Traction has launched a new cloud-based farm accounting application. This first release gives farmers an easy way to manage their day-to-day cash accounting transactions from any connected device including phones and tablets.
Until now, farmers have had to choose between non-farm specific applications or legacy desktop software to manage financial information and overall farm profitability. The challenge is two fold: integration of accounting to field-level analysis and using older, sometimes non-supported software that is challenging to maintain.
With Traction, farmers can invest in their future by capturing all of their financial and field information with one platform. This provides an accurate view of operational performance while using cutting-edge technology that is intuitive and expandable in the future.
Traction’s Basic Accounting enables you to:
Manage an unlimited number of farm entities.
Connect your bank and credit card accounts to synchronize your transactions.
Maintain your cash-based balance sheet and income statement with drill-down analysis.
Use your phone to take pictures of invoices and tag them to transactions.
Perform standard tasks like adding accounts, transaction editing and reconciling bank statements.
Create field names and boundaries and see a map of your farm (Spring 2021).
View profit centers by field and/or crop from your actual expenses and revenue (Spring 2021).
Traction’s Basic Accounting solution is available for $950 per year which includes 2 manager logins. The company is working on field operations and agronomy solutions that will provide seamless integration, available later in 2021.
Additional information and a free 30-day trial can be found at www.tractionag.com.
A national team of food safety researchers is working on a USDA-funded project to help support the produce industry in managing food safety risks.
Growers, packers, buyers, consultants, suppliers, educators, auditors, and regulators involved in the produce industry are being asked to take an anonymous online survey.
In this survey, participants will be asked to rank their top five food safety risk management areas that need improvement in the produce industry.
The survey will provide research data that will be used to guide future resource development specific to food safety and will take about ten minutes.
The first survey question, the informed consent, must be answered yes in order to proceed through the survey. The informed consent will give you more details about the nature of the survey, the handling of any information collected, and contact information should you have questions about this survey.
Anyone involved in the produce industry who is at least 18 years of age may take this survey. Responses will be collected through the end of the year.
Extensions in Utah, Arizona, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and California are participating in an NRCS Conservation Initiative funded by a grant that focuses on surface irrigation.
The questions in this survey are only about surface (a.k.a. flood or gravity) irrigated croplands, including those under furrows, borders, or basins.
Surface irrigated cropland is important in supplying food, feed, and fiber demands in the US, but has received less attention in recent years compared to sprinkler and drip irrigation methods.
Information from this survey will be used to guide researchers, extension specialists, and county agents and advisors at land-grant universities in designing and developing their future educational and outreach projects to better serve farmers on water management in flood irrigation systems.
This survey does NOT ask or record any private or personal identifier information. NO individual response will be shared and responses will remain anonymous. Summaries of all responses will be shared through extension events and outreach venues, such as university field days, workshops, social media, crop schools, and various other events.
The survey is 21 questions in length and will take an estimated 15 minutes to complete and can be discontinued at any time.
A CDC advisory committee has designated food and agriculture workers as frontline essential workers. Part of Phase 1b that includes first responders, educators and grocery store employees, this group should be next in line for COVID-19 vaccinations.
Kicked off Dec. 14, phase 1a included frontline health care workers and nursing home residents.
Weather service continues to grow nationwide in agriculture and other industries
One of the nation’s premiere agricultural weather services is celebrating 25 years in 2021 as the founders continue to provide accurate and detailed weather information to clients around the nation in a variety of industries.
AWIS was founded in 1996 as the Agricultural Weather Information Service after the National Weather Service (NWS) began to downsize and decrease its emphasis on agricultural forecasting. Rodger Getz, Stephen Adams, and Karl Harker were all NWS meteorologists who felt the need to provide weather forecasting for farmers and ranchers in the southeast was important enough to start their own business.
“Originally being part of the weather service, we focused on the southeast – Alabama, Florida and Georgia,” said Harker, who is Vice President for Operations. “We basically expanded our services to the rest of the United States and even worldwide.”
Over the years, as the company began to grow into other areas and industries, the name became AWIS, but the team remains the same dedicated group of meteorologists who take pride in being able to help their clients protect their businesses with accurate forecasting. Despite expanding into areas such as construction and energy, AWIS is still very much focused on agriculture.
“It’s what we founded our company on, so it is still a critical part of our business,” Harker said, noting that AWIS specializes in freeze/frost forecasting for citrus, fruit, vegetables, nursery crops, and other cold sensitive crops. “It’s not just having a forecast of whether it’s going to freeze or not,” he added.
AWIS has one of the most extensive databases in the weather business, housing hourly and daily observations from over 15,000 locations around the world, some dating back to the early 1900s. This data is used to provide Normals, Departure from Normals, as well as climatological trends which assist in improving forecasts.
