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Overview
Each year, the Alberta government publishes the Cropping Alternatives (Crop Planning Guide) to help crop producers estimate the costs of producing various crops. This guide uses the most current production information and estimates of expected market values and costs.
Actual costs and yields on each farm will differ due to:
- selection of crop protection products and other inputs used
- age, amount and type of equipment
- agronomic practices
- soil class
- weather conditions
- other factors
Producers will use their own risk assessment and cost-benefit calculations in production decisions, which will determine the actual costs of production.
To address this, the Crop Budget Calculator was developed in 2019 and updated in 2020 to help crop producers do quick budgeting to estimate the cash cost of producing field crops on their farm. Farm managers can use the calculator to input their own costs in their calculations for decision-making.
Only expected yield, expected market price and estimated costs need to be entered. The tool will automatically calculate value of production, capital costs, marginal returns, and break-even yields and prices.
The calculator can handle up to 5 different crops or crop scenarios, and this tool provides the new printing function.
Features
Key features and analysis include:
- cost of production
- cash production costs per acre on an annual basis (costs per acre)
- gross revenue estimates
- break-even prices and yield
Download the software
Step 1.
Check system requirements.
The estimated file size is 4 megabytes. To use the software you will need:
- Windows 2000, XP, Vista or 10
Step 2.
Download the calculator software.
- Click the button below to download the zipped file. You will be prompted to choose a location on your computer and save the zipped file.
Step 3.
Run the Crop Budget Calculator.
- On your computer, double-click afred-crop-budget-calculator.zip to unzip the application file.
- Double-click the CBCalc.exe file to run the program.
- Try a few different scenarios to become comfortable with the program. Then use the program to help make cropping decisions on your farm. Crop pricing information changes continuously, so producers should adjust those figures accordingly to reflect their own expectations.
Contact
Connect with the Economics Section:
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)
Phone: 780-422-4056
Email: [email protected]