Do you want to enhance the profitability of your operation?  Through our Production & Risk programming you will learn about:

Production Decisions  Improve daily, seasonal, annual, and multi-year decision making Enterprise Costs & Returns  Examine your costs & budget for the year ahead Risk Management  Select tools & strategies for managing identified sources of risk

Production Decisions:  Participants will be encouraged to evaluate past decisions and present operational conditions of the farm and/or ranch in order to achieve long-term operational goals. Participants will be trained to incorporate economic analysis into decision making as a means of adjusting the optimal production mix relative to changing farm and/or ranch conditions.

Related Resources:

SDSU Land Market Survey 1991-2008 (.pdf) Jul 08
Machinery Costs (.pdf) Feb 05
SD Custom Rates 2004 (.pdf) Sep 04
Asian Soybean Rust (.pdf) May 05
South Dakota Drought Information

Enterprise Costs & Returns:  Participants will learn how to create enterprise budgets for managing inputs on farm and/or ranch operations. Examples from SDSU Extension Economics crop budgets and livestock budgets are used to show producers how to evaluate enterprise budgets with respect to operational changes. The ultimate goal is that producers will rely on budgets when making partial-budget or whole farm decisions.

Related Resources:

Baseline Backgrounding Budget (.xls) Sep 06
Beef Finishing Budget (.xls) May 2008
Beef Cow Budget (.xls) June 2008
Livestock (sheep and swine) Budgets (.xls) Spring 06
Planning Prices & Livestock Budgets for Farm Management Programs (.pdf) Revised 1999
Enterprise Budgets - Corn, Soybeans, Wheat (.xls) Spring 08
Enterprise Budgets - Spring Crops Guide (.pdf) Spring 05
Enterprise Budgets - Alfalfa (.xls) Spring 08
Enterprise Budgets - Winter Wheat (.xls) Fall 06
Enterprise Budgets - Winter Wheat Guide (.pdf) Fall 06
Farm Income and Costs - ERS Briefing Room

Risk Management:  In order to manage risk, participants must be able to identify sources of risk that impact production decisions and select suitable strategies and tools for managing different types of risk. Risk management training will specifically focus on evaluating selected strategies and tools including crop insurance and the Risk Calculator.

Related Resources:

Risk Calculator (.xls) Aug 08
Risk Calculator Guide (.doc) Aug 08
Crop Insurance Alternatives for Hay in South Dakota (.pdf) Sep 07
Pasture, Rangeland and Forage Pilot Insurance Program in South Dakota (.pdf) Nov 06
Crop Insurance and Soybean Rust (.pdf) Jul 06
Crop Insurance - Sunflowers, Oats, Grain Sorghum, & Millet (.pdf) Feb 04
Crop Insurance - Fall Crop Insurance Decisions (.pdf) Sep 03
Insuring Major Spring Crops in South Dakota (.pdf) Dec 05
USDA - Risk Management Agency

Master Business Managers use optimal production practices, control costs, and manage risks of the operation. Access additional resources (Financial Management, Commodity Marketing, and Strategic Planning & Policy) or return to the top of the Production & Risk page.

Department of Economics
Box 504  Brookings, SD 57007   Phone 605-688-4855   Fax 605-688-6386