Alternative Field Crop Budgets (Grain Sorghum, Forage Sorghum, and Canola)
- Receipts: For the sample budgets, yields of 100 bushels of grain sorghum, 20 tons of forage sorghum silage, and 50 bushels of canola per acre are used. Grain sorghum is valued at $5.10 per bushel, forage sorghum silage at $46.00 per ton, and canola at $12.00 per bushel.
- Variable costs: No-till practices are assumed for the grain sorghum, forage sorghum and canola budgets. Seeding rates of 12 pounds per acre for grain sorghum, 7 pounds per acre for forage sorghum, and 5 pounds per acre for canola are used for the budgets. Labor is charged at $15.00 per hour and off-road diesel fuel at $3.50 per gallon. Fertilizer applied is 75-40-40 for grain sorghum, 100-40-30 for canola, and 30-0-0 for forage sorghum (this assumes the balance of nutrients come from application of 8,000 gallons of dairy manure (see “Sample Manure Calculations” in Part 1.2: Soil Fertility Management; you should adjust your costs to account for any manure applications in your own budgets). A yearly charge for 0.5 ton of lime is included in each budget. Drying charges are also included in the grain sorghum ($0.40 per bushel) and canola ($0.20 per bushel) budgets. Cost of a rye cover crop seeded at a rate of 2 bushels per acre is also included in the forage sorghum budget.
The grain sorghum and forage sorghum weed management programs include a burndown application of glyphosate, preplant application of commonly used herbicides, and treatment of one-quarter of the acreage with a postemergence herbicide. For canola a glyphosate-tolerant variety is assumed to be planted, so the herbicide program consists of a one burndown and one postemergence application of glyphosate. No insecticide costs are included in the grain sorghum, forage sorghum, or canola budgets. The pesticides used for developing cost estimates are for example purposes only; see Part 2.3: Grain Sorghum Pest Management for a complete listing of recommended materials.
