A new study examining the cost of growing Granny Smith apples in the northern San Joaquin Valley is now available from the University of California Cooperative Extension.
The analysis is based upon a hypothetical farm operation using practices common in the region. Comments and reviews were provided by farm advisors, researchers, growers, farm accountants, pest control advisers, consultants and other agricultural associates, said Richard De Moura, a UC Davis researcher and one of the study's primary authors.
Assumptions used to identify current costs for the orchard, material inputs, cash and non-cash overhead are described. A “ranging analysis” table shows profits over a range of prices and yields, while other tables show monthly cash costs, costs and returns per acre, hourly equipment costs, and whole farm annual equipment, investment and business overhead costs.
The study can be downloaded from the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics Web site at http://coststudies.ucdavis.edu.