PROJECTED COSTS FOR SELECTED
LOUISIANA VEGETABLE CROPS - 1997 SEASON
by
Roger A. Hinson and James E. Boudreaux 1
Cost budgets are reported for 21 vegetable crops, with a total of 39 combinations of crop,
machinery size, and market channel.
Production Practices
Budgets were developed from two separate sources of information.
Research budgets (table numbers 2 through 26) reflect cultural practices (as described in the
budget's title, such as seeding rates, fertilizer rates and machinery operations) associated with
representative farms. Some budgets, for example, contain small (one-row) machinery and output is
assumed sold in the local market. Others represent vegetable growers whose market objective is the
regional or national wholesale market. Production per acre for each crop was taken from cross-
sectional grower surveys and from Extension Service summaries.
Data on production practices and input requirements used to prepare research budgets for
4-row and smaller equipment were obtained from a statewide survey of commercial vegetable
growers during 19872. In 1995, information was collected from farmers to update production
practices for the bell pepper, strawberry, and tomato with drip irrigation/plastic mulch technology
budgets. With the assistance of Extension Agents, commercial growers were identified and selected
for interview. Information obtained from growers was supplemented with information from previous
studies and from horticulturalists. Most production practices followed by commercial growers
conformed to recommended practices. Annual budget updates primarily reflect changes in chemical
label applications and input prices.
Extension budgets (table numbers 27 through 38) were developed by Extension horticulture
specialists. Generally, these crop situations assume a higher technology level than found on the
typical farm, or are based on observation of specific production or marketing possibilities. Examples
include machine-harvested snapbeans, southern peas, and butterbeans for fresh market. Machine
harvest of vegetables is not common in Louisiana. Performance rates for these machines are based
on a combination of information from manufacturers and on a limited number of farm examples and
research trials. Production per acre is assumed to be higher than is typically reported for Louisiana.
Technology levels that justify these higher output rates are used in major US production areas. An
example is cabbage production in Texas. The higher levels also have been achieved in research trials
1 Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, Louisiana Agricultural
Experiment Station; and Specialist, Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, Louisiana State University
Agricultural Center, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge.
2 Information on cultural practices, machinery complements, etc. was obtained from a total of 48
commercial growers. Interviews were confined to growers with at least one acre of a particular vegetable crop.
Individual acreage of growers interviewed ranged from one for some vegetable crops to several hundred in the
case of sweet potatoes.