FARM MANAGEMENT RECORDS

September 2006

Why keep records?

Record keeping is often seen as a mundane task by farmers and some may say that it is a necessary evil! Despite this perception, records are a vital part of a successful farming business and must be simple and accurate to be of any use. A business with poor or no records can be likened to a ship in the middle of the ocean that has lost the use of its rudder and navigational aids: It does not know where it has been, where it is going, or how long it will take to get there1. The use of timely and accurate records can provide useful information and indications on the past, current and future performance of the business. Without a proper understanding of record keeping and its current and future implications, the farm operator will not make it very far in todays business environment. When used properly, good records can help a farmer to improve his performance, even though it may already be of a high standard.

What are the main types of records?

The main two reasons for keeping accurate records are because of mandatory and management purposes. Mandatory records include those that must be kept for taxation, environmental, workplace health and safety purposes. In this article we will focus on management records. Management records cover the physical and financial components of the business and allow us to analyse past trends and business performance. Figure 1 displays the broad functions of a business and the types of farm records. In some cases management and mandatory records overlap and one set of records can be used for both purposes (eg. chemical records, income & expenses). Accurate management records will help the farm business operator analyse the information and make the necessary adjustments to operate more efficiently, thus increasing profitability. Figure 1 Farm Records Farm Production Farm Resources Grower Inputs Farm Output Resource Inventories Expenses Income Management records can also be used if you decide to borrow money for your farm business operation. The loan officer or bank will often ask to see you financial records including a balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement to determine your repayment capacity.

Whats involved?
Keeping accurate records requires both time and cost in establishment and maintenance. The cost and time involved in keeping records will depend on the recording system you decide to use on your farm.

A manual system is generally less expensive to establish compared to a computerbased system but takes more time to maintain and is more difficult to analyse and interpret. Despite the system you choose to use, it is important to keep these considerations in mind when maintaining records: They must serve a definite purpose Be accurate Be easy to complete Provide information on a timely basis Be easily stored and readily accessible

What farm management records do I need on my farm?

There are three basic types of farm management records, these include: 1) Resource Inventories 2) Production and Operations 3) Income and Expenses 1) Resource Inventories: Farmers use resources such as land, labour, machinery, management and financial capital to produce a product. As part of your records, you must place a value on these resources and maintain current inventories so that you know the foundation from which you operate your business. A resource inventory includes both farm assets and liabilities at a particular point of time. A direct application of a resource inventory is the development of a balance sheet. A balance sheet provides information about the long-term stability and viability of a business and the ability of a business to meet its short-term commitments. It also determines the net worth of the business at a particular point of time and allows the manager to determine how well the business is progressing. 2) Production Records: Production records are used to assess the performance of the crop on your farm during a given season. Production records usually include variety, yield, CCS, soil nutrition, pesticide application, irrigation, crop rotations, machinery operations and labour. Some of this information (yield, CCS & variety) can be obtained from the district block recording system. The remaining information may be collected using a manual method such as the BSES paddock journal or through the use of a computerized program. This can provide valuable information for evaluating the farm performance during a particular year. Farm maps are also a critical part of record keeping and these can be used to describe field layouts, cropping patterns, building locations, drainage, irrigation infrastructure and soil conditions. Farm maps are also useful for Workplace Health and Safety reasons as

they may be used to assist with the employee induction process (eg. identify hazards etc). Another major category of production record keeping is the enterprise labour. By knowing the amount and timing of labour required per operation of an enterprise, you can better plan what options are feasible when faced with labour constraints. Labour input into the business is also required as part of the calculation of farm profitability. 3) Income and Expenses: It is necessary to keep records of all business income and expenses. Income may include payments from crop sales and contract work. Expenses may include chemicals, fuel, fertilizer, interest, etc. Recording this information is necessary for tax purposes but most importantly can be used to provide valuable information to the manager. There are various computer based systems in the market and they are generally very effective and can quickly develop an income statement and cash flow for a given period.

Using records for business management

The most important step is analysing the information collected from the various records. Below is a list of the outputs that can be developed from the above records and how they can be used for management purposes. These outputs include: Resource Inventory Balance Sheet - A balance sheet can indicate the financial condition of a business. It is used to show the business assets, liabilities and owners equity at a particular point of time. This can be used to determine the financial strength of a business and more specifically its liquidity and solvency. Production Records There are various forms of production records and each of these can be analysed to reveal trends in data over time or problem areas that may need to be improved. Some examples of how production records may be used for business management are listed below: Farm Production Review yield, CCS and tonnes sugar per hectare for each year to determine farm trends and performance of varieties, crop classes etc. Labour Input Analyse labour per hectare or the amount of labour used for various operations (cultivation, spraying etc) to analyse the efficiency of your farming operations. This information is also important for future business planning. Variety composition Review variety make-up on a farm and consider factors such as time of harvest, suitability to soil types and environment, tolerance to pest and diseases, number of varieties and percentage of each variety across the farm. Farm Operations Number of operations for plant and ratoon crops and the cost associated with each operation. Income & Expense Records Income Statement: - An income statement provides details of revenue and expenses for a given period. Its purpose is to measure the difference between revenue and expenses and therefore a profit or loss for the business.

