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  • From: Marcie Rosenzweig <fullcircle AT jps.net>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Re: Recordkeeping and accounting software
  • Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2004 08:44:19 -0800

Title: Re: Recordkeeping and accounting software
Hi Folks,

I personally have used both QuickBooks and Quicken - but use QuickBooks for business. I think it's important to be able to use accounting software in a way that lets you do reporting by enterprise so you can see where you are making money and where you are in trouble.

Most farms and ranches are a collection of enterprises.  For instance Full Circle Organic Farm had a veggie/herb/flower production enterprise, a greenhouse enterprise, and a CSA.  Each enterprise could be largely segregated in terms of income and expenses but had a share of fixed costs.

The Farm sold to the CSA and had additional marketing outlets in farmers' markets, restaurants and small co-ops.

The Greenhouse sold to the Farm and the CSA and had additional marketing outlets through the farmers' market and contracts with other organic producers.

The CSA had members as its income stream.

All shared (leveraged) the fixed costs of management time, insurance, taxes and cooler costs.

Both Quicken for Business (not the bare-bones version) and QuickBooks can be configured to allow you to track costs and sales separately for each enterprise and to allocate fixed costs across your enterprises.

Dr. Damona Doye out of Oklahoma State has a website showing how to do this with Quicken. http://www.agecon.okstate.edu/quicken/

To learn about setting up QuickBooks for ag enterprises go to CSU Fresno's Center for Agriculture Business website, from professor emeritus James Cothren, http://retriever.csufresno.edu/classes/agec160/Qbooks.htm  There is a tutorial and a PowerPoint presentation explaining how to do this.

Hope this helpd all of you become more profitable in the New Year,

Marcie
-- 
Marcie A. Rosenzweig
Full Circle
3377 Early Times Ln
Auburn, CA 95603-7900
(530) 885-9201

ask about our books:
Market Farm Forms- Spreadsheet Templates
for Planning and Tracking Information on Diversified Market Farms
AND
The New Farmers' Market: Farm-fresh Ideas for Producers, Managers, and Communities


  • [Market-farming] Re: Recordkeeping and accounting software, Marcie Rosenzweig, 01/09/2004

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