Tools for the Trade:

Marketing and Risk Management Software, Info

Ag Decision Maker
Over 160 decision files from Iowa State University to provide information and procedures for analyzing and finding solutions related to crop, livestock, and whole farm decisions, including costs and returns, markets, and machinery. www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm .

AgRisk
AgRisk software predicts the distribution of a farm’s gross revenue at harvest time under different pre-harvest risk management strategies that may involve any combination of crop insurance products and various grain pricing contracts. Available free from Ohio State University, http://aede.osu.edu/Programs/AgRisk .

Crop Sequence Calculator
This free CD-ROM from the USDA-ARS Mandan Northern Great Plains Research Lab helps producers assess crop production options, and calculate the potential returns of ten different crops.  Expected crop prices and loan deficiency payments (LDP) can be input to provide rapid calculations of potential returns. The program contains information to assist producers in evaluating management risks associated with different crop sequences. The program may be requested on the NGPRL web site, www.mandan.ars.usda.gov.

CropRisk 1.0
A free spreadsheet model from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture that can be downloaded at www.mda.state.mn.us/riskmgmt to evaluate any combination of crop insurance and preharvest marketing strategies, using up to five different price and five different yield scenarios.

FairRent
This software assists farmers/ranchers in determining what is an affordable price to pay for land rent, including revenue and expense projections for each crop in the plan. It can be found online at www.cffm.umn.edu .

Farm machinery cost calculator
Machinery Link’s online calculator can be used to help determine the ownership and operating cost of over 16 different combines and tractors as well as over 200 different farm implements.  It allows you to simultaneously compare the cost of owning and operating up to two different power units, implements or the combination of a power unit with an implement. Costs are estimated for an average year in the life of the equipment. www.machinerylink.com/resources/calculator .

Farm Software Downloads
Montana State University offers a wide choice of public domain spreadsheet templates that can be downloaded free to help producers make effective farm and ranch management decisions: www. montana.edu/wwwextec/farmmgt/software.html.  One example is COSTPROD, which allows a producer to calculate the cost of production for small grain crops.   Another website, www.farmsoftware.com was created by the Canadian Farm Business Management Council to help farmers find software on a wide variety of production topics.

HedgeSim 4.0
This is a computerized simulation program where users practice applying risk management strategies to alternative farming units. The user manages either a grain farm or livestock feeding operation. Various marketing strategies can be implemented over time using cash, futures, and options markets. The user receives reasonable production costs and actual historical daily prices and government reports. Download for $15 at www.ace.uiuc. edu/ofor/hedgesim/hsim4.html .

Interactive Options Pricing Calculator
A joint project of AgriBiz.com and The Office for Futures and Options Research, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Interactive Options Pricing Calculator is a tool for estimating the price of agricultural options given required input variables. A database of historical options closes is included to aid in educational applications. It can be found online at www.agribiz.com/cfor .

Marketeer
Marketeer is a crop market planning software program jointly developed by the University of Minnesota Center for Farm Financial Management and Country Hedging, Inc.  The software helps producers evaluate various marketing and crop insurance strategies. A trial version can be obtained online at www.cffm.umn.edu .

Risk Calculator 2.1
Developed by Matthew Diersen, risk and business management specialist at South Dakota State University, the Risk Calculator spreadsheet is designed to combine different risk management strategies to see how they affect crop revenue. Harvest-time “what if” scenarios can be conducted. It can be found free online at www.abs.sdstate.edu/age_con .  From menu, go to “MBM Risk Calculator” and click on links.

“Toolshed” Offers \ Ag Market Info
The Minnesota Wheat Research and Promotion Council created “Toolshed” several years ago as a system for sharing ag-based information over the Internet. It includes regional ag news and weather information, futures and local market prices, local basis charts, Red River Farm Network radio broadcasts and archives, commodity marketing Q&As, LDP information, and industry contacts. A new service now offered: have local elevator prices emailed to you.  Toolshed is available on the web site, www.smallgrains.org