Farm Business Planning Tools

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Gro​ss Margi​​n Analysis Tools

The gross margin budget templates allow comparisons to be made between enterprises. Gross margin is the financial difference between returns received from sales of produce and the variable costs associated with producing that produce. The business overheads can be taken into account using the Designing a Successful Business template.​

 Designing a Successful Business (XLSX 159Kb)



​​Because of the large variation in environmental conditions and management systems it is impossible to produce any budget that has universal applicability. As a consequence all the spreadsheets are designed to allow the user to enter data (yields, costs, prices) that best suit their own environment and management system. Spreadsheets for livestock and crops have been prepared based on the climate (rainfall, evaporation, minimum and maximum temperatures) and soil types of two districts, the Meander Valley (referred to as high rainfall) and the Midlands (referred to as low rainfall) with the intention that users will modify the tools to suit conditions on their own farm.
A users guide to the Gross Margin and Financial Analysis Tools is provided here.

  Users guide to gross margin financial analysis   (433Kb) 
If you have questions, queries or suggestions for further development please contact AgriGrowth Tasmania on 1300 292 292 or email FarmPoint@nr​e.tas.gov.au.

Please note: Before using the Gross Margin Analysis Tools users are advised to read the disclaimer below. 


The current scope of enterprises that can be analysed using the tools attached below include:

Livestock

Beef cattle breeding (high and low rainfall)
Beef cattle finishing & trading (high and low rainfall)
Dairy (high and low rainfall)
Dairy agistment (high and low rainfall)
Prime lamb production - first cross ewe (high and low rainfall)
Prime lamb finishing (high and low rainfall)
Wool (low rainfall)

Perennial Horticulture

Blueberries
Cherries
Hazelnuts
Olives (for oil)
Raspberries
Strawberries
​Wine Grapes (Chardonnay & Pinot Noir) ​NEW VERSION COMING SOON

Crops

Cereal - Barley [irrigated and dryland] (high and low rainfall)
Cereal - Oats [irrigated and dryland] (high rainfall)
Cereal - Wheat [irrigated and dryland] (high and low rainfall)
Beans [fresh and processing] (high rainfall)
Brassica seed (high rainfall)
Broccoli (high and low rainfall)
Canola [irrigated and dryland] (high rainfall)
Carrot seed (low rainfall)
Carrots [fresh] (high and low rainfall)
Carrots [processing] (high rainfall)
Cauliflower (high rainfall)
Clover seed (high rainfall)
Grass seed (high and low rainfall)
Linseed (low rainfall)
Lucerne (high rainfall)
Maize silage (high rainfall)
Onions (high and low rainfall)
Peas (high rainfall)
Poppies (high and low rainfall)
Potato seed (high and low rainfall)
Potatoes [fresh and processing] (high and low rainfall)
Pumpkins (high rainfall)
Pyrethrum (high and low rainfall)

Note: Meander Valley is regarded as high rainfall and the Midlands as low rainfall.

Organics

​Feed Grade Wheat 
Feed Grade Barley
Dairy Conversion (dryland and irrigated)
Dairy Greenfield Development 

​​​Organics Gross Margin report​

​​​​The Organic Feed Grade Grains & Dairy Gross Margin Report prepared by Macquarie Franklin in June 2016 is available to download (see below).  The report provides additional information about the analysis and assumptions that underlie the organic gross margin tools which are available to download from the Gross Margin Analysis Spreadsheets provided below.  ​​

 ​​​​    Organic Feed Grade Grains & Dairy Gross Margin report   (1Mb)​

​Gross Margin Analysis spreadsheets

Note: These Excel spreadsheets may not open depending upon your browser settings. Once selecting any of the spreadsheets below, save the file to your computer hard drive and then open it from there. When opening the file, you may be asked to update links, if so select 'yes'.

