Breedcow+ Prices

Entering data in Breedcow+ Prices

The Prices worksheet logically follows on from the entry of information in the AE Calc worksheet.

It is important to record all of the assumptions underlying the inputs in the Prices sheet through the use of notes in the spaces provided.

The sale weights specified in the sale weight cells of the AE Calc sheet should be paddock weights and they can now be reduced back to sale weights to allow for shrinkage in transport and the effect of a curfew.

There is a separate section in the Prices worksheet to enter the sale prices and sale weights for females set aside from the breeding herd or spayed.

As a default value, these set aside females use the weights allocated to the female herd in the AECalc worksheet but they can be overridden if sale prices and weights are expected to be different to the remainder of the breeding herd.

Whilst the weights transferred from AECalc are live weights, which would require Prices entries for selling value to be inserted as price per kilogram live, it is possible to overwrite the weights shown in the Prices worksheet to show expected dressed weights and enter prices on a per kilogram dressed basis. Note that this overwriting breaks the connection between AECalc and Prices, which would preclude future editing of AECalc sale weights from flowing through to Prices.

The Prices worksheet calculates net sale prices by multiplying sale weights by price per kilogram, then deducting all selling costs including freight. As long as sale weights and sale prices are entered consistently as either live weight or dressed weight, there should be no error in the final value per head used in the Breedcow worksheet. If values per head shown in the summary tables of the Prices worksheet appear to be either overstated or understated please check all components of the prices calculations.

Selling costs are divided into three columns in the Prices worksheet. The first column collects selling costs that are levied as a percentage of total value. This column is labelled as “commission - % of value” and can include value-based insurance. The second column collects selling costs that are levied on a per head basis. Freight costs associated with selling livestock are also entered on a per head basis but are dealt with in a third column.

Selling costs can be an important factor in the relative level of profit produced by alternative management strategies and need to be entered in the Prices worksheet according to the selling method chosen for the herd management strategy.

Generally, selling costs will depend on the method of sale. The consignment of cattle direct to meatworks will incur freight costs and a transaction levy but there is unlikely to be commission paid. The sale of livestock in the paddock is likely to incur commission and a transaction levy but no freight or other charges unless delivery is at a weighing facility. Livestock sales made through a saleyard are expected to incur freight (usually less than for meatworks sales), commission (usually at a higher rate than paddock sales), transaction levy and saleyard fees including weighing and NLIS reading fees.

A calculator is provided at the bottom of the Prices worksheet to assist with the calculation of the expected costs of freight to different destinations. To assist estimating the number of head per deck for each group, a table based on weights is provided beside the freight cost calculator.

Values can be quickly transferred from the Transport Cost Calculator to the relevant data cell through using a macro provided to complete the task. With the cursor on the freight calculator, click the L toolbar button to split the screen and create a layout that allows easier entry of expected freight costs. To use the split screen layout, firstly enter the cost per km per deck, kilometres hauled and head per deck in the freight cost calculator. To transfer the result of the calculation from the calculator to the freight cost table, place the cursor on the cell where the cost is to be entered then click the bent up-arrow toolbar button.

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