Dear Friend,

The Ag Software Success Summit has been transformed from "venue" to "virtual."

This year everyone--and we mean everyone--has been forced to adapt to virtual work, worship, visits, and education.  While nothing replaces face-to-face networking, you can't beat the convenience (and safety!) of web meetings.   Therefore, this year--and this year only--the annual FBS/MASA Ag Software Success Summit will be 100% online.  

Looking ahead in this month's FarmSmart:

Ag Software Success Summit Delivers "Distance Learning" to Your Office

Join us on Tuesday, August 25 and Wednesday, August 26 for a virtual training experience with your fellow progressive producers, accountants and consultants.  The 2020 Ag Software Success Summit has been adapted to take advantage of interactive streaming technology to bring world-class financial software experts right to your office.  Here's the tentative schedule:

FBS/MASA 2020 Agricultural Software Success Summit Q&A

Q:  Where/when will this conference be held?
A:   The meeting will be totally online on these dates:

• Monday, August 24th--MASA members and guests only.
• Tuesday, August 25th--General Session begins at 9:00 AM.
• Wednesday, August 26th--Beginner and Advanced Breakout Sessions begin at 8:00 AM.

Q:  Will I be able to watch recordings of the conference?
A:  Yes, anyone who registers for the online conference will have access to full recordings of all sessions.

Q:  Must I be a current FBS user or MASA member to participate?

A:  No; in fact we welcome diversity and synergy from a broad cross section of ag technology users as we focus on universal and timely farm management topics.

Q:  Will I be able to interact with the speakers?

A:   Our goal is to assemble the best experts in an interactive, cost-effective format.  Dick Wittman will be presenting live from his ranch in Idaho, and you'll be able to virtually visit" the farm offices of FBS/MASA users as well as ask questions and make comments.

Q:  What are the registration deadlines?

A:  The "early bird" savings deadline has been moved to August 7th.  

Q:  How do I register?

A:  Click here to register online or call 800.437.7638.

Listen to an "Integrated Ag Software" Podcast

The July 21, 2020 AG EMERGE PODCAST invites you to take a rest from the tractor seat and hop into the office seat for a fresh view of one of your most important resources, your data.

More than ever, as we explore new practices in regenerative agriculture, the importance of accurate, timely, data collection and practices can be critical to the success of an operation. Today we’re discussing what growers are doing to capture costs and get a true picture of what is happening on their farms and ranches through integrated software.

Does your operation have a culture of information accumulation, and do they make it a priority to get it right? Are you looking for more than a 10,000-foot view of the farm? Today we discuss the complexities of building accurate records for decision making in an operation. What does it look like to drill down and examine those costs across enterprises?  Join our conversation as we look at the value of tracking costs and using your data to make informed and critical decisions for your operation with Norm Brown, president of FBS Systems, Inc.

Thank you, Kim Sheese and Ag Solutions Network for the opportunity to discuss the benefits of software integration with your audience.  

Congratulations and thanks to these FBS Software users who serve on the Farm Credit Services of America Board of Directors.

Steve Henry Board Chairman Nevada, Iowa	Henry is an owner and manager of Henry Land II, L.L.C., a family farm business, and an owner and partner in LongView Farms, a farming partnership. He serves on the AgriBank District Farm Credit Council.
Nick Jorgensen Ideal, South Dakota	Jorgensen owns and operates Jorgensen Land and Cattle Partnership with his father, cousin and uncle. The family grows multiple crops, has a registered Angus cow herd and commercial Angus bull operation, and provides guided pheasant hunts.

Q&A: Updated Center Screen
Q.  I updated to Version 11.4 and now the Cost/Profit Center screen looks different from what I am used to.	Sarah Dixon, FBS Support Coordinator
A.  Yes, that's one of the most visible changes you will see with  Version 11.4.  It's also a preview of what to expect with future enhancements to the program!  The good news is that it functions the same even though it looks different.  Instead of the control buttons on the bottom of the screen they're now at the top.  The Change button has been transformed to Edit and the print options are now under the Tasks menu on the top left.  At the time of writing this (7/28/2020) the export option is unavailable, but we are working on getting the export option functioning.