Description
By (author) Shanks, Julia; Foreword by Fortier, Jean-Martin
Short /annotation:
The Farmer”s Office, Second Edition is the complete guide to starting, managing, and growing an agricultural or farm business. Fully updated and expanded to include tutorials on basic farm financial management, QuickBooks, business planning, navigating uncertainty, business growth, and thinking like an entrepreneur.
:
Transform farming from financial guesswork into profitable business management. Complete toolkit of templates, systems, and strategies for tracking costs, planning cash flow, and building a successful farm business that provides both financial security and farming satisfaction.
Why Most Small Farms Fail Financially:
90% of small farms struggle not because of poor growing skills, but because of poor business management. This system provides the financial foundation successful farmers use to build sustainable, profitable operations.
What You”ll Master:
- Financial planning templates for budgeting, cash flow, and profitability analysis
- Record-keeping systems that track true costs and identify profit opportunities
- Marketing strategies for direct sales, CSAs, and wholesale relationships
- Tax planning and legal structures that protect and optimize farm income
- Growth planning tools for scaling operations systematically and safely
Real Farm Business Results:
Farmers using these systems report 25-40% improvement in profitability, clearer understanding of true costs, and confidence in business decisions that previously felt like guesswork.
Turn your farming passion into a profitable business. Essential for anyone serious about making farming financially sustainable long-term.
Table of contents:
Foreword
Gratitude
Preface
Disclaimer
How to Use This Book
Chapter 1: Introduction—Why Bother
Understand What Makes You Money (and Why)
Invest in Your Business
Plan for Growth
Plan for Slow Periods
Avoid Out-of-Control Debt
Weather Covid-Like Pivots and Other Disruptions
Keep Your Eye on the Prize
Chapter 2: Building the Foundation: The Financial Statements and Basic Accounting
The Income Statement—A Summary of the Operations
The Balance Sheet—What You Have and How You Got It
The Statement of Cash Flows—Where Cash Rules the Roost
Tying It All Together
Underlying Principles
Chapter 3: Planning Your New Venture
Chapter 4: The Business Planning Process
Getting Started
The Business Planning Process
Business Plan Writing Guide
Creating Financial Projections
Chapter 5: Financing Your New Venture
Save Money
Borrow from Friends and Family
Outside Organizations
Financing Sources
Preparing for Investors
Chapter 6: Setting up a Bookkeeping System (and QuickBooks)
QuickBooks (and Bookkeeping) Best Practices
Choosing a Bookkeeping Software
The Initial Setup
QuickBooks: An Overview of Things You”ll Do
Reports in QuickBooks
QuickBooks Terminology
Chapter 7: Day to Day: Using QuickBooks for Cash Management
Create Your Annual Budget by Month
The Bank Feed
Regular Bookkeeping—Every Day-ish (10 minutes)
Review, Refine, and Stay on Target—Every Month (1 hour)
Big Picture Planning – Year End (1 to 2 hours, plus cleanup)
QuickBooks Quick Tips
Chapter 8: Digging into the Numbers and Beyond
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