Articles
Farm Management Articles
Research-based information and tools to help with your farm business management decisions
Looking for an expert to advise you on your ag and farm questions? We can help with that.
AgriVision Episode 28 – Do we need LLC for ag bagger?
Host Katie Wantoch and Jerry Clark, Associate Professor and Agriculture Agent with Extension in Chippewa County, discuss the purchase of an ag bagger between a farmer and his neighbor, operating agreements, and managing forage quality.
Strategic Thinking
Strategic Thinking: Using a SWOT Analysis for Personal and Business Growth Stephanie Plaster, Extension Regional Farm Management Educator, will walk through how to assess yourself and your business for strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats and use them to develop strategies to achieve your goals and improve decision-making.
Effective Farm Safety Training Starts with a Purpose
The top strategies include conducting regular educational meetings, promoting open employer-employee communication and acting in ways that create a workplace culture where safety is accepted, valued and viewed as key to business success.
Establishing Your Values and Purpose – Strategic Thinking for the Farm Business
Farmers track and plan for evolving market conditions only to have a something like a global pandemic further disrupt markets and raise concerns of worker safety. Wisconsin farm leaders have adapted, and they continue to make decisions amid increasingly complex circumstances making it necessary to lead from a well-constructed strategy. Most farm leaders stay on […]
Risk and Building Better Business Resiliency
Risk and farming are two sides of the same coin. Like many industries, the farm business lives with and deals with risk daily. Further, the number of risks and their costs are increasing. These increases make the management of risk a vital component for successful long-term profitability. Risk is the probability that some event will cause exposure to […]
Partial Budgeting
Whether on the tractor, in the barn, or at the farm office, farm managers are always mulling over some change to their operation that might improve profitability. It might be employing a new technology, launching a new enterprise, buying or leasing machinery, altering a production practice, or some other possible change. Occasionally, one of those ideas […]
Balance Sheet – Focus on Inventory
As people who live in rural areas, we are all use to the potholes that jar our vehicles and rattle our teeth. Likewise, the financial statements that measure the position and performance of our dairy businesses have potholes too that are sometimes difficult to navigate.
AgriVision Episode 27 – Harvesting high-moisture corn makes sense
Host Katie Wantoch and Ryan Sterry, Professor and Agriculture Agent with Extension in St. Croix County, discuss the pro’s and con’s of harvesting, storing, and feeding high-moisture corn to dairy cattle.
Balance Sheet Structure Details
The Balance Sheet is a financial statement that measures the financial position of the business at a point in time.
Cash and Accrual Income Statement
The income statement is one of the four primary farm business financial statements. Its purpose is to measure profits and financial performance of the farm business.
End of the Year Tax Tips
Now more than ever, it is important to focus on eating together as a family. Research has shown us how important family meals are and there are significant studies that reinforce the benefits of mealtimes together. Discover ideas for starting dinner conversations that nourish the spirit, brain, and health of everyone at the table.
Navigating Lease Agreements for Small Acreage, High Value Crops
Jump to video resource The hardest part about lease negotiations is starting one. There may be lots of questions that both the landowner and farmer have as they navigate through the conversation. According to the Farm Commons article called “A checklist of questions to address in your farmland lease” the best lease between farmer and […]
Many Wisconsin dairy farmers borrow from nontraditional lenders
Historically, Wisconsin dairy farmers have sought and received credit from traditional lenders with local branches such as Farm Credit Associations, Agricultural Credit Associations, commercial banks, or credit unions. Increasingly, however, farmers are turning to alternative sources for their borrowing needs.
AgriVision Episode 26 – Time to sell the cows?
Host Katie Wantoch and Kaitlyn Davis, Extension Agriculture Educator in LaCrosse County, discuss and offer tips for a couple’s plans for selling their cows and retiring from farming.
AgriVision Episode 25 – Golden opportunity? Part 2
Host Katie Wantoch and Ryan Sterry, Professor and Agriculture Agent with Extension in St. Croix County, discuss considerations for renting land from a family member and details that should be included with a written lease agreement.
Good fences still make for good neighbors
In this 2013 podcast, Phil Harris, UW-Extension Farm Law Specialist at UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences discusses livestock owners’ responsibility for fencing.
