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
Live instruction for the 2021-2022 season has ended, and the next live session will be in late September 2022.
While we encourage live attendance so you have the opportunity to
engage with the presenters and ask questions, all webinars are recorded and
posted in our online classroom for students to watch anytime. Once you
have 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.
Your Instructor
Bonnie Collins is the Sr. Ag Program Team Leader and Farm Business Management resource educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension
of Oneida County, She also operates an
accounting business for nearly 35 years. She holds an MBA in technology
management, a BPS in Accounting, has completed the Cornell Bird Biology
seminars, is a Master Gardner, and has won the National Extension
Association of Family & Consumer Science award for Environmental
Education.
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.
Course Curriculum
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StartInstructor Contact
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PreviewWebinar Schedule and Participant Guide
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StartPre-Course Survey
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PreviewNavigating in Teachable; Getting a Course Completion Certificate; and More
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StartKiva US - 0% Interest Loans up to $15,000
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PreviewQB Desktop vs Online: How Do They Compare?
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StartScreenshot Tutorials
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StartGlossary of Bookkeeping Terms
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StartQuickBooks Resources
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StartQuickBooks Publications
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StartFORUM: Water Cooler
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StartFall 2021 Class Webinars
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StartWeek 1 Webinar Link and Recording
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StartFORUM: Introduce Yourself; Meet Your Peers
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StartWhy Keep Records? + Record Keeping Tips
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StartFORUM What "Takeaways" did you get from video?
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StartSetting Up a Company File
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StartChanging Some Company Preferences
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StartAlternative Method for Using QuickBooks Online
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StartACTIVITY and FORUM: Take a Screenshot of Your Company File
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StartSurvey Your Knowledge - Week 1
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StartWeek 2 Webinar Link and Recording
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StartSetting Up Your Chart of Accounts
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StartSetting Up Sub-Accounts
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StartQB Accounts vs Classes, and Setting Up Classes
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StartCreating Items
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StartFORUM: Accounts and Sub-Accounts
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StartACTIVITY and FORUM: Show us Your Chart of Accounts!
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StartSurvey Your Knowledge - Week 2