DESCRIBE ANY UNEXPECTED RESULTS OF THE PROJECT:

As this project began in July of 2013, the project co-director was activated for military service with the Utah National Guard on July 1, 2013. This created an opening in the Farm/Ranch Management Program at Snow College. One month later, the opening was filled with the College's part-time rodeo coach. The next few months of integrating a new instructor into Farm/Ranch Management created a setback for the number of farm one-on-one educational visits that would be made (345 rather than the expected 400--with 345 visits made we averaged 19 visits per month; 400 visits would average 22 visits per month) and the opportunity to have 40 farms with full year-end financial analysis complete at the end of the 2013 fiscal year (23 farms competed an analysis rather than 40). When a personnel change is made, continuity is lost with farmers; it takes a number of one-on-one visits to rebuild a relationship of trust and confidentiality for sharing of financial information. This personnel change also explains the decreased amount of salary, benefits, and travel that has been requested. The new farm management instructor has 25% of her time allocated for for collegiate rodeo team work and the remaining 75% for farm management work. 

As the project concluded in the past few weeks and we look back over the obstacles with personnel changes, we are pleased about the number of participants (42) who achieved most of the project's proposed results. We are projecting that we will have between 34 and 38 producers who will complete a year-end analysis and benchmarking analysis on their 2014 production and fiscal year.

Past project workshop successes are a result of workshop participation and collaboration with other entities (Extension, Farm Bureau, Cattlemans, or other production groups). As we participated with the Utah Farm Bureau Young Farmer and Rancher Annual Conference, an extra benefit in the delivery area was the number of workshop participants from all areas of Utah. This group had a representation of project participants but also zeroed in on the young farmer and rancher audience that was very positive for promoting farm and ranch management education.  

As one-on-one training occurred, we found that many of the producers already had a production record-keeping system in place that they were happy with to record the necessary crop and livestock production data. We didn't need to adopt the production data spreadsheets with these producers, but through discussions with them and review of their data, we generally found ways to fine-tune the data they were keeping.

HOW WOULD YOU IMPROVE THE PROJECT IF YOU WERE TO DO IT AGAIN?

Project improvement would focus on the workshops. We've found through past years' experience that the number of workshop participants is very small (2-6) when Snow College Farm/Ranch Management plans and hosts their own workshop. Workshop efforts would concentrate on more collaboration with extension, financial lenders who can sponsor and provide a lunch for the workshop, and other entities such as Farm Bureau, as we did with this project,  all of which significantly increase participation. 

WHAT WERE THE KEYS TO SUCCESS FOR YOUR PARTICIPANTS?

Producers are unanimous in their comments about the value of the one-on-one visits. Successes in inputting financial data are apparent because it is their own data they are working with, not a "case study" that doesn't relate to them. As the educational visits happen in their home or farm office, all the necessary financial statements, loan papers, assets lists, contracts, etc. are accessible during the educational visit. Through the individual consultations, the participants quickly grasp the concept that they can create their chart of accounts to fit their needs. They also realize that the Farm/Ranch Management instructor is there to help them reach their business goals and that the instructor honors the college's Farm/Ranch Management department's policy of confidentiality.

INDIVIDUAL STORIES / EXAMPLES OF SUCCESS / QUOTES

One farm wife said. "I took my FINPACK Balance sheet, QuickBooks P&L and FINAN to my new lender."  The lender commented, "If all my farm clients had this quality of records their job and my job would be much easier, they would be more successful and I (the bank) would be a more committed partner."  

"It is fun and exciting to able to know where I stand financially on any week or day of the year.  I have never set up a budget and using QuickBooks I can see how easy it is to create a realistic and workable budget and see the actual to budget variances with a few clicks. This is exciting!"

"I especially like the detail that is built into my chart of accounts. It meets my needs as well as my accountants."

In a meeting last week with Utah Department of Agriculture Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner,  the commissioner made it a point to thank Snow College for the Annual Report of Farm/Ranch Management that is compiled and made available. Commissioner LuAnn Adams said, "The report is the best set of financial and production data we have each year of Utah’s production agriculture and agriculture’s contribution to rural economies."

"I am really excited to be able to see all of my income and expenses at the click of a button. It is
neat to be able to see exactly where my money is, how I’m spending it, and to have good records of my livestock and crop sales."

"I am so excited that I have learned how to input all of my records in to QuickBooks. When I started
with this program I was nervous and scared about using the computer for my records. Now I can do most of it by myself and can even run reports to see where I am at."

"At first it was difficult for me to get used to the change from my old accounting software, but now that I have learned this new system it has been really great to have all of my records in one place."