The Agrarian Standard
A unit of value defined by goods, not by any currency. One Agrarian Standard Unit (ASU) is the basket below, taken together.
The basket
| Good | Grade | In 1 ASU |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel fuel | On-road #2 | 0.25 gallon |
| Eggs | Large, fresh | 0.5 dozen |
| General labor | Unskilled, own transport | 3 minutes |
| Ground beef | 80/20, frozen, inspected | 0.5 lb |
| Shelled corn | No. 2 yellow, dry | 0.25 bushel |
| Wheat | No. 2 hard red winter, clean | 0.25 bushel |
| Whole milk | Fresh, where legal | 0.25 gallon |
| Value of the basket today | 1.000 ASU | |
How rates move
Every commodity carries a rate: how many ASU one unit is worth. When members complete trades, the values they agreed on reveal what goods are really trading for. Periodically the exchange recalibrates:
- For each commodity with at least 3 completed trades in the last 90 days, the median trade value is blended in at 30% weight.
- All rates are then rescaled together so the basket is worth exactly 1 ASU again.
So if beef starts trading higher against everything else, beef's rate rises and the rest are re-measured against it. The ASU itself never drifts: it always means this basket. A weights-and-measures board can also set a rate directly, for example when a new commodity is added; those decisions are labeled below.
What is it worth in something else?
50 lb of beef, whole/half share = 25.8 ASU = 4.73 bale of hay, round bale
A starting point for a fair trade at today's rates. Members can always agree on something different, and those agreements feed back into the rates.
Today's rates
| Commodity | Grade | ASU per unit | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beef, whole/half share | Hanging weight | 0.516 / lb | — | Starting rate |
| Diesel fuel basket | On-road #2 | 0.377 / gallon | — | Starting rate |
| Eggs basket | Large, fresh | 0.298 / dozen | — | Starting rate |
| Firewood | Seasoned hardwood, split | 24.814 / cord | — | Starting rate |
| General labor basket | Unskilled, own transport | 1.985 / hour | — | Starting rate |
| Ground beef basket | 80/20, frozen, inspected | 0.596 / lb | — | Starting rate |
| Hay, round bale | 4×5 ft, net-wrapped, dry | 5.459 / bale | — | Starting rate |
| Hay, small square bale | Grass/alfalfa mix, dry, ~50 lb | 0.794 / bale | — | Starting rate |
| Honey | Raw, strained | 0.893 / lb | — | Starting rate |
| Oats | Feed grade | 0.377 / bushel | — | Starting rate |
| Pork, whole hog share | Hanging weight | 0.377 / lb | — | Starting rate |
| Potatoes | Table grade | 0.099 / lb | — | Starting rate |
| Propane | Delivered or tank swap | 0.298 / gallon | — | Starting rate |
| Shelled corn basket | No. 2 yellow, dry | 0.447 / bushel | — | Starting rate |
| Skilled trade labor | Licensed or experienced tradesperson | 4.467 / hour | — | Starting rate |
| Wheat basket | No. 2 hard red winter, clean | 0.596 / bushel | — | Starting rate |
| Whole chicken | Processed, 4–5 lb | 1.191 / each | — | Starting rate |
| Whole milk basket | Fresh, where legal | 0.397 / gallon | — | Starting rate |
Last recalibrated Oct 9, 2026 from 0 trade observations.