Machinery and equipment is often one of the largest expense categories for a farm or ranch operation. Many producers do not know their machinery and equipment cost for a given activity.The Machine Risk Calculator (MRC) from RightRisk.org can help producers estimate rates for custom filed operations and individual machinery costs. The tool will also estimate the risk sensitivity of those costs to changes in various factors. The MRC uses a comprehensive list of related expenses to calculate an overall cost, including expected life (years), repairs, depreciation, housing, insurance, taxes, and annual use (hours).

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Barley is an important crop in Wyoming that may be raised as animal feed or for malting. Different varieties are typically used for feed barley and malt barley and malting barley yields are generally lower than feed barley yields. Some farmers may choose to raise organic barley to serve the needs of niche markets. Insurance products offered by the USDA Risk Management Agency are available for feed barley, malting barley (through a malting barley endorsement), and organic barley. These products are the focus of this briefing paper.

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Farm sector profitability measures forecast for 2017 range from nearly flat to declining. Net cash farm income, one measure of profitability, is forecast at $93.5 billion ($82.2 billion after adjusting for inflation) for 2017, up 1.8 percent compared to the 2016 forecast. Net farm income, a broader measure of profitability because it includes noncash values such as inventory flows and economic depreciation, is forecast at $62.3 billion ($54.8 billion after adjusting for inflation) for 2017, down 8.7 percent compared to 2016.

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