Georgia
Extension Farm Business
Management Advisory Program
|
Comprehensive
Consultation, Business Enterprise Analysis, and Record
Keeping Guidance to help Georgia Farmers Make Sound Management
Decisions for the Future Georgia Extension Farm Business
Management Advisory Program
|
 |
WHAT IS THE GEORGIA
EXTENSION FARM BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ADVISORY PROGRAM?
WHAT CAN I EXPECT
FROM THE PROGRAM?
WHAT IS REQUIRED
OF ME?
HOW DOES THE
PROGRAM BENEFIT GEORGIA AGRICULTURE?
HOW DO I BECOME
A PROGRAM PARTICIPANT?
WHAT
IS THE GEORGIA EXTENSION FARM BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ADVISORY PROGRAM?
The Georgia Extension Farm Business Management Advisory Program
is a joint and cooperative educational effort between The Georgia
Cooperative Extension Service through the Department of Agricultural
and Applied Economics, College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences, of The University of Georgia, and the Georgia Farm Business
Management Association.
The program provides
education and information to help Georgia farmers improve business
management skills. Participants receive accurate data on their
own business, comparative summarized information from other similar
farm businesses, and objective counseling in making management
decisions.
The program helps
farm business managers make better business decisions through:
- Complete and detailed
computerized records.
- Accurate, up-to-date
information from your business for informed decision making.
- Assistance in recording
and comparing costs and returns of various enterprises on your
farm.
- Access to the combined
information of other farm businesses, for the purpose of comparing
both whole-farm business performance, and comparison of the
returns and costs of specific enterprises.
- Assistance from
a trained specialist in analyzing information and farm business
performance.
- Objective counseling
with the specialist in developing priorities, setting goals
and evaluating business management alternatives.
Top
WHAT
CAN I EXPECT FROM THE PROGRAM?
Program participants
receive:
- Assistance in software
selection if suitable financial record-keeping software is not
already in use.
- A chart of accounts
for recording financial data at at least the enterprise level
desired by the University.
- Electronic and
paper forms for recording physical production data (acreages
and quantities produced), and additional non-financial information,
including names and quantities of inputs used, date(s) of application,
machinery usage, irrigation usage and other production practices.
- On-going support
of information gathering and recording, in the form of regularly
scheduled on-farm meetings, supplemented by telephone, letter
and email contact as needed. Contact begins before the beginning
of the production season, and continues through the growing
season until after harvest.
- Familiarization
with the record-keeping methods and requirements of the program,
and assistance in developing a total cost budget for each enterprise
desired.
- Assistance in using
initial budgets as a comparison to actual costs of production
on a progressive basis, through the enterprise production period.
- A final financial
and physical production analysis of each enterprise for which
detailed records have been maintained.
- The program specialist
will provide data from the program to other University professionals,
to facilitate an aggregated analysis of data from program participants,
with proper control of confidentiality.
Top
Program participants
are expected to:
- Supply a personal
computer for their own on-farm use.
- Agree in advance
to degree of enterprise record detail at which they will record
information.
- Maintain regular
contact with the program specialist, during the production season,
to ensure a steady exchange of useful information between the
participant and the program specialist.
- Agree to the publication
of information developed from the aggregation of their individual
data with data from other program participants. Data from any
single farm business will
not be published or distributed.
- Agree to participate
in the project on a multi-year basis.
Top
HOW
DOES THE PROGRAM BENEFIT GEORGIA AGRICULTURE?
- By providing factual
information on Georgia farm businesses, and the production enterprises
within those businesses
- By providing reliable
data for farm business enterprises compiled under normal farm
operating conditions for economic studies of Georgia farms and
production enterprises by Extension, Teaching and Research professionals
of The University of Georgia.
Top
HOW
DO I BECOME A PROGRAM PARTICIPANT?
Farm
business operators interested in participating in the Extension
Farm Business Management Advisory Program through membership in
the Georgia Farm Business Management Association can contact their
County Extension office for additional information. Keith D. Kightlinger,
program specialist, may also be contacted.
Mail:
P.O. Box 1209, Tifton, GA 31793
Phone:
(229) 386-3512
Email:
kkight@arches.uga.edu
Top
Cooperative
Extension Service College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences
The
University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences and Ft. Valley State University, and the U.S. Department
of Agriculture and counties of the state cooperating. The Cooperative
Extension Service offers educational programs, assistance and
materials to all people without regard to race, color, national
origin, age, sex or disability. An equal opportunity / affirmative
action organization committed to a diverse work force. Issued
in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Acts of May 8 and June
30, 1914, The University of Georgia College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences and Fort Valley State University,
and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Cooperating.
|