“This database is used in historical reports after significant weather events that result in insurance claims and construction delays,” said Tim Risner, AWIS VP for Advanced Technology. “We provide quality-controlled weather observations as well as producing real-time forecasts.”
The AWIS Ag Weather Subscription Service is designed to provide comprehensive weather information geared towards all aspects of agriculture, including field crops, livestock and irrigation management.
To celebrate 25 years, AWIS is offering a free one-time consultation for an upcoming weather event in 2021, as well as a 7-day free trial subscription to the Ag Weather Service. Contact through the website awis.com and type 25 YEARS in the message box.
In a press release, Soiltech Wireless Inc. announced that they collaborated with AT&T in a case study for their wireless moisture sensor.
Powered by existing cellular towers and proprietary software, the Soiltech wireless moisture sensor provides information that growers need to manage operations without difficult setup or extra equipment.
Data from the sensor can be viewed and tracked on the web or in the company’s mobile app.
The case study shows potential to save a whopping 500 million gallons of water and 250,000 gallons of gasoline across 10,000 acres of farmland.
The agriculture industry has a long history of giving generously and fostering brighter futures in its local communities.
BY LYNN GROOMS / PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF WALTHER FARMS
While tragic in its scope, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted countless instances of caring and generosity. Individuals, companies and organizations in agriculture are no exception. They have partnered with food banks, youth programs and more to help people in their local communities and beyond.
Walther Farms is one example of the numerous agricultural businesses that have given generously. More than a decade ago, the farm, based in Three Rivers, Michigan, began packing backpacks for local schoolchildren in need. The kids could take those backpacks home and have plenty of nutritious food to eat over the weekends. Today, Walther Farms provides 800 backpacks every week to children in Michigan’s St. Joseph County.
“We’re fortunate to be blessed with an abundance of good crops, and we want to take care of the people in communities where we live and work,” says Julie Robinson, team-services administrator for Walther Farms.
The potato-producing company has 300 full-time employees in 14 locations in 11 states. And Walther Farms commits a percentage of its sales every year for donations to community organizations.
When Walther Farms team members learned about the significant need in North Carolina, they sent 40,000 pounds of potatoes to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina. The area has suffered the past few years from underemployment and unemployment. That’s only been compounded by the pandemic. As a community partner of this food bank, Syngenta provides year-round support.
Another example is an effort to help homeless and low-income families in Guilford County, North Carolina. With its Crop Protection headquarters in the county’s largest city, Syngenta, along with other community volunteers, works with the Greensboro Urban Ministry to provide overnight shelter, meals, groceries and a variety of emergency services to these families. Over the past few months during the COVID-19 crisis, Syngenta has donated $25,000 to the ministry’s food bank and more than $50,000 to other food banks across the country.
With an eye toward a more hopeful future, Syngenta and industry partners have also been giving back to help the next generation of ag leaders. Syngenta and Nutrien Ag Solutions, Inc., for example, worked together to help members of the Caribou High School FFA in Maine plant and manage test plots. And at a field day and cookout in August, both companies made $5-per-person donations that will be used to support local FFA students.
“We rounded up the donations and gave $2,000 to the FFA chapter,” says Jonathan Stevens, who represents Syngenta in Maine.
These are just a few examples of how agriculture is dedicated to caring for people in need and making its communities stronger now and in the future.
Transferring farm ownership from one generation to the next can be a challenging but rewarding process.
BY JEFF JONES / PHOTOGRAPHY BY TODD STONE
Keeping a farm in the family is often a strongly felt responsibility and an essential goal that’s wholly possible to reach. For two growers whose geographies and circumstances vary greatly, generational succession was a success because of methodical planning and tempered decision-making.
Playing the Long Game
Glenn Heard has been on both sides of the farm succession equation. He gradually took over his father’s farm in Brinson, Georgia — a 16,000-acre operation where cotton, peanuts, various grains, sweet corn and carrots are grown — and now looks to pass it on to his son.
“We did it differently than most farm families,” Heard says. “I started my own farm in 1980 as a separate operation and shared equipment with my father. My operation got bigger over time after I acquired land from outside farms as well as from my father as he transitioned out of the business. By 1995, I was able to take over his farm completely.”
He kept the long path to succession orderly by hiring dependable farm managers to oversee the respective operations of father and son. Heard is now grooming his son to take over in much the same way, getting him started on his own farm and sharing equipment. Plans and fortunes may change; but with a measured, long-term process in place, they will be able to face unforeseen challenges more easily.
When Succession Is a Surprise
In sharp contrast, Kory Hagen, who runs a 1,000-acre corn farm in Cylinder, Iowa, had succession abruptly thrust upon him in his early 20s, when his father suffered a stroke. The elder Hagen had to relinquish primary management of the farm as a result. Luckily, the younger Hagen had shown a knack for farming early on and worked the fields side by side with his father from a young age.
