That’s a wrap; put a bow on your 2025 farm records!
With the holidays over, it’s time to make good on that New Year’s resolution to organize your
farm records. In fact, give yourself the ‘gift’ of your farm records completed, tied up with a
bow!
Get ready – make an appointment with yourself and protect the time it takes to do this.
Whether it’s one long marathon session, or multiple shorter pockets of time, planning
ahead can help you finish on time. Schedule the time and show up for it!
Grab all records and information – bring everything in from the pickup (look under the
seat!), tractor, barn, kitchen table, pockets, and checkbooks. Finding a missed pile of
papers that has to be dealt with after you thought you were finished is frustrating. Take
care of all of them now.
Group like things together – use the Schedule F categories to guide you: Car & Truck
Expense; Chemicals; Conservation Expense; Custom Hire; Feed; Fertilizer & Lime;
Gasoline, Fuel, and Oil; and so on. Manila folders are great for this – label each folder
and put related receipts and papers in them as you sort through them.
Go by date order – this takes time, but will save you time in the future because you can
match receipts with bills and find other paperwork more quickly when it’s all in date
order.
Give the information to those who need it – tax professional, banker, business partners,
etc.
Glean knowledge from the results – look at your financial ratios, identify trends,
strengths, and any areas of concern.
Generate areas of focus and strategies for improving your operation in 2026: what are
one or two things you could start, stop, or continue that would improve your operation?
Glide into 2026 knowing you handled 2025 well and that you’ve got a plan laid for 2026
to be even better!
Need Help?
Check out MU Extension’s Farm Accounting Resources:
Missouri Farm Record Books
Benton County MU Extension Center
100 W. Washington, PO Box 969
Warsaw, MO 65355
Phone 660-438-5012
extension.missouri.edu/benton
Facebook: MU Extension in Benton County
Budgets and spreadsheets
Visit: MU Extension Ag Business & Policy
or contact your local MU Extension office.
Contact:
Amie Breshears — abreshears@missouri.edu
660-619-7994
Follow MU Extension in Benton County on Facebook for more farm business tips.
Dr. Amie Breshears is an MU Extension Specialist in Ag Business serving Missouri’s West-Central Region
and is Missouri’s Statewide Annie’s Projector Coodinator. She and her husband, David, raise beef cattle
near Warsaw, Missouri, with their three sons.
