Source: AgriLife Today | Feb. 2, 2021
The Brush Busters Cost Calculator, a new app for estimating the cost of herbicide plant treatment applications on brush, can now be downloaded free from both Apple and Google app sites.
The app was designed and made available by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service range specialists as a means of calculating the cost of conducting individual plant treatments with foliar, stem/basal or cut-stump methods of herbicide application. It can be downloaded from the Apple Apps Store and Google Play Store sites.
“The Brush Busters Cost Calculator is designed to take the guesswork out of calculating the cost of herbicides for brush control,” said Megan Clayton, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension range specialist based in Corpus Christi and one of the app’s designers.
To estimate cost using the calculator, the landowner or manager will need to enter specifics on the application method, the herbicide and/or surfactant being used, labor costs and plant density.
Bob Lyons, AgriLife Extension range specialist based in Uvalde and app co-designer, said herbicide information will include the herbicide name, cost per gallon and application rate. Surfactant information will include cost per gallon and application rate. Labor cost will include the total hourly labor rate for all workers combined and time estimated to complete an acre. Plant density will be the number of plants per acre of land to be treated.
“The cost calculator also provides the ability to name and save the projects should you want to refer to them later,” Lyons said. “That way landowners and managers can keep track of these type of costs as well as have a somewhat accurate idea of what they might be, should they need to apply herbicides for brush control in the future.”
Both Lyons and Clayton noted that while the accuracy of the estimates this cost calculator provides depends on the reliability of the values entered, it serves as a useful tool for making land-management decisions.