 Livestock Gross Margins - High Rainfall (XLSX 239Kb)

 Livestock Gross Margins - Low Rainfall (XLSX 260Kb)

 Crop Gross Margins - High Rainfall (XLSX 693Kb)

 Crop Gross Margins - Low Rainfall (XLSX 801Kb)

 Dairy Gross Margins and Profitability Analysis (XLSX 132Kb)

 Dairy - Conventional Dairy Conversion - Investment Analysis (XLSX 222Kb)

 Blueberry - Investment and Gross Margin Analysis (XLSX 138Kb)

 Cherries - Investment and Gross Margin Analysis (XLSX 130Kb)

 Hazelnut - Investment and Gross Margin Analysis (XLSX 143Kb)

 Olives - Oil Production - Investment and Gross Margin Analysis (XLSX 141Kb)

 Raspberry - Investment Analysis and Gross Margin Analysis (XLSX 116Kb)

 Strawberry Investment and Gross Margin Analysis (XLSX 118Kb)

 Substrate Strawberry and Raspberry - Investment Analysis (XLSX 157Kb)

 Organic Dairy - Green Field Site Development - Gross Margin Analysis (XLSX 235Kb)

 Organic Dairy - Conversion of Existing Dairy Enterprise - Gross Margin Analysis (XLSX 232Kb)

 Organic Grains - Gross Margin Analysis (XLSX 128Kb)

​​  Seed production GM  (XLSX 187Kb)​

 Wine grapes investment (XLSX 82Kb)

​​Financial Management Modules

A number of easy to use tools have been developed to assist farmers and investors to consider the transition to new higher return enterprises and guide investment in irrigation and perennial horticultural enterprises.  These are:

  • Designing a better business module - utilising the enterprise and gross margin analysis in a whole farm budget. This will assist businesses in making a transition and guide farm management decisions for improved profitability.

  • An investment module for those perennial horticultural crops where expenses are very high in the initial years and the majority of income is derived once the enterprise is fully established.

  • A practical investment module to assist in planning investment in new irrigation infrastructure, plant and equipment.

Please note: Before using the Financial Management Modules, users are advised to read the disclaimer below.

 Designing a Successful Business (XLSX 159Kb)

 Profitability of Irrigated Perennial Crops (XLS 117Kb)

 Irrigation Investment Analysis (XLSX 177Kb)

Improving Energy Efficiencies On Farm

An energy assessment can reduce your businesses' energy use, save money, improve productivity and provide opportunities to innovate in you energy use.

Self Assessment Tools 

A self-audit tool has been developed to assist you in undertaking a point-in-time energy use snapshot.  

This self-audit tool highlights some of the most common energy saving opportunities identified for farms and provides guidelines and references for farmers who wish to conduct an energy self-audit of their farms. Annual self-audit energy assessments by farmers can aid in monitoring performance relative to energy benchmarks and identify energy saving targets.​

The Action Plan, Checklists and References provided in the tool may be used in combination as part of a farm energy management plan to identify energy use, set benchmarks and targets, and implement energy and cost saving measures. The online calculator tool that complements this manual is also available to aid in conducting energy self-audits of farms.

Please note: Before using the Self Audit Tool, users are advised to read the disc​laimer below. 

 Self Audit Tool Calculator 2020-21 (XLSX 173Kb)

Getting help to do an energy audit

You may feel confident to conduct your an energy assessment in your business. If you don’t feel you have the skills within the business to run your own assessment, many external experts or energy services companies may be engaged to do all, or part of it, for you.

What will the energy auditor do?

To comply with the requirements of AS/NZS 3598.1:2014, the energy auditor should carry out a number of tasks which include:

  • conduct an on-site visit to your business’s premises;

  • analyse your electricity use and tariffs;

  • identify energy saving opportunities; and

  • calculate the financial payback for energy savings opportunities.​

Smart Questions to Ask When Investing in Irrigation

Investing in the purchase of water or an irrigation dam is a major decision, similar to the purchase of land. Opportunities are infrequent, and the investments are for the long-term; both land and water purchases add to the lasting physical resources of the business. These investments provide the opportunity for the business to grow. So when opportunities arise they need to be very carefully considered.

