PORKSHOP.2005:  DON'T LEAVE ANYTHING ON THE TABLE

If you're serious about driving down costs, you won't want to miss PORKSHOP.2005, the only pork conference integrating all phases of information management.

Jointly sponsored by the CPA and consulting firm, Latta, Harris, Hanon & Penningroth L.L.P. and FBS Systems, Inc., PORKSHOP.2005 will be held on Wednesday, June 8^th, in Des Moines, Iowa (one day prior to the World Pork Expo).

This year we'll help you prepare for lean times by starting with the #1 cost—feed.  Dr. Steve Dritz from Kansas State will cover feed cost control case studies and strategies followed by break-out sessions conducted by LHHP and FBS on:

•	Feed, pig flow and financial budgeting
•	Management accounting case studies, proofing and analysis
•	Incorporating traceability, custom formulas, financial and carcass data in closeouts
•	Managing breeding data in a Windows environment
•	Breakthrough technologies for automating data collection and traceability

You'll also have the opportunity to trade ideas with other top owners, managers, accountants, lenders and consultants.

PORKSHOP is truly an elite gathering, but you don't have to be an FBS or LHHP client to benefit from the ideas and interaction… just a commitment to continuous process and management improvement.

For a complete agenda or to register, click here or call 800.437.7638.

Early registration deadline: May 31, 2005.

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The Farm Financial Standards Council (FFSC) is close to achieving a significant milestone in guiding agriculture into accounting practices followed by the rest of the industrialized world.  The format will be a set of published Management Accounting Guidelines similar to the Financial Guidelines for Agricultural Producers, which defined the baseline for general financial analysis for over a decade.

Documenting management (managerial) accounting practices across the production agricultural spectrum is a very ambitious goal, yet the totally-volunteer FFSC has risen to the occasion by developing some very tangible and practical resources.  More remarkably, these definitions, processes and examples have been reached through a consensus by the leading educators, accountants, consultants and accounting software developers serving agriculture.

On March 19^th the FFSC Management Accounting Committee met in Chicago to review the Guidelines draft, discuss treatment of land, government payments, crop insurance costs, revenues and finalize sample reports.  The completed Guidelines will be presented at the FFSC Technical Symposium on August 8-9, 2005.

FBS is incorporating FFSC MA recommendations in all of our e.CLIPSE products and has developed the first software-based case study to be published in the Management Accounting Guidelines.

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That's the number of improvements we make to FBS SeRVware each year based on feedback from users like you.  We'll soon be sending TiMEsavr invoices that cover upgrades and support through June 30, 2006.  Be sure to check yours for the colored coupon, which is good for a $20-$40 discount if redeemed with your payment by June 10, 2005.

Also, if you remit by June 30, '05, you automatically receive a 10% Client Appreciation Program (CAP) credit that can be applied against any new FBS module.  Many of you already have a 20% credit "in the bank," and paying on time will provided 30% off any FBS module (up to $750 savings).

So why not send your payment by June 10^th to take advantage of both opportunities and save the most you can?  If you have questions about CAP and the amount of credit you've accrued, contact your FBS sales representative, phone 800.437.7638 or email sales@fbssystems.com .

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25 YEARS AGO / 25% OFF TRIVIA QUIZ...

We received some very close guesses in last month's FBS 25-Year Trivia quiz, but no winner... yet.  So rather than announcing the answer this month, we'll give everyone another chance for 25% off any FBS module.  Click here for the March, 2005 question.

Now for a more generic question.  Back when we started in 1980, new cars were only $8,000, but disk storage was very expensive–so you had to be a very efficient programmer (remember Y2K?).  Compared to 2005, how many times more costly was a megabyte of disk storage in 1980?  We'll award 25% off any FBS module to the first person submitting an answer supported by real examples from 1980 and 2005.

Send your answers to norm@fbssystems.com.  We'll announce the correct answer and winner and introduce a new 25-year-trivia question next month.

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SOFTWARE Q&A – WITH Q'S FROM YOU, OUR CLIENTS! Send us your questions/problems–be they short, long, simple or downright frustratin'!–about SeRVware and we'll handle them right "on the air" for the benefit of all. Q. I notice a new option under the help in FBS 7.6.  What are FBS Program Files and why do I need that information? a. This option lists the FBS Program Files loaded on your computer with their creation date and a brief description.  This helps you and us when working with our support team.  For example, the problem you encounter may have already been fixed.  We'll compare file dates on your computer with our latest updates.  If a fix is available, you can immediately download it from our website. You can self-diagnosis your problem through the FBS Knowledge Base also on our website.  The FBS Knowledge Base is a database containing all the changes to the Windows versions of the FBS software.  To access it:     1.    Click on the FBS Knowledge Base on the Updates page.     2.    Save the fbschng.exe file to your desktop.     3.    From your desktop, double-click the fbschng.exe icon to install.     4.    Install the program in your FBS program folder (C:\FBSWIN).     5.    A new FBS icon will be created on your desktop.  Rename that icon from "FBS" to "Knowledge Base."     6.    Click on the icon.  It will connect you to the FBS website and open a database with all the changes.  (Be patient, depending on your Internet connection, it may take a minute or two.)     7.    You can search the database by program, version, and/or key words.     8.    If you are having trouble with a particular program, you can check the Knowledgebase to see if the problem has been fixed.  If your TiMEsavr service agreement is current, you can also download program updates from the web site free of charge. This leads to another question... Q. What patches do I need from the Web page? a. We maintain the updated files on our website.  They are organized by the Cumulative Download and by Current Month.  The Cumulative Download has all the file changes since that version was released.  Current Month has the files that we have changed for that month.  We organize the files in this manner so that users who stay current can save time by only downloading the current changes.  A safe "rule of thumb" if you have not downloaded files for over a month, select the Cumulative Download, and then stay current by getting Current Month. Call in your questions (800.437.7638) or e-mail them to support@fbssystems.com. Top of Page CLIENT'S CORNER •   In The News! Two FBS clients were featured in the April 2005 Farm Industry News cover story, The Wireless Farm.  Both demonstrate how to take full advantage of integrated software by linking users together in "real time." The full story is available through this link: http://farmindustrynews.com/mag/farming_wireless_farm/ Gordon and Jeff Smiley, Greensburg, Indiana, also are receiving the Internet via a grid directional antenna on their grain leg.  By using a 360° Omni antenna also on the leg, they are able to relay the Internet signal to all houses and offices on the farm.  Just as important, they can network FBS applications from anywhere (including the feed truck) using Microsoft Terminal Services. •   Welcome New Clients! Road Runner Pecans / David Salopek Farms Ltd Co., Las Cruces, New Mexico. Fortress Accounting, Cresco Iowa Top of Page