Even in the midst of running a successful excavation and trucking businesses that he founded, Hagen hit the ground running and found ways to modernize the operation his father had started. He decided to focus on no-till farming, a decision that ultimately benefits the environment.
“We used to run a more old-fashioned farm, operating five different tractors and two older combines for beans, ripping up everything, and cultivating twice,” Hagen says. “It was a tough transition, but I decided to go the strip-till route. That eliminated the need to buy a ripper, cultivator and additional tractor. We could just lease one new tractor and use it to farm 1,000 acres.”
After a few growing pains, Hagen learned to run his father’s farm more efficiently and sustainably with a five-man team. Today, as a 28-year-old owner, he makes most of the decisions but also has a small team of advisers, including a banker who juggles marketing duties, and an accountant, whom Hagen has known since eighth grade.
“It was hard going from farming with my dad to being 100% on my own,” Hagen says. “If anything failed, it was nobody’s fault but mine, which was the biggest challenge. But I’ll always farm, no matter what. It’s very peaceful; and once it’s in your blood, it’s there for life.”
Unexpected Approaches
Some farmers approaching retirement age may not be willing to give up the reins just yet. For those who wish to continue to take an active role after relinquishing some control, there are two options that could be ideal, according to Danny Klinefelter, Ph.D., retired professor of agricultural economics at Texas A&M University.
“Collaborative farming is becoming more common,” he says. “Let’s say you excel at crop production, and another nearby farm has a better grasp on marketing. By joining forces, you can share responsibilities and focus on respective strengths. You may also get access to better equipment and increase your collective buying power.”
Farm mergers provide a similar option to collaborative farming; but instead of running things as equals, a smaller farm can be annexed into a larger operation, retaining a considerable stake in ownership in the process.
“Farms continue to grow and consolidate at a rapid pace,” Klinefelter explains. “Many smaller farms don’t have the resources to grow that fast, but owners want their kids to have a chance at a future by any means necessary. Merging with a larger operation can set the next generation up for success and give the family a continued role in running things.”
The Big Picture
For growers like Heard and Hagen, it’s a common dream to one day pass on their farms to someone in the family, keeping generational success alive for decades to come. It’s not always easy and, according to research from the University of Missouri, not as likely to succeed as turning over the business to an outside party. Only 30% of farms succeed when passed on to a family member, compared with a 70% success rate when farms are transferred to an external party.
Farmers improve their odds with careful planning that includes the next farm leaders. The parties must navigate local and state tax structures, transfer fixed capital assets and land, plot out retirement strategies, and have difficult business conversations.
Lynn Sandlin, business intelligence manager for Syngenta, urges anyone broaching the subject of farm succession to step back and think about what this complex process entails.
“A farm is more than just an enterprise — it’s a way of life,” he explains. “Elder farmers think of it not just as a business with land and equipment, but also as a legacy they’re leaving behind for children, grandchildren and so on.”
When considering all this, it’s no wonder that passing a farm into the hands of family members is such a difficult task. But with the right mindset and strategy, the promise of generational farm succession — whether complete or partial — is possible.
John Deere (NYSE: DE) and top country artists Dustin Lynch, Maddie & Tae, Mickey Guyton, Travis Denning and Tyler Farr are coming together to raise money for farmers in need. On December 9, these musicians will be performing at The Farm Must Go On by John Deere virtual benefit concert. Beginning today, fans can join John Deere in its support for Farm Rescue with the chance to win exclusive virtual meet and greets with the performing artists.
To enter, fans can show support by donating a minimum of $10 here.
Contestants may enter up to 10 times to win a one-on-one virtual meet and greet with one of The Farm Must Go On by John Deere performing artists.
Upon entering, contestants select which artist they would like to meet.
Winners will be randomly selected and contacted via email following the concert to be notified of the exact time and provided access details.
See full contest rules for more information.*
All donations raised through the virtual meet and greet will support Farm Rescue, a nonprofit partner that helps farmer families suffering from illness, injury, or natural disaster to plant, hay or harvest their crop. To learn more about the concert visit TheFarmMustGoOn.com.
ABOUT THE FARM MUST GO ON BY JOHN DEERE
John Deere is committed to ensuring all farmers have access to the vital resources they need to leap forward and sustain their farms for generations to come. Farm Rescue is a nonprofit organization, that helps farmers and ranchers overcome adversities and continue their farming and ranching operations. John Deere is the official equipment partner of Farm Rescue. Working together with its dealers, John Deere provides Farm Rescue with free access to its latest machines and technologies so that Farm Rescue’s work can continue and grow.
