In this article from Farm Progress, by Lynsey Aberle, she focuses on how you tackle your year-end record keeping with a few easy steps. 

In this post from, CoBank, discusses inflation, high interest rates and how the rural economy is being affected. 

Get to know more about our new loan officer, Sam Steinberg! 

Get to know Senior Loan Officer, Steve Kowalski. 

Review the importance of balance sheets and how it can support a farm's financial health. 

Keeping accurate records and establishing a record-keeping system has a long list of benefits that will keep your operation successful for many generations.
 

Get to know a few fun facts about the staff who works behind the scenes to process your loan paperwork. 

"A truck on blocks isn’t going any-where, even if the engine is running.

Iowa State University Extension forestry specialist Billy Beck says that is exactly what an unmanaged forest is like.

“It’s an untapped resource,” Beck says. “There’s a ton of potential, but no one is familiar enough with how it operates to maximize it.”

Beck says many farmers own forestland in addition to cropland and, when properly managed, it can bring financial, ecological, and recreational benefits."

Read some fun facts about our Senior Loan Officer, Thomas Rogers, who covers the Southeast Area and Southwest Area. 

"Women have played a vital role in agriculture for centuries, yet are still in the minority in leadership within the farming and ranching community."

Article from our real estate partner First Financial Bank on the resouces available to women in agriculture. 

Winter is defined differently for farmers across the United States but no matter where you live, being prepared for this major seasonal change on the farm is critical for you, your livestock, your crops and your employees.

Workers’ compensation insurance is a federally mandated, state regulated program that protects your business if an employee suffers a work-related injury.

Article on Morning Ag Clips from our friends at Agri-Services Agency. 

"Think about how your farm has grown in size and scope in the past decade. Has your financial reporting followed suit? Would you define your financial management and bookkeeping processes as a competitive advantage or an area to improve?"

The week of October 10th, Rick Russell, President of DFA Financing, gathered loan officers and administrative staff for two days of meetings and learning.

This article by Karen Bohnert in Dairy Herd Management dives into the specific workforce issues that farms are facing. 

As we head into the last few months of 2022, that means it is time for our member farmers to implement tax planning strategies to help minimize tax liabilities. Proper tax management can be important to your bottom line.

"Problem: how can we offset land vs. non-farm assets between heirs when values constantly change?" 

Farmers know that from time to time, to maintain their successful edge, they must invest or reinvest in their businesses periodically. Investing allows them to keep their farm competitive while also increasing efficiency. These types of investments usually fall into the category of capital projects. 

An article by First Financial Bank exploring the positives and negatives of electric tractors. 

Jeff Fetter states "economic challenges continually face today's agriculture industry. Farm product prices are not under the farm's control while operational and input expenses continue to rise year after year. For those who have been working in agriculture for years, the cyclical nature of the difficult times continue to arise every few years. Regardless of when the downturns occur or how long it continues, it is those who are prepared for these times who persevere through and continue to prosper." 

Darren Frye asks "when you think about the future of your operation, what do you envision? One thing you might think of is what your farm will look like in 10 years. Another is the people who will be there – who will be involved with the operation? What will the farm be producing? What types of side businesses will be involved, if any?"

Get to know our newest Loan Officer, Lindsay Smith, with some Q&A questions about her life and agricultural lending. 

Approaching new ideas on the farm can seem challenging, whether you are thinking about new technology or business operations. There are different ways to approach each idea and this article by Darren Frye in Farm Progress will take you step-by-step through new ideas. 

In this article from Successful Farming, Jim Knuth, Senior Vice President with Farm Credit Services of America says the single factor they see time-after-time between those who are succeeding and those who are struggling is how they manage their operating from a business, financial and marketing perspective. This includes evaluating the cost of assets such as machinery and equipment and re-thinking how they’re using it.

Planning machinery purchases and repairs is more critical than ever considering the lead time manufacturers need to produce products and the limited availability of used equipment and parts to repair your current equipment.

Regular maintenance and repairs make a big difference in preserving the life of machinery on the farm. 

If a farm business is to continue for generations, taking a different approach is a priorty while running the operation. 

With planting season soon approaching, developing an annual cropping and feed inventory plan can be significantly helpful. 

Collecting and measuring data on your operation is the best way to measure success, and it can start with you. 

The agriculture industry is constantly changing and advancing. Every day, farmers are presented with new technologies, marketing choices and tightening margins. Throughout all the changes, there is one thing that remains constant, basic farm management.

"The more you plan ahead for those times when you have extra income from improved commodity prices, the more confident you feel when making decisions about how to best use the money." 

How does your farm define growth? There are many answers when it comes to growth including numbers of acres farmed, income, team members and new business. 

In this blog series, we will feature three different financial documents, and this blog will focus on budgeting, which can be helpful for setting your farm up for years of success. A budget can serve as a farm’s action of action and evaluative tool for operational performance.
 

Lines of credit are important tools that farms use to help manage cash flow needs. A line of credit will be there when you need it to help your operation, whether you are looking to obtain discounts on bulk purchases, make timely payments or cover an unforeseen expense.

Our team of knowledgable experts helps break down a farm balance sheet and its' importance. 

"Have you ever applied for a loan only have it sit on your lender’s desk for days without an answer?"

"The more you can reduce the guesswork, the more profitable your farm may be. That’s where agricultural software comes in."

In this blog series, we will feature three different financial documents and this blog will feature income statements, one of the most important statements in financial accounting, also known as a profit and loss statement.

"Avoidable costs are unnecessary costs—always have been and always will be."