The Investing in Irrigation fact sheet describes issues what irrigators might consider when there is an opportunity to source new water for irrigation. The fact sheet was prepared for the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association by AK Consultants with the support of Tasmanian Irrigation.

 Investing in Irrigation Factsheet  (PDF 344Kb)

 Farm Water Access Plan Factsheet (PDF 352Kb)​

Investing in Irrigation Case Studies

The Farm Business Resilience Program has produced real-life case studies on investing in irrigation, based on the experiences of two farming families. This information could be valuable to potential investors right across the state.

 Investing in Irrigation - Burbury Case Study (PDF 3Mb)

 Investing in Irrigation - Chandler Case Study (PDF 7Mb)

D​​airy Farming in Tasmania

For more information on dairy enterprises and support services offered by DairyTas contact: 

Tasmanian Wine

Information on investing in the Tasmanian wine industry is available from Wine Tasmania including a guide for in​vestors​. 

More information, including an investor checklist, details of vineyards for sale and potential partnerships contact Wine Industry Tasmania:

  • Mail:
    Chief Executive Officer, Wine Industry Tasmania
    47 Davey Street
    HOBART TAS 7000

  • Phone: (03) 6223 3770

  • Fax: (03) 6223 1770

  • Email: sdavies@winetasmania.net.au

​Important Information and Disclaimer

By using this website you accept all the terms of this disclaimer.

The information, models and spreadsheet tools accessible using this website have been prepared to assist in making farm management and investment decisions and are intended as planning tools. As such, users will need to adapt the models for their own circumstances. Users of this website are encouraged to vary the input costs, yields and return assumptions to better represent their own situation.

The agricultural sector is subject to significant variations in costs, returns and yields over time and as such budget projections will need to be reviewed to reflect the prevailing circumstances. Changes can be readily made to the models by varying the values in the blue-shaded cells in the individual gross margin worksheets. Users of the models are also welcome to change the basic set-up of each gross margin or add further enterprises.

The Crown in Right of Tasmania ("Crown") which commissioned the development of these models and spreadsheet tools, and the consultants Macquarie Franklin and Armstrong Ketelar Consulting who undertook the development work, expressly disclaim all and any legal liability and responsibility whatsoever arising from or connected with:

  • the accuracy, reliability, validity, currency or completeness of any information on this website including the models and spreadsheets;

  • the accuracy, reliability, validity, currency or completeness of any results obtained from the use of the information on this website including the models and spreadsheets;

  • the consequences of anything done or omitted to be done by any person, either in whole or in part, in reliance of any such information, models spreadsheet or results;

  • any combination of any of the above.

None of the input costs and projected yield information listed on the website should be treated as recommendations or advice and the information, models and spreadsheet tools accessible on this website are made available on the understanding that the Crown and MFAKC are not providing professional advice. The use of this website and information obtained from its use is not a substitute for independent professional advice and users should obtain any appropriate professional advice relevant to their particular circumstances.

If you have comments in relation to this website or suggestions for further development please contact AgriGrowth Tasmania on 1300 292 292 or email FarmPoint@nr​e.tas.gov.au.​​

C​opyright
Copyright of all information (including the models and spreadsheets) published on this website ("information") is owned by the Crown. All information is protected so far as is allowed by the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) ("the Act").
Apart from any use permitted by the Act, the Crown grants users of this site a licence (within the meaning of the Act) to download, use, print and otherwise reproduce the information. This licence is granted on the condition that the Crown (as represented by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania ("Department")) must be acknowledged as the source of that information. Furthermore, users must ensure any third party is aware that the disclaimer applies in respect of the reproduction, quotation and use of the information.

For permission to reproduce or use the information beyond this limited licence, permission must be sought from the Department. ​

Contact

FarmPoint

PO Box 46,
Kings Meadows, TAS, 7249.