This bulletin represents a tool that can help producers, consultants, educators, and agribusinesses working with producers estimate costs of production and expected profit based on "typical" cabbage management strategies found in Monroe County, Michigan. The budget included in this bulletin will allow users to revise inputs based on their management strategies and calculate their expected cost and profit. This flexibility provides a decision aid to search for systems that generate higher net returns to the farm's resource base.Crop Production/Industries,

Black, J. Roy

Dartt, Barbara

Marks, Paul

Morrone, Vicki

English

Research Papers in Economics

 
  1
Staff Paper 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cost of Cabbage Production 
in Monroe County, Michigan 
 
by 
 
Barbara Dartt 
Roy Black 
Paul Marks 
Vicki Morrone 
 
Staff Paper 2002-34      November, 2002 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Department of Agricultural Economics 
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY 
East Lansing, Michigan  48824 
 
MSU is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution  1
Cost of Cabbage Production in Monroe County, Michigan 
 
Staff Paper No. 2002-34 
by 
Barbara Dartt, Roy Black, Paul Marks, Vicki Morrone
1 
 
This bulletin represents a tool that can help producers, consultants, educators, and agribusinesses 
working with producers estimate costs of production and expected profit based on “typical” 
cabbage management strategies found in Monroe County, Michigan.  The budget included in this 
bulletin will allow users to revise inputs based on their management strategies and calculate their 
expected cost and profit. This flexibility provides a decision aid to search for systems that 
generate higher net returns to the farm’s resource base. 
 
The brief outline of cultural and pest management practices included in this publication should 
be supplemented with publications from Michigan State University or from other Universities. 
See the References section for resources. Many are available on-line. 
 
Cabbage Production 
Cabbage is a cool season crop suitable for growing throughout the season when temperatures are 
below 85°F.  It can withstand moderate frosts, lending itself to early spring planting and fall 
harvest in Michigan.  In Michigan, the crop is direct-seeded in treated beds then transplanted 
starting in April.  Several varieties of cabbage are grown to meet different harvesting dates and 
allow staggered harvests. Early-maturing cabbage cultivars are very compact and grow rapidly.  
Mid- to late-maturing cultivars are larger and heads can be harvested early or later in the season.  
 
Site Selection & Planting 
Preferably, cabbage should be planted in muck or clay soils but sandy sites can also be used with 
proper management to retain adequate moisture. The soil must have adequate nutrients and water 
available.  Cabbage grows best in nutrient rich, well-drained soil with a pH above 6.0.  Soils with 
a pH below 6.0 should be adjusted using lime.  Cabbage is sensitive to water logging so it should 
be grown on well-drained soils.  It has a shallow root system so it requires one to two inches of 
water per week.  Transplants are grown four to six weeks before planting in the field.  The 
majority of cabbage production occurs in raised beds and most of the crop is planted from April 
20 to June 10.  Fertility management includes fall applications of P, K and B. Nitrogen 
applications are split between planting and sidedressing.  Total N applied is determined by 
cropping history and according to variety and season of maturity.  Harvest begins in June and 
continues through mid-November.  It is important to schedule and complete harvest so that 
maximum yield and quality are attained. 
                                                 
1 Barbara Dartt is a Business Consultant at Salisbury Management Services. Her e-mail address is 
bdartt@Salisbury-management.com; Roy Black is a Professor in the Agricultural Economics Department at 
Michigan State University. His e-mail address is blackj@msu.edu; Paul Marks is a retired MSU Extension 
Agricultural Agent for Monroe County, Michigan. His e-mail address is marksp@msue.msu.edu; Vicki Morrone 
is a horticultural consultant. Her e-mail address is sorrone@hotmail.com 
 
Copyright 2002. All rights reserved. Readers may make verbatim copies of this document for non-commercial 
purposes by any means, provided that this copyright notice appears on all such copies.   2
 
