"The Cows Pay the Rent!"

Earl and Mary Lou Wolf faced a major business decision: Should they get rid of some cows or hire someone to help with milking? What were costs compared to profit? In times past, the Wolfs might have made the decision based on speculation, a general idea of the cost of hiring help and an estimation of profit from milk sold. Thankfully, those days are gone. For the past 20 years, the Wolfs have used AgManager to provide them with always-current detailed financial data about their operation.

            The Wolf family, including their two sons, farms between 1600 and 1800 acres of corn, beans, some wheat and their own hay. They also milk 125-150 Holsteins and raise heifers, caring for a total of approximately 175 milk cows. At the end of each month, they run a report on AgManager to see how they are doing in each category of their operation (for example, milk sales). They can easily see what percentage of their expenses goes to each category, even breaking down those figures by month or by year. As Mary Lou says, "This is really helpful! You see what it costs you to do business."

            After studying the cost v. income data available on their AgManager program, the Wolfs clearly saw the bottom line: The cows pay the rent! With confidence that the decision was a sound one, based on trustworthy financial data, they hired an employee to do the extra milking.

"I Taught Myself"

            When Mary Lou married Earl 15 years ago, she assumed responsibility for the bookkeeping aspect of their operation. Because she had some accounting background, she was able to sit down at the computer, look at what had been done in years past, and begin to use the AgManager program without any training. For some months, an AgriSolutions consultant came by monthly to go over the federal tax deposit and payroll with her, and he also checked Mary Lou's data in the program. Mary Lou is now able to do it on her own. The only professional help needed is the CPA who prepares the federal tax returns each year. Mary Lou emphasizes the ease of learning and using AgManager, saying, "Anyone with a little computer and bookkeeping knowledge could use it (AgManager)."

"Fun Training Sessions: We Always Learn Something New"

            Along with the fact that the AgManager program is updated yearly to provide more detailed data, Mary Lou is delighted with the annual training seminars. They are "very informative, time well-spent." Mary Lou points out that the last seminar covered not only the computer system but also estate-planning, something that is very important to farmers. The Wolfs attend the training seminars every year and  praise AgriSolutions for the expert seminar speakers who present information on each topic, describing the seminars as "not only informative but also FUN!"

"I LOVE These Two Things"

            Along with being "overall easy to use," Mary Lou is quick to enumerate program features she loves:

            ** Vendor codes: By using the codes, program users do not have to type in the complete name and address of vendors and employees. The user just types in the 4-digit code and the information appears on the screen.

            ** Memorized transactions: This template verifies the correct category for vendors, saving a lot of time that would have been used in searching possible categories and choosing the appropriate one for each entry. The information automatically pops up. This feature is especially helpful if a vendor is used only once a year, for example, and the user forgets which category it goes under. The program remembers the category once it has been typed in. If a particular vendor falls in more than one category, the program displays the two categories to choose from.

            Mary Lou finds these features especially helpful when paying bills and addressing envelopes, and she saves time by doing 20 payment checks at a time.

Don't Forget to Back Up Your Data!

            Mary Lou is careful to back up her data regularly. When lightning struck recently, their phone and computer were both hit. They had to replace the computer but she could easily re-install the AgManager data because she had all the information saved on a back-up disk. Although Mary Lou did not lose any of her data, the Wolfs' son had not backed-up his data and he lost everything, including diagrams of the farm. It's a good reminder to all: Back up data often to avoid loss.                       

If It Ain't Broke....

            Recently Earl checked out a similar system of data management recommended to them by a friend. The Wolfs even attended some lessons to learn how to use the other program, but Mary Lou prefers AgManager and has refused to switch over to another program. For one thing, the categories such as "repair equipment" or "buy dairy" in AgManager are listed by words rather than numbers, which makes the program much easier to use. As Mary Lou explained, "That other system required memorizing the number for each category...!"

            Another reason the Wolfs chose to stay with AgManager is the "wonderful, fantastic support system" available at AgriSolutions when Mary Lou gets stuck. She calls approximately twice a year and her experience is always the same: She gets help immediately and talks with "a pleasant, wonderful person who knows what I am talking about, who walks me through it."