Here is a Model Chart of Accounts you can use to guide your bookkeeping set up: Chart of Accounts.2020
I have a set of new comprehensive business resilience self-assessment tools all located at a new site: FarmBizTrainer.wordpress.com.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative license.
More on computer programs stuff forwarded from an e-mail I received:
Thanks much. That was a great session. Very helpful.
I promised you info on a Linux-based accounting system. It’s called Gnucash. It’s open source and free. The website is http://www.gnucash.org/. It’s based on double-entry accounting principles and has lots of features. I haven’t checked for anything like the “classes” and “jobs” you mentioned, but I know it handles delayed payment.
As I said, it’s Linux-based, but Linux is increasingly accessible to novice users. I like a package called Simply MEPIS, available at http://www.mepis.org/. Not free, but open source, and much, much cheaper than Windows (as little as $18). Also easy to install (but a bit harder to manage, if you discount the fact that there are no virus attacks!) But there are lots of desktop versions of Linux out there now.
The other program I mentioned is Open Office. This is mostly open source and also free. It is a full-service office program that is pretty much completely compatible with Microsoft Office products (I’ve never had a problem with it, but there are undoubtedly glitches somewhere). Its documents and spreadsheets can be saved as Word and Excel docs, and it easily reads and translates Word and Excel docs. It’s available at http://www.openoffice.org/, and, unlike Gnucash, it can be downloaded in versions for Windows, Mac or Linux.
Hope this is useful. I suspect the folks you work with would be interested in free and almost free software that works. And God only knows why the federal government is still using Microsoft products!
Best,
Michael
Hi Poppy…
I noticed that you are following Farmers Kitchen Cafe. We just formed a corp and have a couple of investors for our gluten/casein free product line. Sooo…I need to keep better books, fast. Any ideas? Can we get you to do it at such a distance?
In case you don’t remember me, our mutual friend is Sunny Shine..
Rose Anne DeCristoforo
Natural Food Works/Farmers Kitchen Cafe
530-756-1862
[…] Farmer and Rancher Resources is an excellent blog site which offers comprehensive resources on Bookkeeping and Other Basics; Cash Flow Budgeting and Managing Debt; Small Farm and Ranch Income Taxes, and more. This blog is […]
[…] Farmer and Rancher Resources is an excellent blog site which offers comprehensive resources on Bookkeeping and Other Basics; Cash Flow Budgeting and Managing Debt; Small Farm and Ranch Income Taxes, and more. This blog is […]
FOUND WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR… FINALLY
Hi Poppy,
Your site was introduced to me by Erica Frenay, the project coordinator of the Cornell Small Farms Program NY Beginning Farmer. I am a farm business community educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County, NY. I have an MBA and have run a small accounting business for the last 25 years.
This Oct. I will be providing an online beginning farmer financial record keeping course. I have taught QuickBooks to many in my community as a convent why of keeping records, however many farmers are still reluctant to using software. The objective of my class is to have participants choose a system they will use, while still receiving some useful information to operated their business. May I have your permission to incorporate, with credit, some of your handouts, and connect participates of the class to your sight? I would certainly like to contribute to you blog if possible.
Thank you,
Bonnie Collins
Farm Business Community Educator
315/736.3394 x104
Of course, you are welcome to use the resources, and if I ever make this into a real blog I will certainly reach out to you for help. Thanks! Poppy
What an insightful read. This has opened my eyes to a whole lot of stuff that I never knew before. Thanks for spending the time to write this up.
We’re a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community. Your website offered us with valuable info to work on. You’ve done an impressive job and
our entire community will be thankful to you.
I am so glad this was helpful to you. Best of luck in your endeavors!