Pest Management 
When seeking advice on use of labeled pesticides (including herbicides), please refer to the most 
current versions of Michigan State University Extension Bulletins titled “Insect, Disease and 
Nematode Control for Commercial Vegetables” (Extension Bulletin E-312) and “Weed Control 
Guide for Vegetable Crops” (Extension Bulletin E-433). They are available on-line at 
http://www.msue.msu.edu/vegetable/Resources/E312/E312.htm and 
http://www.msue.msu.edu/vegetable/Resources/weeds/weed.htm respectively.  Specific herbicide 
and pesticide names have been used in this publication to facilitate accurate budgeting, but 
Michigan State University does not endorse any of the brand name products listed and does not 
direct producers to limit management systems to these products. 
 
Pests of cabbage must be controlled for a profitable harvest. Monitoring allows early detection so 
treatment can be prompt and effective. A subscription to the MSU Vegetable Crop Advisory 
Alert would provide a good pest management reference.  It is available as a mail subscription or 
over the internet at http://www.msue.msu.edu/ipm/vegCAT.htm 
 
Weed control Weeds should be controlled by herbicide applications prior to transplanting the 
beds.  Beds should be transplanted with a minimum of soil disturbance.  Apply herbicides post 
emergence as needed for weed control. 
 
Insect pests of cabbage include thrips, aphids, cabbage maggots and larvae of the cabbage worm, 
cabbage looper and diamondback moth.  Treatment at planting is essential to controlling cabbage 
maggot.  See bulletin E-312 for control recommendations. Alternating pesticides between 
applications will reduce resistance of the targeted pests.  
 
Diseases. The economic diseases that attack cabbage include downy mildew and Alternaria leaf 
spot.  Black rot caused by bacteria on the seed can also represent a serious problem. Seed 
treatments are important to prevent problems with black rot and dampening off. Nematodes can 
also cause serious problems. Field sanitation, use of certified seed and timely monitoring are 
management practices that can limit disease problems. 
 
Harvest and Handling 
Once cabbage is harvested, it should be kept out of direct sunlight then transported to storage 
where it is cooled in 32° F rooms with 95% humidity.  Medium sized heads typically take 18 
hours to cool to 36° F. 
 
Cost of Production Budget 
The budget developed using information gathered from growers is presented in Table 1.  Details 
of some practices are mentioned in footnotes.  To adapt this budget, insert or remove individual 
practices as necessary. 
 
Because expected prices and yields vary across years and producers, no revenue was included in 
this budget.  However, Table 2 shows expected net returns at a variety of typical prices and 
yields.  Where indicated in the budget, the cost structure does vary by yield.  Use of this table 
should help producers compare expected returns from typical prices and yields using practices   3
outlined above and detailed in the budget.  If the budget is modified to better fit a different 
production system, Table 2 will not accurately represent net returns per acre. 
 
Approach 
The information on cabbage cost structure and yields was developed using a focus group of 
growers with a good knowledge of the industry and good field, enterprise, and financial records.  
The process was initiated by defining a cabbage production system and strategic planning 
context representative of Monroe County, Michigan. Subsequently, both the sequence of 
decisions and the information necessary to make these key decisions were collected.  This 
process resulted in a list of inputs and input prices that were then translated into costs, which 
were verified against grower records.  
 
Because the production system and details were derived from grower input, fertilizer and 
chemical use may not match some horticultural recommendations.  All grower practices were 
verified and do reflect current procedures.  The following budget reproduces, as completely as 
possible, all costs incurred by these growers. 
 
Pricing Annual Costs of Capital Services (Buildings, Machinery, and Equipment) 
Estimating the annual cost of using buildings, machinery, equipment and other assets is a 
challenge in cost of production studies.  In previous studies of Michigan horticultural crops, 
focus groups constructed a representative farm with fixed acreage and then constructed the 
buildings, machinery, and equipment needed to operate this farm. They also generated associated 
labor needs and repair and operating costs.  This approach has the advantage of being very 
tangible but also makes it difficult to interpret results for alternative farm sizes. 
 
