There is nothing gasoline and diesel fuel doesn’t impact on a ranch or farm. Chances are that you utilize fuel in some way to feed cattle or even go to town to buy supplies.

Well, the yardage calculator from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach at the Iowa Beef Center has been updated to help you determine how much yardage costs.

Current retail values of diesel fuel can be used as an index to estimate current and near-future yardage charges in maintaining livestock. Iowa Beef Center associate scientist Garland Dahlke said it is important for producers to know their costs, especially in light of higher fuel prices.

Energy costs are highly correlated to all other costs of production and as energy costs climb the cost of doing business climbs proportionately. When feeding cattle the yardage charge, or more accurately, the items that make up the yardage cost are influenced by energy costs, and diesel fuel prices are a good gauge to what should be happening to the yardage charge within a given operation and when it needs to be adjusted.

Dahlke has updated the Iowa Beef Center’s Yardage-Diesel Fuel Relationship calculator to help producers determine cost estimates. This Excel-based calculator allows an existing yardage fee to be adjusted as changes in diesel fuel price occur.

The calculator file is available for free download from the calculators page on the Iowa Beef Center website.

Check out for a free download of that calculator and more. The list includes:

205-Day Weight Calculator

Backgrounding Breakeven Calculator

Beef Cow Systems Budget Model

Cash Flow Planning Tool for Transitioning from Conventional to Alternative Production Systems

Cattle Feeding Budgets

Corn Coproduct Value for Finishing Cattle

Corn Silage to Beef Calculator

Feed Efficiency Calculator

Feed Energy Index

Feeder Cattle Bid Calculator

Feedlot Facility Economic Assessment Calculator

Grid Marketing Calculator (full version)culator

Feedyard Cash Flow Planning Tool

Grid Marketing Calculator (simple version)

Source: Iowa State University, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.