This resource contains reading materials, lectures, and work exercises to help educators and farm business managers review and if necessary modify financial strategies for future business success.

These materials can be used by managers of a farm business as a resource for teaching materials. Using these materials as a the basis for short programs on the topics may be most effective for one-time lectures or short courses. Working in groups is also recommended. Sharing your perspective of this material, having your perspective challenged, and challenging the perspectives of others helps clarify ideas and plans.

Each module contains a PowerPoint presentation with presenter's notes, exercises, readings and tools to use in the classroom to apply the ideas.

How To Use this Resource

Nearly every module linked in the menu at right has a PowerPoint presentation and a written background paper on the topic, as well as exercises.

To download the presentation either click on the link to open the resource and then save it to your computer's hard drive. Or mouse over the link, right-click and select "Save Target As" or "Save Link As" (depending on whether you are using Internet Explorer or Netscape navigator. Select a convenient location on your computer and then click save. Each presentation has a set of presenter's notes to assist in give the presentation to groups.

The readings and exercises are available as documents in pdf format, for which you will need to latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, available at the link below.

Modules Available

Module 1 - Thinking Like a CFO shows how top farm business managers think about their business.

Module 2 - Financial Basics illustrates the basic issues faced in financial analysis of farm profitability.

Module 3 - Measuring Performance teaches how to measure financial performance through calculating ratios and comparing them to benchmarks.

Module 4 - Assessing Performance shows how to accurately calculate income and introduces tools to assess performance.

Module 5 - Debt Service Analysis discusses the question of how much debt can a business repay.

Module 6 - Improving Performance shows where to focus management effort to improve financial performance and introduces a convenient tool to assess the effects.

Module 7 - Farm Size lays out criteria for deciding how large a business needs to be to provide owners with the income they need.

Module 8 - Investment Analysis shows how to investigate the profitability of investment options through net present value analysis.

Module 9 - Value Creation introduces a measure that managers can use to see if their business is really creating value.

Module 10 - Risk and Risk Balance illustrates the importance of protecting against operating risk.

Module 11 - Alternative Financial/Organizational Structures lists the tremendous variety of ways in which a farm business can be financed.