Description
Book SynopsisThe 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.
Trade ReviewFilled with excellent, real-life examples, this is the best book I've seen on the business side of running a small farm. Written by someone who clearly has first-hand experience and understands how market farmers think, The Farmer's Office clearly illustrates the ups and downs and ins and outs of making the dream financially sustainable. This is a great book for both farmers just starting out, and experienced farmers looking to improve their businesses.
—Josh Volk, Slow Hand Farm
This book will guide you from setting up your farm, to how to make tough business decisions when things aren't going so great, and to scaling up when things take off again. Whether you love spreadsheets or barely tolerate them, you should read The Farmer's Office!
—Dan Brisebois, the Farmer Spreadsheet Academy, host, The Seed Growers Podcast, farmer, Tourne-Sol Co-operative Farm
Every farmer aspiring to sharpen their business management skills should have this book in their toolbox. This latest edition offers a comprehensive overview of what to track, how to use data to make decisions and, most importantly, how to move forward with a minimum of pain and anxiety. All of which is illustrated with updated case studies of real farmers confronting real business challenges and figuring it out.
—Mary L. Peabody, business coach, University of Vermont Extension professor emeritus
This comprehensive guide, filled with detailwwed graphs, spreadsheets, and charts, offers a clear pathway to mastering your finances and truly comprehending your farming enterprise. This isn't just another business book, it's a farming financial masterclass.
—Michael Kilpatrick, farmer, The Farm on Central, educator, Growing Farmers
If you're dreaming of starting a farm, then The Farmer's Office just became your first official "must read." I wish this book had existed thirty years ago when I started farming.
—Forrest Pritchard, NYT bestselling author, Gaining Ground
Julia's second edition is even better than the first. In addition to all its critically important and usable information, and its many new chapters, she's added an easy-to-use guide to help you decide what chapters are most important for where your business is now.
—Dorothy Suput, founder, The Carrot Project
Whenever I encounter a struggling farmer, I send them off to read Julia Shanks's book. This is a must-read for anyone working in agriculture.
—Lennie Larkin, author, Flower Farming For Profit
Farmers of every level of experience will find valuable ideas in this book.
—Ellen Polishuk, Plant to Profit, author, Start Your Farm
Julia Shanks's new edition of The Farmer's Office gives us vital tools that can help new as well as old and experienced farmers survive, evolve, and hopefully thrive!
—Brett Grohsgal, owner/farmer, Even' Star Farm, co-author, The Farmers Market Cookbook
Table of ContentsForeword
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
Section 1: Calculating the Cost of Production
Section 2: Allocating General Production Costs and Enterprise Analysis
Section 3: Marketing and Pricing Strategies
Section 4: Benchmarking
Measuring Success: Keep Your Eye on the Prize
Chapter 9: Stabilizing Your Business
Managing the Hole
Should You Stop or Persevere?
Key Takeaways
Chapter 10: Growing Your Business
Establish Goals
Is "Growth" the Right Strategy?
Deciding How to Grow
Growing Your Team
Marketing
Key Success Factors
Chapter 11: Building Resiliency into Your Business Model
The Process to Pivot
Shifts vs. Pivots
Building Resiliency into Your System
Chapter 12: Cultivating the Entrepreneurial Mindset
The Entrepreneurial Mindset
Getting Comfortable with the Uncomfortable
Money Shame
Mental Models
Time Management
Being the Employer of Choice
Decision-Making
In Summary
Epilogue:
Final Words of Wisdom
Appendix 1: Sample Income Statement Accounts
Appendix 2: Sample Balance Sheet Accounts
Appendix 3: The Business Plan
Appendix 4: Suggested Accounts for Chart of Accounts
Glossary
Endnotes
Index
About the Author
About New Society Publishers
