This facilitates comparison of bioenergy crop economics with those of conventional agricultural crops. Because of the perennial nature of bioenergy crops, production costs are estimated for each year in the life of the planting, as well as a net present value per acre and per ton cost over the lifetime of the planting. The model uses machinery and equipment engineering specifications to estimate the number of hours needed by each machine to cover one acre of land. These estimates, combined with per hour machinery costs, are used to calculate per acre machine costs. Chemical and fertilizer costs are based on the quantity applied and the price in pounds of active ingredients.
Labor costs assume hired field worker rates adjusted for social security taxes.
Land rents are cash rental rates adjusted for real estate interest. Also included are fertilizer, chemical, fuel, and labor quantities used in production. Scrolling through the output page allows the user to see the estimated costs by input category for each year. Thus, the model can be helpful to crop producers, state energy departments, and industries who are interested in evaluating the potential of crop-based systems. The inclusion of fertilizer, chemical, and fuel quantities in the output page extends the usefulness to those interested in calculating net energy balances.