Posts Tagged: Cost study

New UC study estimates costs for growing coastal organic strawberries

A new study that can help growers and other readers estimate costs and potential returns for Central Coast organic strawberries was recently released by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, UC Cooperative Extension and the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.

“This study provides growers with a baseline to estimate their own costs, which can help when applying for production loans, projecting labor costs, securing market arrangements, or understanding costs associated with water and nutrient management and regulatory programs,” said Brittney Goodrich, UC Cooperative Extension specialist and study co-author.

The cost study models a management scenario for a 30-acre farm, 27 acres of which are planted to organic strawberries.  The remaining acres are for the irrigation system, roads, and buildings.  The study describes the cultural practices used in organic strawberry production and harvest, including land preparation, soil fertility and pest management, irrigation and labor needs.      

The 20-page study shows costs for each operation, material inputs and costs, and cash and non-cash overhead costs in a variety of formats for one production and harvest cycle. A ranging analysis is also included and shows potential profits or losses over a range of prices and yields.

The new study, “2024 Sample Costs to Produce and Harvest Organic Strawberries,” can be downloaded from the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics website at https://coststudies.ucdavis.edu.  

For a detailed explanation of the assumptions and calculations used to estimate the costs and potential returns for each crop, readers can refer to the narrative portion of each study. 

Sample cost of production studies for many other commodities grown in California are also available at https://coststudies.ucdavis.edu.

For more information about the organic strawberry cost study, contact Mark Bolda, University of California Cooperative Extension farm advisor, at mpbolda@ucanr.eduor Jeremy Murdock in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at jmmurdock@ucdavis.edu.

New UC study estimates blackberry production costs

A new study that can help growers and other readers estimate costs and potential returns for blackberries grown on California's Central Coast was recently released by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, UC Cooperative Extension and the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.

“The study provides growers with a baseline to estimate their own costs, which can help when applying for production loans, projecting labor costs, securing market arrangements or understanding costs associated with water and nutrient management and regulatory programs,” said Brittney Goodrich, UC Cooperative Extension specialist and study co-author.

The cost study models a management scenario for a 30-acre farm, 15 acres of which are planted to blackberries. The remaining acres are planted to other berries or are used for the irrigation system, roads and buildings. The authors describe the cultural practices used for the establishment, production and harvest of blackberries, including land preparation, soil fertility and pest management, irrigation and labor needs.      

The 28-page study shows costs for each operation, material inputs and costs, and cash and non-cash overhead costs in a variety of formats for an establishment year and then four additional production years. A ranging analysis for the four production years is also included and shows potential profits or losses over a range of prices and yields.

The new study, titled “2024 Sample Costs to Establish, Produce and Harvest Blackberries” can be downloaded from the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics website at https://coststudies.ucdavis.edu.  

For a detailed explanation of the assumptions and calculations used to estimate the costs and potential returns, readers can refer to the narrative portion of the study. 

Sample cost of production studies for many other commodities grown in California are also available on the website.

For more information, contact Mark Bolda, University of California Cooperative Extension farm advisor, at mpbolda@ucanr.edu or Jeremy Murdock in the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at jmmurdock@ucdavis.edu.

New UC study estimates costs for growing strawberries on the Central Coast

A new study that can help growers and other readers estimate costs and potential returns for growing strawberries on California's Central Coast was recently released by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, UC Cooperative Extension and the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.

“This study provides growers with a baseline to estimate their own costs, which can help when applying for production loans, projecting labor costs, securing market arrangements, or understanding costs associated with water and nutrient management and regulatory programs,” said Brittney Goodrich, UC Cooperative Extension specialist and study co-author.

The cost study models a management scenario for a 50-acre farm, 45 acres of which are planted to strawberries, located in Santa Cruz, Monterey or San Benito counties. The remaining acres are for the irrigation system, roads and buildings.  The study describes the cultural practices used in strawberry production and harvest, including land preparation, soil fertility and pest management, irrigation and labor needs.      

The 19-page study shows costs for each operation, material inputs and costs, and cash and non-cash overhead costs in a variety of formats for one production and harvest cycle.  A ranging analysis is also included and shows potential profits or losses over a range of prices and yields.

