PART II. MECHANICAL SUGARCANE HARVESTER ANALYSIS

 Introduction
 Sugarcane producers and other farm managers can use this program to
decide between owning a mechanical harvester or custom-hiring the use

of one. For many types of harvesters the direct out-of-pocket costs for labor
and fuel are usually less than the going custom rate. At the same time, over-
head costs for depreciation, interest,repairs and insurance increase. In

order for the purchase to be profitable, the savings in direct out-of-pocket
costs must at least cover the increased overhead.
 The"Mechanical Sugarcane Harvester Analysis"asks the user for the infor-
mation necessary to calculate the minimum number of acres necessary to justify
owning a mechanical harvester. The program will help independent producers
as well as growers of administration cane and members of cooperative mills
when trying to decide the number of harvesters that can be economically justi-
fied for their operation.

 Sample Run

 The"Mechanical Sugarcane-Harvester Analysis"begins by asking the.user to
answer eight questions. When answering the questions, do not include commas
or percent signs. Decimal points are allowed. Below is a sample run. The
underlined.numbers are sample entries:

 ENTER THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:
 PURCHASE PRICE OF HARVESTER ($) ? 110000
 SALVAGE VALUE OF HARVESTER ($) ? 10000
 USEFUL LIFE OF HARVESTER (YEARS) TT
 ANNUAL REPAIRS & MAINTENANCE FOR HARVESTER ($) ?.2500
 ANNUAL INSURANCE COST FOR HARVESTER ($) ? 1200
 INTEREST RATE ON EQUIPMENT LOANS (%) ? 13
 HARVESTER COST FOR LABOR & FUEL ($/ACRE'-? 65
 CUSTOM HARVESTING RATE ($/ACRE) ? 130
 ARE THESE ENTRIES OK (Y/N) ? Y