Success StoryCCD Crop Budgets Popular Tools for Growers



CCD Crop Budgets Popular Tools for Growers

Author: Christy Cassady

Planning Unit: Horticulture

Major Program: Small Farm Diversification

Outcome: Intermediate Outcome

Resources available through the University of Kentucky’s Center for Crop Diversification (CCD) include enterprise budgets for a number of specialty crops. A 2016 Kentucky Specialty Crop Block Grant allowed the CCD to update its vegetable/melon budgets for 18 crops. In addition to updating the vegetable/melon budgets for large-scale production (per acre), the CCD also developed new small-scale budgets (per .1 acre or 100-foot row) for the same 18 crops. As part of a 2018 Kentucky Specialty Crop Block Grant, the CCD developed new budgets and/or economic fact sheets for peaches and apples. The grant also enabled the CCD to update its blueberry budgets. 

The 2017 vegetable/melon budgets were posted on the CCD website in November of 2017. As of June 2, 2022, the small-scale budgets had been accessed 3,008 times, and the large-scale budgets had been accessed 2,532 times, according to Google Analytics. Updated blueberry budgets were posted on the CCD website in April of 2019. As of June 2, 2022, 2019 Blueberry Cost and Return Estimates (CCD-BG-2) had been accessed 796 times. Highbush Blueberries, Pick Your Own Marketing (CCD-BG-3) was accessed 513 times, and Highbush Blueberries, Wholesale/Retail Marketing (CCD-BG-4) was accessed 485 times. Economic Considerations for Apple Production in Kentucky (CCD-FS-14) was posted in March of 2020, and by June 2, 2022, it had been accessed 380 times. Peach budget publications included a Peach Budget Cost and Return Spreadsheet summary document (CCD-BG-12), which was accessed 245 times between December, 2019, when it was posted on the website, and June 2, 2022, and a budget spreadsheet (CCD-BG-13), which was accessed 234 times (PDF version) and 240 times (Excel spreadsheet version) during the same time frame. These numbers show the importance of enterprise budgets to growers and the value of updating these tools regularly.






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