National turf industry cost of production calculator development and extension program (TU13005)

What was it all about?

This project aimed to improve turf growers’ understanding of the actual cost to produce, install and deliver turf by developing a national cost of production calculator tool, available on the Turf Australia website here.

The project was initiated in response to industry data that showed only 50 per cent of growers were confident they could accurately calculate turf production, delivery and installation costs.

The calculation tool developed as part of this project allows growers to enter their own data and calculate the cost per square metre of producing, delivering and installing turf. The tool also has benchmarking capabilities so growers can compare their business performance and management with industry averages.

As part of the program to launch the calculator, training was offered in each state from October 2013 through to June 2015. Growers could attend one of 17 workshops held in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia and have one-on-one training, or learn at their own pace using supplied materials and a series of webinars. Telephone support was also available. A total of 133 turf growers from 95 businesses took part. A significant number of growers increased their prices per square metre of turf and for delivery as a result of participating in the ‘Staying in the Green’ program and utilising the cost of production calculator on-farm.

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Learn more and access the cost of production calculator on the Turf Australia website. The site also contains webinars and resources that explain how the calculator is used.