Freight rate software
A new version of the Freight Rate Manager computer software package is available. FRM 2.0 is built upon Freight Rate Manager 1.0 released last year.
“The FRM computer software package is a planning and marketing tool for prairie farmers and others involved in western Canadian agriculture,” said Ken Rosaasen, agricultural economics professor at the University of Saskatchewan. The program is designed to help farmers analyze the impact of changes in rail freight costs with the loss of the Western Grain Transportation Act subsidies.
FRM 2.0 allows farmers to compare old and new freight rates for a variety of crops at any delivery point on the Prairies. They can calculate farmgate prices after basis and dockage freight charges have been deducted. A crop planner allows producers to calculate margins over costs. This information can then be used to make marketing and seeding choices.
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Changes to the FRM program include: 1996-97 freight rates; Canadian Wheat Board Pool Return Outlooks and Estimated Pool Returns, and open market prices; a design to facilitate price comparisons for a single crop at three or more delivery points, or several different bids at a single location; an interactive crop planner to look at both cash and total costs, and break-even yields.
FRM 2.0 help-files provide technical information on the program, descriptions of transportation changes, and an overview of major transportation and marketing issues. These include the new canola pricing point at Saskatoon, elevation and handling charges, trucking costs, and the freight adjustment payout.
The program is available for IBM-compatible computers 386 and up. For information contact Freight Rate Manager, c/o Ken Rosaasen, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Saskatchewan, 51 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, S7N 5A8.
– Saskatchewan Agriculture
