Oklahoma State University Stillwater, OK
Oklahoma Alfalfa Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station

 

AGMACH$,  A Program to Estimate Agricultural Machinery Costs     The cost of owning and operating agricultural field machinery has a major influence on profit, especially forage harvesting systems. Equipment costs can be just as important to the small producer who harvests 100 acres of grass hay as it is to the large producer with over 500 acres of high quality alfalfa.  Considering the timeliness of operations plus the cost and quality of work, the machinery selection process is often very complex. These factors and the lack of quality educational information about agricultural machinery costs prompted the development of AGMACH$, an easy-to-use DOS-based computer software package that can calculate the cost of owning and operating a variety of tillage, planting and harvesting equipment. Over 40 different types of machines are listed, covering most forage and row-crop operations.  In addition to determining the cost analysis of a specific field operation, AGMACH$ also provides a ten-year cost summary, a break-even analysis to evaluate ownership, a prediction of average annual repair costs, and a custom rate guide. While it is believed that any cost information generated by this program is relatively accurate, its greatest value rests in making cost comparisons of specific operations or complete systems.
AGMACH$ runs on an IBM compatible computer and requires a relatively low level of computer skills. AGMACH$ is sold for $50 and can be ordered by writing to: AGMACH$, Biosystems and Agricultural. Engineering. Dept., 214 Ag Hall, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078. To download AGMACH$ to your computer click here.
Raymond L. Huhnke, Extension Agricultural Engineer  Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering  Oklahoma State University

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