In this study, an alternative approach was taken.  Buildings, machinery and services were priced 
to the enterprise on a "custom" basis.  Further, services such as land preparation were priced to 
the enterprise as a "bundled" service/task reflecting both the machinery and labor components of 
the service.  
 
This approach requires some judgment because costs such as buildings to house machinery and 
equipment, the farm shop, and labor used in maintenance of machinery and equipment must be 
included in the "custom fee" as well as the "depreciation and interest" on the machinery and 
equipment. The fact that this custom fee approach was used does not imply that custom operators 
did all the tasks.  It simply means the tasks are priced to the enterprise as if a custom operator 
had completed them.  The services may well have been provided by the "machinery services 
enterprise" of the farm.  As a double check, members of the focus group attempted to compare 
the aggregate custom fee costs to those based on their accounting records which included labor, 
custom fees, and depreciation and interest on buildings, machinery, and equipment.  Custom fees 
were also double-checked against survey information when available.  
  4
References 
2002 Insect, Disease and Nematode Control Recommendations. George Bird, Beth Bishop, Ed 
Grafius, Mary Hausbeck, Lynnae J. Jess, William Kirk and Walter Pett. 2002.. Michigan State 
University Extension Bulletin E-312. Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan. [On-
line]. Available September 13, 2002: 517-353-7168 or  
http://www.msue.msu.edu/vegetable/Resources/E312/E312.htm  
 
2002 Weed Control Guide for Vegetable Crops. B. Zandstra, et. al. 2002. Michigan State 
University Extension Bulletin E-433.  Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan. [On-
line]. Available September 13, 2002: 517-353-7168 or  
http://www.msue.msu.edu/vegetable/Resources/weeds/weed.htm 
 
Fertilizer Recommendations for Vegetable Crops in Michigan.  D.D. Warncke, , D.R. 
Christenson, L.W. Jacobs, M.L. Vitosh, and B.H. Zandstra.  1994. Michigan State University 
Extension Bulletin E-550B. Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.  [On-line]. 
Available September 13, 2002: http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modaf/55092001.html 
 
Crop Profile for Cabbage in Michigan. Carol Bronick, Walter Pett, Mary Hausbeck, Lynnae J. 
Jess, Bernard Zandstra. 1999. Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan. [On-line]. 
Available September 13, 2002:  http://pestdata.ncsu.edu/cropprofiles/docs/micabbage.html 
 
Cole Crops in Wisconsin. K.A. Delahaut, and S. L. Marcell. 1999. University of Wisconsin. 
Madison, Wisconsin. [On-line]. Available September 13, 2002:  
http://ipcm.wisc.edu/piap/cabbage.htm# 
 
2002 Ohio Vegetable Production Guide, Sweet Corn. The Ohio State University, Extension 
Bulletin 672-02.  Robert J. Precheur, Editor, Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, The 
Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.  [On-line]. Available September 13, 2002: 614-292-
1607 or http://ohioline.osu.edu/b672/index.html 
 
Scherer, Tom. 1998.  Selecting a Sprinkler Irrigation System. North Dakota State University 
Extension Service Bulletin AE-91. Fargo, North Dakota. [On-line]. Available September 13, 
2002: 701-231-7882 or http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/ageng/irrigate/ae91w.htm 
 

13, 2002: http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modaf/55092001.html Crop Profile for Cabbage in

517-353-7168 or http://www.msue.msu.edu/vegetable/Resources/E312/E312.htm 2002 Weed Control Guide for Vegetable Crops.

Available September 13, 2002: http://ipcm.wisc.edu/piap/cabbage.htm# 2002 Ohio Vegetable Production Guide, Sweet Corn. The Ohio State University, Extension Bulletin 672-02. Robert

http://pestdata.ncsu.edu/cropprofiles/docs/micabbage.html Cole Crops in

COST OF CABBAGE PRODUCTION IN MONROE COUNTY, MICHIGAN

COST OF CABBAGE PRODUCTION IN MONROE COUNTY, MICHIGAN

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