2021 Summer Event Calendar
FBS and MASA will participating in and supporting these "live" events in 2021.

Farm Futures Boot Camp and Summit Return to "Real" Reality
Featuring a presentation by MASA members on "Empowering farmers to integrate their data through a modern, cloud-connected farm accounting platform."
After months of video calls and isolation, live farmer meetings are back, with the 2021 Farm Futures Ag Finance Boot Camp and Business Summit on June 15-17 at the Coralville Marriott Hotel and Conference Center just outside Iowa City, Iowa.
“We are tremendously excited and honored to host one of the first live national farmer conferences of 2021,” says Mike Wilson, Farm Futures executive editor. “By mid-June, grain prices could become even more volatile due to weather uncertainty. We also see farm exports and brisk ethanol sales pushing demand. These are all topics we will discuss and debate at the summit.
Dick Wittman, an Idaho rancher and farm management consultant, will share best ways to professionalize the family farm, a hot topic these days as farms look to pass the business to younger generations.
“Farms with good production and financial footings often fail because they either don't know the basic rules of conducting a professionally managed business, or they know the rules but don't document them and apply them consistently in daily farm operations,” Wittman says.
Summit attendees will take home a clear path for documenting and implementing best management practices for managing a family farm business.
Water Street Solutions CEO, Darren Frye will share how open-book management can benefit farm operations through better employee engagement.
Roger McEowen, Washburn University economist and tax expert, will share his take on potential changes to federal tax laws and how they could impact farm transitions. Both McEowen and Mike Downey, an associate with Farm Financial Strategies, will provide expertise on farm estate planning.
Mid-June may be one of the most crucial times for the grain markets as weather becomes a fundamental factor. Attendees will have access to several market training and outlook sessions. Brian Splitt, a market analyst with AgMarket.Net and a former Marine, will explain how technical analysis works. Also, “This Week in Agribusiness” anchor Max Armstrong will emcee a panel discussion on the markets’ outlook. Other sessions will focus on cloud-based farm accounting, multi-generational family business management, and farm expansion analysis.
Come early for the Ag Finance Boot Camp and learn:
- How to evaluate your farm's financial health
- How to become a more financially forward-focused operation
- How to use financial projections to make smarter decisions
- How to monitor and use costs of production to inform marketing decisions and manage risks
- Why accrual accounting is even more important when times are good
To register go to farmfuturessummit.com or call 800-441-1410 weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Central time. You can also use the online site to make hotel reservations.
Summit and Boot Camp co-sponsored by: |
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Q&A: New Version 11.5 Check Clearing Screen
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Q. The Clear Checks & Deposits screen looks different in Version 11.5. Where do I find the check numbers?
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Sarah Dixon, FBS Support Coordinator
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A. This month I'm going to show you rather than tell you! Click on the screen below to watch a short video.
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