Agricultural Budget Calculator Training
It’s always important to estimate cost of production for our agricultural enterprises, but now with the volatile input and crop prices, it’s even more critical. Knowing your estimated cost of production can assist you in making important management decisions now and throughout the production and marketing year.
We have scheduled workshops, both online and in-person, so Agricultural Budget Calculator users can get hands-on experience and learn about how the program can assist ag producers and managers.
Hop on your computer, create an Ag Budget Calculator (ABC) program account (agbudget.unl.edu), and let us walk you through the program features and provide instruction on using the program!
In-person and Virtual Training
Virtual Sessions
Two different virtual workshops are periodically offered for ABC program users of all skill levels. Sessions are held over Zoom.
Our goal is to make your experience using the Agricultural Budget Calculator (ABC) program a good one. ABC is designed to be user-friendly and to be a useful resource in assisting with management decisions on your farm or ranch based on your enterprise and whole farm budgets created with the program.
ABC Overview and Whole Farm Features (1.5 hours)
Schedule:
- February 7 — 12:30 p.m. CST
- *February 20 — noon CST
- *March 1 — 1 p.m.CST
*The February 20th and March 1st sessions are scheduled for 1.5 hours to include an overview of the ABC program, the cash flow, and analysis features of ABC, plus Q&A time.
The ABC Overview and Whole Farm Features session will cover the following topics:
- Using the ABC program to create and/or update crop budgets for your farms or fields (owned and/or rented ground)
- What’s included in the projected cost of production and anticipated return reports generated by ABC (cash and economic costs and returns
- Reconciling operation expenses to account for farm totals
- Allocate overhead expenses to enterprises
- More about ABC program features, including breakeven, crop comparison, and risk analysis, and how can use program features in decision making.
- Upon registration, the Zoom link and passcode will be provided to you.
ABC Q&A Session
Schedule:
The ABC Q&A Sessions are scheduled on an ongoing basis to provide an opportunity for program users to join in on Zoom to ask their questions about making the best use of the ABC program for their operation. You might be running into questions about the program that others have as well. Hop on Zoom at the scheduled times and we’ll help you out. We appreciate hearing your questions and receiving your feedback on ABC.
Schedule:
- February 16 – 5:30 p.m. CST
- February 27 — noon CST
- March 3 – 12:30 p.m. CST
- March 21 — noon CDT
Upon registration, the Zoom link and passcode will be provided to you.
Register for one or more sessions here.
If you have a question and don’t want to wait for a training or Q & A session, please call or send an email to Glennis McClure, Extension Educator, 402.472.0661, or gmcclure3@unl.edu
ABC Cash Flow and Analysis Features
A cash flow needs statement can be created within the ABC program, then modified to represent an annual cash flow.
These training workshops are designed for review of the analysis features of ABC and how to construct a cash flow statement within the program.
- February 7 – 5:30 p.m. CST
- February 20 — noon CST
- March 1 – 1 p.m. CST This session is scheduled for 1.5 hours, including an overview of the program, cash flow and analysis features of ABC.
Upon registration for one or more of the ABC workshop or Q&A sessions listed, a Zoom link and passcode will be provided to you.
In-person
Attendees are encouraged to bring their own laptop to learn how use the program during the workshop. Mobile lab computers will be available if needed.
Schedule:
- Two ABC training sessions will be offered during the Nebraska Women in Agriculture Conference, on the afternoon of February 24, 2023.
- Session Name: What's Your Cost of Production and Breakeven Prices? Using Enterprise Budgets for Risk Management Decisions
- As production costs have risen, risks have risen too. Let’s look at recent crop production costs and profit margins and peer deeper into the analysis features of the Agricultural Budget Calculator (ABC) that can assist with decision making on your farm. If you’re using the free ABC Program as a resource for planning already, you’re realizing how it can be helpful in risk management decision making. We’ll discuss ABC program features including the whole farm module and the new cash flow feature along with the risk module. Creating your crop budgets now is as easy as ABC! During 2023, the livestock enterprise budgeting feature will be added to the program.
- Find registration information about the 2023 Nebraska Women in Agriculture Conference at https://wia.unl.edu/conference.
- More trainings to be scheduled soon!
Topics covered at in-person workshops:
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Topics covered at in-person workshops:
- Using the ABC program to create and/or update crop enterprise budgets for your various farms or fields on owned and/or rented ground.
- Save and print enterprise cost of production and return reports.
- Get details with hands-on demonstration of combining enterprise budgets using the “whole farm” component of the program, including reconciling operation expenses, and allocating overhead expenses to enterprises.
- Learn more about other program features, including breakeven, crop comparison and the risk analysis module plus, NEW for 2023, the cash flow module in the ABC program.