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MSUE updates crop management resources

Michigan State University Extension has updated several online management tools to help producers budgeting for all crops.

Farm Business Management Educator Jon LaPorte tells Brownfield the all-crop tool is universal for determining management decisions for traditional row crop growers as well as specialty crops.

“Now that we’ve gotten into the year, what does this year look like and how does that impact our planning for next year?” he says farmers need to ask.

LaPorte says prices for inputs like fertilizers and chemicals are rising and the management tools can help farmers compare and set cost goals.

“You can actually look at some different states or strictly what’s available for Michigan to see how you compare to the other farms that are in the area, maybe how you compare nationally, to try to give some idea of where are you doing really well and where are some things we maybe want to improve on,” he explains.

Average costs in the online calculators are based on industry-based data collected from 12 universities across the country.

MSU extension has also recently released a Custom Work Rate sheet to help farmers determine custom service rates and made updates to other budgeting resources for the 2021 and 2022 seasons.