ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the different methods actually used by university researchers to construct enterprise budgets and report the predominance of each method on a national level. The results of a formal survey are presented. The study also identifies the primary users of the university budgets and discusses the use of US Department of Agriculture (USDA) cost of production estimates by university researchers. A written survey was sent to the USDA Cooperative Extension mailing list of all university researchers with farm management assignments. Variable cash costs are the costs directly associated with production of the enterprise, and vary with the level of production. They include fertilizer, seed, pesticides, repairs, fuel and labor. Fixed cash costs are the annual overhead costs of running the farm business which do not vary greatly with the level of production.
