Building Farm Financial Records to Measure Success
This course is an introduction to QuickBooks, designed to provide an overview of the QuickBooks Pro software application. It will cover the basic features, such as sales tax, inventory, invoicing, adjustments, and year-end procedures. Students will gain hands-on experience in the concepts presented, as well as guidance on applying the concepts to their own farm.
PLEASE NOTE: QuickBooks software is NOT included in this course and will need to be purchased separately if you want to use it long-term on your farm. You can participate in this course using the free 30-day trial of the online version of QuickBooks; your instructors will provide instructions to get started with this.
While the course is instructor-led with weekly webinars for 6 weeks out of the year, students will be able to proceed at their own pace through the course material.
Target Audience
All levels: This course is appropriate for people at all levels of farm experience who seek to get started using QuickBooks for their farm business record-keeping. Some understanding of elementary bookkeeping and accounting principles are helpful, and some previous exposure to QuickBooks will make the acquisition of skills much easier but is not essential. If you are actively using QuickBooks and would like to improve your use of the software, this course may be too basic for you. Read through the syllabus below to make sure the topics covered will be useful.
Course Objectives
After competing the 6-week course, including hands-on practice, students will:
- Show proficiency in setting up chart of accounts, item lists, customer lists and vendor lists
- Be able to track income, whether using invoices or not
- Be able to track expenses
- Know what reports can be useful to them to monitor business finances
- Know year-end closing and other year-end procedures
- Know how to backup and restore data files
Webinars and Schedule
The bulk of the course happens on your own time, with discussions, readings, and assignments in Teachable. To add to the experience, webinars will be woven into the interface of the course for 6 weeks each year to allow you to meet on a weekly basis to learn from presenters and ask questions in real time. If you miss one, they are always recorded and posted for later viewing.
Webinars
In 2024, this course will be offered live for 6-weeks on Mondays from 7:00 – 8:00 PM (Eastern) from September 23 – October 28. While we encourage live attendance, so you have the opportunity to engage with presenters and ask questions, all webinars are recorded and posted in the online classroom to watch anytime. Once enrolled in this course, you will retain access to all materials indefinitely, and can return to participate in the live webinars in future offerings of the course if you wish. Join us!
Your Instructor
Steve Hadcock is a Cornell Cooperative Extension Educator with the Capital Area Agricultural and Horticulture Program who works with new and beginning farmers. He provides education on an individual and group basis to those interested in beginning a farm and for those who have been farming for less than 10 years.
Nicole Tommell is the Director of the Cooperative Enterprise Program at the SC Johnson School of Business and The Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management. She also serves as the Executive Secretary and Treasurer of the Northeast Cooperative Council. Previously, Nicole worked in Farm Business Management with the Central NY Dairy, Livestock and Field Crops Team serving producers in an eight-county region within NYS. Nicole and her family run diversified cattle feeding operation in NY.
Student Testimonials
“It was very helpful having the instructors cover basic business management as it relates to the QuickBooks program and not spend the class time showing us how to physically click through the menus on QB. I liked how that was covered in the videos and class time was reserved for discussion and questions.”
“My farm books were a mess. You really got me straightened out and set up with a system that is both manageable and SO useful!”
Course Curriculum
-
StartInstructor Contact
-
PreviewWebinar Schedule and Participant Guide
-
StartPre-Course Survey
-
StartNavigating in Teachable; Getting a Course Completion Certificate; and More
-
PreviewKiva US - 0% Interest Loans up to $15,000
-
StartQuickbooks Desktop vs Quickbooks Online: How Do They Compare?
-
StartScreenshot Tutorials
-
StartGlossary of Bookkeeping Terms
-
StartQuickBooks Resources
-
StartQuickBooks Publications
-
StartQuickbooks Online Free for 30 Days
-
StartFORUM: Water Cooler
-
StartFall 2024 Class Webinars
-
StartWeek One Webinar Link and Recording
-
StartFORUM: Introduce Yourself; Meet Your Peers
-
StartWhy Keep Records? + Record Keeping Tips
-
StartWhat to Consider for Financial Record Keeping
-
StartFORUM What "Takeaways" did you get from video?
-
StartOrientation to QuickBooks Online
-
StartSetting Up a Company File
-
StartChanging Some Company Preferences
-
StartSurvey Your Knowledge - Week 1
-
StartWeek 2 Summary - Accounts and Items
-
StartWeek Two Webinar Link and Recording
-
StartChart of Accounts Examples
-
StartSetting Up Your Chart of Accounts
-
StartSetting Up Sub-Accounts
-
StartCreating a Product or Service
-
StartFORUM: Accounts and Sub-Accounts
-
StartACTIVITY and FORUM: Show us Your Chart of Accounts!
-
StartSurvey Your Knowledge - Week 2