UW spreadsheet helps determine impact of higher fuel prices on ag operations

Wyoming

Agricultural producers wondering to what extent higher fuel prices will burn up profits can use a spreadsheet developed by the University of Wyoming's College of Agriculture to determine per-acre costs.

The impact of fuel prices on per-acre costs can be estimated for individual field operations using a spreadsheet that estimates fuel use in gallons per hour and the accomplishment rate in hours per acre, said Jim Jacobs, a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics.

The spreadsheet can be accessed at www.uwyo.edu/Agexpstn/Impact_of_Fuel_Prices.htm.

It can determine costs for gasoline or diesel engines for individual operations, he said. For example, a producer could plug in information for the field operations to grow hay to get an estimate of the increased cost per acre for each field.

There is also a spreadsheet to determine the differences in the cost per mile of motor vehicles. Miles per gallon and fuel prices are entered to determine the cost. For example, it will calculate the cost savings of driving a car on an errand compared to a pickup.

Date:1/24/06