“Heart of the Farm
Bookkeepers’ Boot Camp”
Trisha Wagner Jackson County UW-Extension Agent
National Extension Risk Management Conference
April 2011
Heart of the Farm
Women in Agriculture
Mission
Improving farm business decision-making through farm
management and production education for women.
Goal
Address the needs of farm women by providing
education on pertinent topics, connecting them with
agricultural resources, and creating support networks.
Objectives…
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Help farmers understand what records to keep, how long
to keep them, and how to organize them for taxes and the
lender.
Discuss the types of information and bookkeeping
necessary for insurance and other government programs.
Make farmers aware of the reasons for keeping records
for themselves and how the analysis of good records and
resulting management decisions can improve the bottom
line.
Provide information covering what a record system is,
basic needs for record keeping systems, different formats
and where to get more information. Both computer and
ledger options discussed.
Why was the program developed…

Increased need for sound farm business and financial
management is at this time.

Greater volatility in agriculture markets and higher
input costs, lead to tighter profit margins.

Need for sound business management, with all the
tools, information and resources available.

Many lending institutions and Farm Service Agencies
requiring more financial records in order to extend
lines of credit.
Program development and delivery
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Collaboration with Badgerland
Financial and Farm Service
Agency.
Heart of the Farm format used
as a guide.
Designed specifically for a
women audience.
Included a segment from a
local business women on
gorilla marketing.
Program Topics:
The How and Why of Managing Farm Records

Record keeping basics:
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Format (how to set up chart of accounts)
Filing systems (ways: by month, vendor, sch. F, )
Retention (what to keep and how long)
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Banking statements
Accounting information
Income and Expense receipts
Payroll and tax returns
Capital purchases
Program Topics:
Insurance and FSA Bookkeeping Requirements

What types of records are acceptable:
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Crop Insurance
Production Records
Measurement service by FSA
Contemporaneous diaries
Land lease information
8
Program Topics:
What financial records can do for your bottom line

Why keep farm records for yourself?

What you’ll need to do to benefit from record
keeping.
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Useful tools.

AgFa benchmarking too:
http://cdp.wisc.edu/AgFA.htm

Wisconsin Dairy Benchmarking tool
http://dairymgt.uwex.edu/
Program Topics
Record keeping options

Introduction to various record keeping
programs:
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AAIMs
Redwing
QuickBooks
Others including ledger options
Pros/Cons
More information
Participant evaluation…
Evaluation of topics
Usefulness of topic:
1 = not very useful
5= Very useful
1
How and Why of Managing Farm Records
Insurance and FSA Bookkeeping
Requirements
What record keeping can do for your
bottom line
Record Keeping Options
2
3
4
5
2
20
2
4
5
12
2
3
3
15
2
5
16
Evaluation Summaries
1 = very little
5 = quite a lot
Knowledge
before…
1
2
Knowledge
after….
3
4
5
1
How and Why of Managing
Farm Records
1
5
9
5
Isurance and FSA
Bookkeeping Requirements
4
9
7
3
What reord keeping can do
for your bottom line
3
5
10
2
3
Record Keeping Options
2
6
7
5
2
2
3
2
4
5
2
12
8
8
13
2
1
6
11
5
1
4
9
8
Evaluation Summaries
Please rate today's program
7% Fair
45%
Excellent
48% Good
Follow-up meeting requests
Informal survey conducted in county Ag
newsletter.
Participants request follow-up workshop for
specific computer programs.
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QuickBooks, AAIMS, other
The follow up workshop scheduled for last
week in April.
Hands-on, computer based, with farm
examples, small class size.
Where do we go from here or what is the
future of this program?
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Follow-up workshop.
Follow–up survey for participants
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What are your goals?
What steps have you taken to meet them?
What resources do you need to meet them?
Thank You!
Trisha Wagner- Jackson County UW-Extension
Agriculture Agent
trisha.wagner@ces.uwex.edu
Joy Kirkpatrick
UW Center for Dairy Profitability
Heart of the Farm coordinator
joy.kirkpatrick@ces.uwex.edu