Marketing and Risk Management Software, Online Calculators

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

AgEBB Electronic Network
Lots of free, useful spreadsheets and downloadable programs for crops, livestock, and farm financial management.
http://agebb.missouri.edu/download/index.htm

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 The Ohio State University, http://aede.osu.edu/Programs/AgRisk

CropRisk 1.0
A free spreadsheet model from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture that can be downloaded at  www.mda.state.mn.us.riskmgmt (under “Resources” right-hand side of the web site) to evaluate any combination of crop insurance and preharvest marketing strategies, using up to five different price and five different yield scenarios.

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/Crop-Seq/CropSeq.htm

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/resourcdes.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: http://www.montana.edu/wwwextec/farmingt/software.html.  One example is COSTPROD, which allows a producer to calculate the cost of production for small grain crops.  

FarmCentre Farm Software
Canadian Farm Business Management Council farm software links from throughout the world, on ag topics from crops to GPS. http://farmcentre.com/english/farmsoftware/start.htm

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.

Insurance and Marketing Simulator
This 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.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/aginfo/cropmkt/analysis.htm