Best accounting software for farming businesses

Selecting and Implementing an Ag-Specific Accounting Solution

Doing the math on a farm is more complex than in a typical business. And then there is seasonal income, field-by-field expenses, livestock head count, equipment depreciation, grant tracking and diverse tax treatments all calling for an accounting approach designed for agriculture. In this guide, we’ll walk you through what farming companies require from accounting systems, the real-life criteria to  consider and tools for successful adoption so that you can keep your finances in order with confidence.

Why farming financials are different

Agricultural businesses manage with lumpy cash flows influenced by crop year and planting, multi-year asset lives (e.g., perennial crops and breeding stock), and frequent sharp movement in commodity prices. Inventory isn’t just finished goods; it comprises seed, fertilizer, feed and measured-at-various-units livestock. Payroll may consist of both full-time staff, seasonal labor, and contract employees. These complexities cause catch-all accounting solutions to overlook critical profitability and compliance insights.

Core features to look for

• Multi-entity / field level tracking Ability to track revenue and costs by legal entity, farm or field. This provides the means for calculating per-acre profitability and for allocating shared costs.
• Inventory and crop/livestock costing: Site tool to track quantity, unit price, conversion (i.e. bushels vs tons), and cost of goods sold between harvests/production cycles.
• Asset life-cycle tracking: Track the life cycle of tractors, irrigation systems, buildings or perennial plantings in custom depreciations' schedule and maintenance history.
• Seasonal cash-flow forecast: Estimate cash needs though planting, growing and the harvest season to plan operating loans or working capital needs.
• Grant, grant sub, and compliance tracking: Record restricted receipts and calculation of compliance point separately from operating receipt to allow for correct reporting.
• Reconcile bank and capture expenses: Automated reconciliation of banks and receipt capturing help reduce manual data input, resulting in less errors.
• Payroll practice and tax support: Use with different pay schedules, seasonal employees, or contract workers or to create a file for your accountant.
• Mobile and offline capabilities: Field reps need the capability to record expenses, miles, and inventory while on the go, even in remote regions with little or no connectivity.

Selection criteria

Agricultural accounting logic

Select a solution that supports agricultural accounting principles such as unit-based inventories, batch tracking across seasons, and field-based cost centers. If you need to construct hacks or spreadsheets just to perform core farming operations, fit will be terrible.

Reporting and analytics

Find flexible reporting that allows you to display per-field gross margins, cost per unit produced, equipment utilization and year-over-year yield comparisons. Solid visual dashboards that collect seasonal trends can aid in strategic planning.

Integration capabilities

Farms run on a lot of systems: point-of-sale systems for farm stores, grain elevator sales, irrigation controllers and farm management platforms. An accounting system connectable with APIs or common file uploads will minimize double entry and errors.

Scalability and multi-site support

Farms that operate more than one type of enterprise — row crops, orchards, livestock — require consolidated reporting and the capacity to drill down into each business. You could also consolidate family-held or corporate structures.

Ease of use and training

Accounting software ought to be appropriate to the level of ability of farmers. User-friendly workflows and terminology mean less time training and more use across crews.

Data security and backups

Financial records are critical. Select a platform with encrypted storage, role-based access and robust backups to ensure that important data isn’t lost when seasonal workers leave.

Implementation best practices

• Begin with a clean chart of accounts: Create a chart of accounts that distinguishes between operational expenses (seed, fertilizer, feed), overhead (utilities, insurance) and capital expenditures (equipment purchases, land improvements). Use sub- accounts for crops, herds or product categories.
• Selectively migrate old data: Bring in the past 12-24 months of transactional history to allow for trend analysis without making your system sluggish and slow. Archive and store old ledgers for audit purposes.
• Map production units to accounting units: If you measure yields in bushels, tons or head (and really who doesn't?), make sure the setup of your accounting package reflects those units so that calculating cost-of-goods sold is easy.
• Implement discipline around seasonal reconciliations: Reconcile at critical inflection points - such as pre-season, post-harvest and close of the year - to ensure inventory is accurate, prepaid expenses and deferred income have been accurately accounted for.
• Train field crews on mobile workflows: Train your teams to input receipts, timeclock hours and inventory adjustments from the field to get real-time view of activities.
• Consider job costing large operations: Track costs by job (planting, harvesting, fertilizing) to review contractor performance and establish profitability per job.

Bookkeeping practices to cultivate on the farm

• Weekly BACH reconciliations ensuring good cash visibility during busy periods.
• Monthly checking and staging of stock reviews compare physical numbers to book balances.
• Routine quarterly equipment maintenance and depreciation entries to maintain asset values which accurately reflect usage and plans for replacement.
• Analysis of end of the year profit by field or enterprise shows which enterprises merit expansion and where costs need to be managed.

Measuring success

Afterward, use practical KPIs to measure performance of the system: time spent on reconciliations, accuracy in forecasting cash flow, per-acre profit or loss per type and variety of product (not pounds), cost per unit produced and how long it takes to produce tax-ready reports. Positive growth in the earlier metrics means that the accounting is working.

Mistakes to avoid and how.

• Excessive customization: Do not build a complex account structure that is difficult to maintain. Don't overcomplicate the chart of accounts.
• Disregarding training: Misuse of the tool occurs if staff are not on board and trained properly for data input. Invest in brief, seasonal training for roles before the busiest times of year.
• Not integrating: Re-exporting or re-keying adds mistakes. Focus on systems that seamlessly integrate with POS, grain sales and inventory systems.

Conclusion

The best farm accounting software in 2020 is one that puts features like agricultural accounting functionality, field-level access and a smooth mobile workflow front-and-center. Concentrate on systems with unit-based inventory, multi-entity consolidation and adaptable reporting. With a well-organized chart of accounts, regular reconciliations and training for field level employees, farming businesses can utilize financial complexity to help drive decisions that impact the bottom line. Begin by visualizing your core business flows, learning the gaps in your existing bookkeeping and pick a model that makes it easy for you to plan seasons, manage assets, and comply with tax.