 Cash Flow Statement High net farm income and a sound balance sheet does not necessarily mean the business can meet financial obligations. You must know the flow of income and expenses during the accounting period (generally monthly) to determine you ability to pay bills and creditors. This can be used to identify periods where additional funds may be required or surpluses are produced. A cash flow statement also provides a basis for developing a cash flow budget for the farm in a particular year, allowing the manager to plan ahead and investigate different scenarios to determine the effects on business income and expenses. An economic analysis may also be performed using the Farm Economic Analysis Tool (FEAT) developed by the DPI&F FutureCane initiative. FEAT is a computer based program designed specifically for cane farmers and allows grower to undertake a whole of farm economic analysis or to compare the economics of various components of a farming system.

Training in use of farm recording systems

Information on farm recording systems and analysis is available through various training courses. A good starting point for primary producers is to refer to the FarmBis website (www.farmbis.gov.au) or contact their local FarmBis co-ordinator, Ian Durham on 07 47222511. Training subsidies of 50% of the cost of the course are available through FarmBis. FarmBis is a Federal and State government training subsidy program for primary producers and rural land managers.

Further information
Your local accountant, bank manager or extension officer may also be able to provide further information on the types of records required and the most appropriate system for recording the information. They might also be able to put you in contact with an appropriate training organisation. This publication has been developed as part of the DPI&F FutureCane Initiative. For further information please contact Mark Poggio (DPI&F Economist) on 477639907 or Mark.Poggio@dpi.qld.gov.au

References
1. Kay & Edwards, 1994, Farm Management, 3rd edn, Singapore, McGraw-Hill Book Company.

General Journal System Primary Journals Journals are books of original entry, where complete information about a transaction is first

recorded. The journals are used to systematically record all accounting transactions categorized using the chart of accounts before they are entered into the general ledger. There are three primary journals as defined below: Cash Disbursements Journal a chronological record of checks that are written; Cash Receipts Journal a chronological record of all deposits made; General Journal a record of transactions that do not pass through the checkbook including non-cash transactions (e.g. accrual entries and depreciation) and corrections to previous journal entries. In this journal, each page is numbered; columns provide space for a complete date year, month, day; names of accounts debited and credited; posting references; and amount columns for debits and credits. All entries are recorded in chronological order as they occur. This becomes the diary of the business for which it is kept. (See Appendix II & VII) Subsidiary Journals In addition to the primary journals, many organizations use subsidiary journals to break out certain kinds of activity in the primary journals. These include a Payroll Journal that records all payroll-related transactions and an Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable Journal that track income and expense accruals. Source Documents As transactions occur, source documents are prepared as evidence of these transactions. A source document is any prepared form or voucher, such as a check or check stub and/or a numbered invoice for supplies or services. Journal Entries Notice that the debit account is always listed first in each journal entry. (See Appendix VII) The account to be credited is indented. The amounts of the debit and credit line up with the account titles. Any explanation is listed below the last account title. The name of the month, with the year, is entered once and is not repeated until the next page. Only the day number is used unless the month changes.

Posting the General Journal At some point, each amount debited or credited in the journal must be transferred to the general ledger account named in the journal entry. This step is called posting. Posting should be done on a regular basis. (See Appendix III) Posting Procedure Every ledger account must be numbered and each ledger account appears on a separate page with a number that identifies the type of account. Classification Account Number Assets 100 series Liabilities 200 series Net assets 300 series

Revenue 400 series Expenses 500 series Journal to Ledger The steps in posting a journal entry are as follows: (1) Enter, for the account debited, the amount on the debit side of that account (2) Enter the date year, month, and day (3) Enter the journal page number in the Posting Reference (PR) column of the account Repeat the posting procedure for the next account listed in the journal. Continue with each journal entry, posting debits and credits to each of the accounts listed. If the work of posting is interrupted, the bookkeeper will always know exactly where to resume work after the last Posting Reference account number in the journal PR column. Just as debits must equal credits in each journal entry, debits must equal credits when posted to ledger accounts. Cross Referencing It is now possible to tie together quickly the debit and credit for each transaction. Posting references refer to each other the journal entry to the account number, the account to the journal page number. This is called cross-referencing. It makes the work of checking the records much simpler.