The Farm Must Go On by John Deere will live stream on YouTube free of charge on Dec. 9 at 8 p.m. EST. All proceeds from the event will go directly to Farm Rescue to provide its volunteer workforce with meals and lodging, as well as putting fuel in vehicles and machinery to allow them to do what they do best: support those who can never push pause. The concert lineup includes Dustin Lynch, Maddie & Tae, Mickey Guyton, Travis Denning and Tyler Farr and fans will have a chance to enter to win a live, one-on-one meet and greet with one of the artists.
ABOUT THE SWEEPSTAKES
*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A purchase will not increase your chances of winning. Sweepstakes begins at 12:00 PM ET on 11/16/20 and ends at 11:59:59 PM ET on 12/9/20. Open only to legal residents of the 50 US/DC/PR, 18+ years of age. Minors must have parental consent.Click Here for Official Rules, including how to enter, free method of entry instructions, odds, prize details and restrictions. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: Deere & Company World Headquarters, One John Deere Place, Moline, IL 61265. John Deere employees are not eligible to win.
As of November 8, $9.5 billion of the $14 billion allocated for CFAP 2.0 has been awarded. With the December 11 deadline approaching and funds running low, onion growers are encouraged to sign up immediately to ensure they are considered for relief.
Application Deadline is December 11 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds farmers and ranchers that the deadline to apply for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2) is Dec. 11, 2020. This program provides direct relief to producers who continue to face market disruptions and associated costs because of COVID-19.
“Producers have one more month to get their applications in for this important relief program,” said Richard Fordyce, Farm Service Agency administrator. “Applying is simple and our staff is available to assist every step of the way.”
CFAP 2 will provide up to $14 billion to eligible producers of certain row crops, livestock, dairy, specialty crops, aquaculture and more. All eligible commodities, payment rates and calculations can be found on farmers.gov/cfap. CFAP 2 is a separate program from the first iteration of the program (CFAP 1) and interested producers must complete a new application to be eligible for payment for CFAP 2.
Customers seeking one-on-one support with the CFAP 2 application process can call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer general assistance. This is a recommended first step before a producer engages the team at the FSA county office.
Application Options Producers have several options for applying to the CFAP 2 program by the Dec. 11 deadline:
Using an online portal at gov/cfap. This allows producers with secure USDA login credentials, known as eAuthentication, to certify eligible commodities online, digitally sign applications and submit directly to the local USDA Service Center.
Completing the application form using our CFAP 2 Application Generator and Payment Calculator found at gov/cfap. This Excel workbook allows customers to input information specific to their operation to determine estimated payments and populate the application form, which can be printed, then signed and submitted to their local USDA Service Center.
Downloading the AD-3117 application form from gov/cfap and manually completing the form to submit to the local USDA Service Center by mail, electronically, or by hand delivery to an office drop box. In some limited cases, the office may be open for in-person business by appointment. Visit farmers.gov/coronavirus/service-center-status to check the status of your local office.
USDA Service Centers can also work with producers to complete and securely transmit digitally-signed applications through two commercially available tools: Box and OneSpan. Producers who are interested in digitally signing their applications should notify their local FSA office when calling to discuss the CFAP 2 application process. You can learn more about these solutions at farmers.gov/mydocs.
Producers of commodities with payments based on acreage will use acreage and yield information provided by FSA through the annual acreage reporting process. Producers have the option to complete their application by working directly with their local FSA office or online through the CFAP 2 Application Portal.
All other eligibility forms, such as those related to adjusted gross income and payment information, can be downloaded from farmers.gov/cfap/apply. For existing FSA customers, including those who participated in CFAP 1, these documents are likely already on file.
Both CFAP 1 and CFAP 2 are self-certification programs, which means the applicant certifies the information submitted is correct. FSA will soon begin an important step in the internal controls portion of CFAP 1 by conducting spot checks. Producers have been randomly selected using a statistically sound methodology. These CFAP 1 applicants will be contacted by FSA staff and asked to provide supporting documentation to verify the information certified by the producer on their CFAP 1 application.
As of Nov. 9, FSA has paid more than $9.5 billion with more than 576,000 applications for CFAP 2. This builds upon more than $10.3 billion paid through CFAP 1.
More Information To find the latest information on CFAP 2, visit farmers.gov/cfap or call 877-508-8364.
All USDA Service Centers are open for business, including some that are open to visitors to conduct business in person by appointment only. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or any other Service Center agency should call ahead and schedule an appointment. Service Centers that are open for appointments will pre-screen visitors based on health concerns or recent travel, and visitors must adhere to social distancing guidelines. Visitors are also required to wear a face covering during their appointment. Our program delivery staff will be in the office, and they will be working with our producers in the office, by phone, and using online tools. More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.
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