LUBBOCK – The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service has set three crop profitability workshops — one per month starting Feb. 13, the program’s coordinator said.

“All of the workshops will have the same curriculum and will begin at 9 a.m. in the classroom of the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Lubbock,” said Dr. Jackie Smith, AgriLife Extension economist at Lubbock. “We’ve made the dates easy to remember by scheduling them all on the 13th of the month; Feb. 13, March 13 and April 13, so if you can’t make one date, you can attend the next one.”  

The center is north of the Lubbock airport on U.S. Highway 1294, a half mile east of Interstate 27.

Smith said there is no cost for the workshops or lunch thanks to a sponsoring grant from the Cotton – Texas State Support program and various lenders in the area. He expects each program to finish by 2 p.m.

“The primary objective of the workshop will be to demonstrate how spreadsheet budgets can be used to help producers determine break-even yields, break-even prices, returns above variable costs and returns above total costs,” he said. “The spreadsheets with 28 different crops involved can also be used to compare the profitability of competing crops.”

Smith said most of each workshop will be spent helping participants learn how to use the spreadsheet and how to download it from https://SouthPlainsProfit.tamu.edu .

“Everyone will work with the spreadsheet in whatever form is most convenient for them,” Smith  said. “We will also be sure they know how to download the file to their computer from the website, memory stick or whatever media they prefer. We will go over all the input cells in the budgets and explain how to use all the comparison tables that help you compare the profitability of chosen crops.”

Smith said participants are welcome to bring their own computers, but they aren’t necessary, as everything will be demonstrated on screen.