THE DAWN OF VERSION 7.7

Daylight Savings Time begins today as FBS releases its most automated, integrated software yet-Version 7.7.  Here are the "highlights" of the time-saving technologies that will turn the clock back on your workday.

General Changes

•	Automatically downloads updates from FBS website and displays program file status
•	FarmSeRVer™ subscription-based hosted licensing for all products
•	Drill-down to and edit allocation table from Standard Cost/Vendor Monitor Report
•	Selectively "clone" setup files from other companies
•	Can set main FBS screen background color by company
•	Crop and Feeding e.CLIPSE Inventory Detail Reports includes a "Next Variance" button

TransAction Plus Changes

•	New Contract Module
	•	Updates from TransAction Plus crop purchases and sales
	•	Integrates with Crop Audit Inventory Report (along with actual deliveries)
•	New Macro "Batch" Input—can replicate entries more quickly than standard macro option
•	New Shortcuts and Display Options
	•	Excludes inactive inventory items (feed, drugs, seed, chemicals, fertilizer)
	•	<F8> toggles to macro entry
	•	<F12> pages back to prior entry by Vendor
	•	<Shift> <Tab> (backup) works in Quantity and Weight fields
•	Retained Earnings Calculation
	•	Now includes Market Value level entries
	•	Defaults to Division fiscal month if all divisions set to same fiscal year
•	Cash Flow Budget has new option to build from actual selecting on Cash, Financial, Management and Market entries
•	Accounts Payable
	•	Deleting A/P checks automatically reduces amount paid on original invoices
	•	Reports flag payments before invoice date
	•	Drill-down in Aging Report
	•	Batch-prints checks (helpful with network printer)
	•	A/P Detail, Option 7 flags payments without invoices
•	Accounts Receivable
	•	Deleting A/R invoices automatically reduces amount paid on original invoices
	•	Reports flag payments before invoice date
	•	Flips signs for expense or asset ledger accounts on invoices
•	New User Defined Recap (Vendor, Description, Account, Center, Division) in User Defined Report
•	Balance Sheet
	•	Much faster date cash exchanged reporting
	•	New two column display option
	•	New Executive Report (totals only)
	•	Can build template from chart of accounts
•	Income Statement
	•	Much faster date cash exchanged reporting
	•	New Market Value option
	•	New display columns
	•	Periods selected with total
	•	Cash/Accrual/Management/Market comparison
	•	New Executive Report (totals only)
	•	Can build template from chart of accounts
•	Consolidated Cost Analysis Report
	•	Can combine centers within columns
	•	Can delete definitions
	•	Can drill down to center columns
•	Other TransAction Plus Reports
	•	Much faster date cash exchanged calculation
	•	New page by center option in Center Detail Report
	•	Copy to clipboard hotkeys work with Loan Report
	•	Optional Contract History Report
	•	Optional Farm Financial Standards and Ferguson Ratio Reports
	•	Optional Statement of Cash Flows Report
	•	Optional Operations Report calculates per acre/hour field operations costs

Crop Audit Changes

•	Added Re-entry Hours to Chemical setup
•	New Batch Add Projects routine (see below)
	•	Windows CE field record input
		•	Synchronizes with desktop Crop Audit
		•	Works with standard Pocket PC devices or rugged JETT.ce handheld (available from FBS)
•	xPaper Truck Log/Scale Ticket Import
	•	Imports grain and trucking events into Crop Audit
	•	Converts handwriting into data or imports directly from Excel
•	Crop Audit Reports
	•	Drill down directly to project setup from reports
		•	Crop Inventory Report
			•	Added sales contracts (requires Contract module)
			•	Can select by Project
			•	Flags entries outside Project period
		•	Crop Inputs Inventory Report
			•	Sort by Date puts SCF purchases before applications
			•	Warning if inventory quantity < .1 units and value > $10.00 (resonability test)
			•	Flags entries outside Project period
		•	Crop Matrix Report
			•	Can select by Project
			•	Added Center number and drill-down
		•	Investment in Growing Crops report prints by Commodity
		•	Cost Analysis
			•	Option to filter out movements between production and marketing centers
			•	Option to zero-suppress by section
			•	Option to use production from e.CLIPSE rather than Splits

