Guides

A plain-English walkthrough of every Schedule F expense line item — what counts, what doesn't, and where farmers most often leave money on the table. 25 categories, zero confusion.

Which method is right for your operation, and how does each one affect what your tax return shows — and what your lender sees? A clear breakdown of the tradeoffs with real ag examples.

Debt Service Coverage Ratio sounds complicated. It isn't. Here's what your DSCR actually means, what lenders are looking for, and how to improve yours before you walk into a loan renewal.

Cash flow is the heartbeat of any ag operation. This guide walks you through the simplest way to track it — income, expenses, and timing — using tools you already have.

Working capital is the financial cushion that keeps your farm running between income events. Here's how to calculate yours, what your lender expects, and practical ways to strengthen it.

Farm income is lumpy. A 12-month cash flow forecast puts that lumpiness on a calendar so you can see thin months coming before they arrive. Step-by-step walkthrough with a worked example for row crop operations.

If you're selling corn at $4.10 and your breakeven is $5.35, you're not making money — you're losing it. Here's how to calculate your actual breakeven price (not the national average), what the 2026 USDA data means for your margins, and how to use your breakeven to make real decisions before the season locks you in.

Most ag operators work hard but fly blind financially. Top producers track five key ratios — one from each area of farm financial health — to see where money leaks, whether debt is healthy, and if the operation is actually building wealth. Here's every ratio, how to calculate it, and what a healthy number looks like.

Expanding your operation? Here's why growth widens the gap between cash out and cash in — and why ag's cash conversion cycle makes it worse than almost any other industry. Real examples from cow-calf expansion, new acreage, seasonal labor, and new market entry — plus the fix list that actually works.

Most farmers know what they spent and what they made at year-end. That's not a forecast — that's a funeral report. Here's how to build a real month-by-month cash flow projection: all seven components, five red flags to watch for, and the practical steps to get it done and use it with your lender.

Input costs front-load every spring while crop revenue arrives months later. Here's why the timing mismatch is structural, how it compounds for expanding operations, and the four practical fixes — 13-week forecast, operating line timing, grain marketing strategy, and prepay math — that keep you out of an April lender crisis.