Value of Crops for Livestock Feeds Calculator

This calculator can be used in two ways:

1. It can help determine the options for an annual crop that has been damaged due to drought/flood or has reduced yield that makes it potentially undesirable to combine.
2. For mixed operations with standing crop, it can help decide if swath grazing, baling as greenfeed or silaging the annual crop is a lower cost option than purchased hay.

In this calculator, the nutrient value removed from the field and the value from remaining litter and manure is included. The BCRC's Forage Cost of Production Calculator is another tool that can be used together with this calculator to find the lowest cost homegrown feed option.

User Guide

1. Step 1: Select whether the value of manure from swath grazing should be included, your crop, the area of the field, the estimated grain yield, the estimated straw yield and grain price. Include estimated discount if the crop has been damaged.
2. Step 2: Input the number of cows, yearling steers, yearling heifers and calves that would be grazing on this field if the field were swath grazed.
3. Step 3: Input the current value of N, P, K and S per lb. This puts a value on the manure.
4. Step 4: Include machinery costs. Provincial custom rate ranges are included in Table 4a for reference.

Enter information in the yellow highlighted cells.

User data is not collected, stored or retained for any BCRC interactive calculator. Please note that by exiting or refreshing the page, all data will be automatically cleared and cannot be recovered.

SUMMARY RESULTS

Nutrient levels are adapted from the CowBytes Feed Table ver 5.41, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development.