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  • From: "jay gee" <JayGee AT jghelp.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] farm software question & Farm Program
  • Date: Mon, 05 Jan 2004 11:40:29 -0800 (PST)

Hi All,

Happy New Year!

Bob Brocious wrote:

> I'm looking for a software package to manage our farm business.
> Quickbooks seems an obvious choice. Any other suggestions out there? QB
> is
> kinda pricey.

and Phil wrote:

> It would be nice to have a program that has not only inventory but a
> depreciation schedule for the farm business, including buildings, land, and
> machinery.
> Really hard to find a good program that has a depreciation schedule
> included
> in it without getting one of the more expensive tax programs. We use a
> double entry program that I would be lost without it when it comes to tax
> time, and
> all the different statements that our bankers require.

Any powerful double entry general ledger
program is going to be more expensive than
basic word processing. I suspect a good part
of the program's cost is wrapped up in the after
install service and support a G/L provider must
supply to get people started on their way.

If you don't need the benefits of double entry
bookkeeping, use a spreadsheet program like
Excel or QuattroPro and develop a monthly
format that suits your operation. Give it a carry
forward feature for calculating year to date
totals apart from monthly numbers. If you don't
understand how to use a spreadsheet program,
get a good how to book from Amazon or your
local bookseller.

Since depreciation does not affect cash flow,
depreciation entries should be made at tax time
or year end only to depreciation accounts, not
asset accounts (e.g. 1997 Ford Tractor Accumulated
Depreciation).

A spread sheet program is the best way to calculate
depreciation in advance, print the run and put it in
with asset records so all separately depreciable items
are in one place when making up the journal entries.

This is the accounting and finance side of me
speaking now, not the advertising and marketing side.

Buy the best program you can afford and really learn
how to use it. Modern G/L software often provides related
tax software at moderate additional expense that can make
filing complex returns a snap (compared to the old days).

Good luck,


jay gee
not a farmer -- but interested in farming



Free marketing aids for farmers at:
http://jghelp.com/farming





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