is not open while those checks continue.
Future pilot participation will be considered only through a separately approved process. This website does not collect enquiries, invoices, payments or personal information. A public enquiry route is not yet available.