📘 Screen: Budget - Season

This is the budget season: the cycle being planned, with the period it covers and the dollar exchange rate used as a reference. Everything you build in the Budget menu hangs off one of these seasons.

⚠️ It isn't the same season as the crop's. This screen is a sibling of Crop > Season and saves to the same table, but the record created here is flagged as planning: it shows up only on Budget screens, and the operation's season doesn't show up here. Planning and operations don't mix.

📍 Location in the system

Menu: Budget > Season

🧩 Main function

Define the budget cycle — September to August, for example — and store the reference exchange rate for that crop year. It's the first thing to set up in the module.

📝 Record fields

Field	Description
Code	Sequence number of the planning season (`0001`).
Name/Description	What the season is called — "Crop Year 2024/2025".
Dollar Unit Value	The cycle's reference exchange rate. It's the base of the budget in dollars; each scenario can work with its own rate.
Start Date (from)	Start of the budgeted crop year.
End Date (to)	End of the period. This interval becomes the month columns in Monthly Operational Planning.
Active	A closed season can be unchecked without losing its history.

The list shows Code, Description, Active and Dollar Unit Value.

✅ Result: with the budget season set up:

Scenarios have something to build on.
The cycle's period defines the months of the monthly breakdown.
The reference exchange rate is stored with the plan, not in a separate spreadsheet.

❓ Frequently asked questions

Why doesn't the budget season show up under Crop?

Because it's flagged as a planning season. That's on purpose: the budget needs the freedom to simulate without interfering with the operation's entries. The two live in the system side by side without mixing.

Which dollar rate applies: the season's or the scenario's?

The rate of the scenario you're working in. The season's rate is the cycle's reference; it's precisely because the exchange rate can vary between scenarios that you can compare versions of the same budget.

Can I have more than one budget season at the same time?

Yes. It's common to keep the current season and already open next year's to start planning. The Season filter on the Scenario screen separates what belongs to each one.