Excel-based farm program decision aid available

A computer decision aid released last week is meant to help farmers decide on the best option for participation in 2014 Farm Bill commodity programs-ARC, PLC and SCO. The Excel-based computer aid will allow farmers to evaluate programs and select the option that best fits their farm.

Using the tool, farmers can enter their crop acres and yields, and the program will calculate their new crop base acre allocation and program yield. Results, presented in both current and updated base acres, can help farmers determine if updating their base acres with the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is to their advantage.

The model estimates the future yields based on trend yields, but farmers have the option to override these values and can re-run it with different sets of assumptions about prices and their yields. 

Learn more about the program and access it online on K-State's Ag Manager website: (http://www.agmanager.info/crops/insurance/risk_mgt/rm_html14/OSU-KSU_ModelRelease.asp).

This decision tool was developed by Oklahoma State University and Kansas State University, with funding from the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, Southern Risk Management Education Center and K-State Research and Extension.