Introducing the Crop Budget Estimator

 

Many economists are estimating that farm profits will be at similar levels to those experienced this past year.  With cold temperatures and wet conditions this spring creating additional uncertainty to work through, farmers are continually looking for ways to improve the sustainability of their farm businesses.  Michigan State University Extension farm management educators want to help farmers focus on what they can control and better manage through these uncertain times. 

 

 

Introducing the Crop Budget Estimator, a Microsoft Excel-based tool, built around key areas that producers need to consider as they plan for and continually evaluate their growing season.  Using the farm’s own records or current market information, farm managers can evaluate and more accurately make a number of management decisions that reflect the situation of their individual farm business.

 

It combines in one place:

This combination of economic and agronomic information allows producers to make better marketing decisions, compare chemistry and fertilizer programs recommended by crop nutritionists and advisors, evaluate the potential impact of capital purchases (i.e. a new tractor or combine), and other important decisions that may be encountered throughout the season.

 

As Michigan farms face challenging weather conditions, uncertainties brought on by commodity markets, and concern over tightening margins, making well-informed decisions has never been more important.  Using tools like the Crop Budget Estimator can help producers improve profitability, be productive, and minimize potential risks to their farm business.

 

To access this new tool, please visit: https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/crop-budget-estimator-tool-detailed and look for the video tutorials demonstrating the various uses and concepts of the Estimator.

 

There is also a fact sheet designed to help producers better understand the many uses of the Estimator. 

 

For the fact sheet, please visit: https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/crop-budget-estimator-factsheet.

 

For those producers looking for similar assistance with these type of management decisions, but with less detail to input, there is a simple version of the Crop Budget Estimator available here: https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/crop-budget-estimator-tool-simple. 

 

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.