Smart Feeder Changes

•	USDA Premises ID by Location
•	Drug Withdrawal period
•	Group Setup Screen displays Center #, Location # and Description
•	Feed Budget
	•	Changed "Actual Feed/Head" to "Feed Quantity / Average Inventory"
	•	Resets animal inventory in beginning stage to largest inventory found (increase total budget feed and reduces Actual Feed/Head)
	•	Last Stage Actual Feed/Head = Total Feed/Inventory
	•	Allocates Stage Days by quantity of feed
	•	Overrides first phase based on Weight In
	•	Added Sales Spread to Rate of Gain Table
•	Smart Feeder CE Barn Record input
	•	Synchronizes movements, treatments, deaths with desktop Smart Feeder
	•	Works with standard Pocket PC devices or rugged JETT.ce handheld (available from FBS)
•	PigPEN xPaper Import
	•	Easy and economical system for transferring movements, treatments and deaths from remote locations into Smart Feeder
	•	Converts handwriting into data or imports directly from Excel
•	Packer Interface
	•	Tyson changes
	•	Sold by weight categories
	•	Contract Adjustment account
	•	"Out Hog" Sort account
	•	Sorts detail by check #
	•	Added "Carcass Base" to Hormel
•	Commercial Feed Mill Interface
	•	Added "Feed Office Pro" interface
	•	Added "Alpha FS" interface
	•	Added "Agvision" interface
	•	"Feed Mill Manager" interface maps groups from location setup
•	Smart Feeder Reports
	•	Drill down directly to group setup
	•	Detail Inventory , Ticket/Ration and Drug Usage Reports flag entries out of group period and include "Next Group Error" button
		•	Sort by Date puts feed/drug purchases before applications
		•	Warning if feed inventory quantity <. 1 and value > $10
	•	User-Defined Report
		•	Drill-down flags entries out of group period
		•	Displays Open/Closed Date in drill-down
		•	Option to include groups still open
		•	Option to calculate open group days on feed using report ending date
		•	Option to include internal movements
		•	Option to print weight to two decimal places
		•	New line types
		•	Group description
		•	Prior stage costs
		•	Location animal capacity
		•	Calculate value from two lines or one line and constant
		•	Current Weight (as of exclude date)
		•	Sales Load #1-6
	•	Cost Analysis New Options
		•	Added "WIP % YTD" to NPPC column
		•	Added Display Divisors columns
•	Smart Feeder Planning
	•	Can set beginning of year and number of weeks
	•	Build from actual preserves inventory weight and value
	•	Displays animal unit price in 2 decimal places
	•	Added "Pigs Weaned" budget cost driver
	•	Added "global" market prices
	•	Projected Cost Analysis Inventory Adjustment

Smart Breeder

•	New Input by Sow routine
•	Smart Breeder Planning
	•	Can set beginning of year and number of weeks
	•	Drives gilt additions and matings based on weaned pig targets

Preferences

•	Added Help display
•	New Preferences:
	•	TA+ Invoice Layout by Farm
	•	Hide Pictures Above Menu
	•	TA+ Checks Per Page
	•	TA+ Flip Report Columns
	•	TA+ Protect Amount Paid
	•	SB Planning Start Day
	•	SB Top of Sow Card #1,2
	•	SF Planning Start Day
	•	SFIV Years for Delete
	•	CAIV Years for Delete
	•	Cost Analysis Drill Days

Version 7.7 is will be shipped to VIP TiMEsavr service agreement clients in October, Priority clients in November and Basic clients in December.  If you haven't renewed your TiMEsavr service or are not yet an FBS client, hurry—daylight's burning!

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Congratulations to Stuart Young, Spruce-Eden Farms, Cortland, New York for winning last's month's trivia quiz.  He'll receive 25% off the FBS program of his choosing, plus a USB mug warmer.  The question was, "what was the name of FBS's first "big" seller released in 1981, what did it do and what was the retail price?"

Stuart wrote,

"We first purchased a farm accounting program called "Secretary of Agriculture" somewhere in that time frame.  I can't remember the price but would guess $299.00."

Stuart was "right on the money" regarding the name and purpose of the program; however, the retail price was officially $595.00-695.00 at the time depending on the computer, but we'll give him the benefit of the doubt.  The important thing is that Stuart is still using the "great-grandson" of the Secretary of Agriculture, TransAction Plus.

Secretary of Agriculture eventually became the umbrella over all of our products (including some very snazzy caps, clothing and printout binders as well as software).

The first Secretary of Ag ad below incorporates nearly every cliché ever to appear in a farm computing advertisement…with the exception of one ubiquitous item.  We'll award 25% off the FBS module of your choice plus the USB mug warmer shown beside it to the first person to name the critical missing object and identify the make and model of the new "toy" sitting on the desk.

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. How can I get good information from the loan report in TransAction Plus? a. The Loan Report tracks loan proceeds, principal payments and interest paid by loan.  It's under Reports/Other Reports/Loan Report. To use the Loan Report, you must: • Identify your loans by center, not ledger account. • Record proceeds and principal payments in a liability account. • Record interest payments in an expense account. • Specify the loan and interest accounts in the report parameters (see below). The Loan Report shows these categories of information: • Current loan balances. • All loan payments made during the report period. • A summary of activity by loan. The heading of each page shows the company name, the dates covered by the report, the date the report was run and the page number.  The first section shows liability and interest entries during the specified time period.  The second section recaps the following information by loan center: • Amount borrowed (opening balance for report date) • Principal repaid • Interest paid • Amount outstanding To define a report field to use over and over, click on the Macro button to save the account definitions in this report as a Macro.

Call in your questions (800.437.7638) or e-mail them to support@fbssystems.com.