The new study, titled “2024 Sample Costs to Produce and Harvest Strawberries” can be downloaded from the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics website at https://coststudies.ucdavis.edu.  

For a detailed explanation of the assumptions and calculations used to estimate the costs and potential returns for each crop, readers can refer to the narrative portion of each study. 

For more information, contact Mark Bolda, University of California Cooperative Extension farm advisor, at mpbolda@ucanr.edu, or Jeremy Murdock in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at jmmurdock@ucdavis.edu.

Sample cost of production studies for many other commodities grown in California are also available at https://coststudies.ucdavis.edu.

New UC study estimates raspberry production costs on Central Coast

A new study that estimates costs and potential returns for growing raspberries on the Central Coast is available for free from UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, UC Cooperative Extension and the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.

“These studies provide growers with a baseline to estimate their own costs, which can help when applying for production loans, projecting labor costs, securing market arrangements, or understanding costs associated with water and nutrient management and regulatory programs,” said Brittney Goodrich, UC Cooperative Extension specialist and study co-author.

The UC Cooperative Extension study focuses on raspberries grown in Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties for the fresh market.

The cost study models a management scenario for a 45-acre farm, 42 acres of which are planted to raspberries. The remaining acres are for the irrigation system, roads and buildings. Each study describes the cultural practices used for establishing, producing and harvesting raspberries, including land preparation, soil fertility and pest management, irrigation and labor needs.      

The 36-page study shows costs for each operation, material inputs and costs, and cash and non-cash overhead costs in a variety of formats for three production years. A ranging analysis for each production year is also included and shows potential profits or losses over a range of prices and yields. The authors also note California's 2023 minimum wage and overtime rules.

The new study, “2023 Sample Costs to Produce and Harvest Raspberries,” can be downloaded from the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics website at https://coststudies.ucdavis.edu.  

For a detailed explanation of the assumptions and calculations used to estimate the costs and potential returns for each crop, readers can refer to the narrative portion of the study. 

For more information, contact Mark Bolda, University of California Cooperative Extension farm advisor, at mpbolda@ucanr.edu, Laura Tourte, emeritus UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor, at ljtourte@ucanr.edu, or Jeremy Murdock in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at jmmurdock@ucdavis.edu.

Sample cost of production studies for many other commodities grown in California are also available for free at https://coststudies.ucdavis.edu.

New cost study for processing tomatoes released by UC

A study on the costs and returns for growing processing tomatoes has been updated by the University of California, Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics and UC Cooperative Extension.

The newly released analysis is based upon a hypothetical well-managed farming operation using sub-surface drip irrigation and farming practices common in the Sacramento Valley and northern Delta. The costs, materials and practices shown in this study will not apply to all farms.

The cost study is authored by Brenna Aegerter, UCCE farm advisor for San Joaquin County; Patricia Lazicki, UCCE farm advisor for Yolo, Solano and Sacramento counties; Donald Stewart, staff research associate in the UC Davis Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics; Gene Miyao, emeritus UCCE farm advisor; and Brittney Goodrich, UC Davis assistant professor of Cooperative Extension. 

The analysis is based on a hypothetical farm with 3,500 non-contiguous acres, which are leased. Tomatoes are grown on 1,000 acres. All 1,000 acres of processing tomatoes are irrigated with sub-surface drip. The remaining 2,500 acres are planted to other rotational crops including alfalfa hay, field corn, safflower, sunflower, vine seed and wheat. The yield of 46 tons per acre is used to reflect the region's typical yields.

UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors and other agricultural associates provided input and reviews. The authors describe the assumptions used to identify current costs for the processing tomato crop, material inputs, cash overhead, and non-cash overhead. Ranging analysis tables show net profits over a range of prices and yields. Other tables show the monthly cash costs, the costs and returns per acre, hourly equipment costs, and equipment, investment and business overhead costs.

The new study, “Sample Costs to Produce Processing Tomatoes in the Sacramento Valley and Northern Delta - 2023,” and sample cost of production studies for many other commodities can be downloaded for free from the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics website at http://coststudies.ucdavis.edu. 

For additional information or an explanation of the calculations used in the studies, contact Goodrich at bkgoodrich@ucdavis.edu, Aegerter at bjaegerter@ucanr.edu, or Lazicki at palazicki@ucanr.edu.

 

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