Trial Balance When all journalizing and posting have been completed at the end of the fiscal period, generally one-month, the bookkeeper makes a check on the accuracy of that work. A listing is made of all ledger accounts and their balances to ensure that total debits equal total credits. This listing is called a Trial Balance. In preparing a trial balance, the following steps are taken: (1) Find the balance of each account, using pencil. Total all debits and credits; these are written below the last figure on each side. This is called footing the ledger, and the totals are called pencil footings. (2) Subtract the smaller amount from the larger. In pencil, write the balance of the account on the larger side in the item column. Accounts will normally have balances on their increase sides assets are debits, liabilities are credits, net assets are credit, revenue is a credit, and expenses are debits. (3) List all accounts by name in their numerical order. Each account balance is placed in either the first (debit) or second (credit) column. (4) Finally, total each column. If all work is done correctly, the totals should be equal. Once the debits and credits are equal the Trial Balance is in balance. (See Appendix IV.) If the trial balance is out of balance, the following steps should be taken to determine the reasons:

(1) Re-add the columns of the trial balance. (2) Examine each account balance in the Trial Balance, and compare these account balances to the ledger account balances. Perhaps they were carried forward incorrectly, or perhaps an account was omitted, listed twice, or placed in the wrong amount column (reversing a debit or a credit). If the difference between the column totals is evenly divisible by 9, it is likely that a number was transposed. (3) Re-foot the ledger accounts to verify each account balance. (4) If an error is not located at this point, compare each entry in the account with the original debit and credit recorded in the journal entry.

When an error is discovered in the ledger, neatly cross out the incorrect entry and write the correction above it. Never erase amounts or mark through an error in any way that may cause the first figure to be altered. This could cause legal problems in as much as bookkeeping records are legal documents. Errors That the Trial Balance Does Not Reveal Not all errors show up in a trial balance. The following errors do not affect the equality of debits and credit in the ledger: (1) Omitting an entire entry. (2) Posting to an incorrect account a debit to another debit, a credit to another credit. (3) Using an incorrect amount in a journal entry and posting that amount to ledger accounts. (4) Recording a transaction twice. The Six-Column Worksheet (See Appendix V) By the end of the fiscal period, usually monthly, the board of directors and the executive director want the answer to a very important question: Did we overspend so far this fiscal year? To answer that question, a worksheet is prepared. A worksheet is a ruled form of analysis paper with several columns. Because this worksheet is not part of the permanent records, it can be completed in pencil. The steps taken to complete a work sheet are as follows: (1) List all ledger accounts in the account title column and their balances in the first pair of money columns arranged, as they would be in the Trial Balance. (2) Extend the balance of each account to one of the remaining columns by determining whether the account is a balance sheet (Statement of Financial Position) account assets, liabilities, net assets and a debit or a credit, or an income statement (Statement of Activities) account revenue, expenses and a debit or a credit. (3) Total all remaining columns. The difference between the income statement (Statement of Activities) columns and the difference between the balance sheet (Statement of Financial Position) columns should be equal.

(4) Determine whether there was a change net assets. In the income statement (Statement of Activities) column totals, if the credit is greater than the debit, or vice versa, a change in net assets results.

(5) Identify the change in net assets in the Account title column: the amount is entered in the smaller of the two income statement (Statement of Activities) and balance sheet (Statement of Financial Position) columns. Equal totals are then entered in each pair of columns and they are double ruled. Financial Statements Because the work sheet can be completed easily and conveniently in pencil, all errors up to that point probably will have been corrected. Using the worksheet the bookkeeper can now prepare financial statements more formally. These will become part of the organizations permanent records. Balance Sheet (Statement of Financial Position) (See Appendix VI) When all three fundamental elements of bookkeeping - assets, liabilities and net assets are examined together, they appear in a financial statement called the Statement of Financial Position. This statement was formerly known as a Balance Sheet. A Balance Sheet is a financial statement that lists all assets owned and all claims against those assets (liabilities & net assets) as of a certain date. These claims are held by creditors to whom money is owed (liabilities) and by the organization itself (net assets). This financial statement should be prepared at the end of each month as well as at the end of the fiscal year. A 12-month fiscal period may not coincide with the 12 calendar months of the year. For example the federal governments fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30. Income Statement (Statement of Activities) An Income Statement (now referred to as a Statement of Activities) is a report of the revenues, expenses and resulting change in net assets for the current fiscal period/year. It is prepared first using the information in the Income Statement columns of the worksheet. All revenues are listed first and totaled. Expenses are then listed, totaled and subtracted from total revenue. The difference is the same as shown on the worksheet. (See Appendix V & VI) Revenue Expenses = Net Income (Net assets)