Farm analyst program helps Kansas producers make financial decisions

KSRE

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K-State farm analyst reviews what the program can provide for landowners

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State University farm analyst LaVell Winsor is hailing a program in the Department of Agricultural Economics that has a long history of helping farm families review their finances and make a financial plan.

The university’s Farm Analyst program offers one-on-one consultation, using active farmers, ranchers and extension agents who are trained as K-State Research and Extension analysts. The program has provided assistance to more than 1,000 farm families.

“A lot of people will work with us now, when it’s better times financially, and we help them with their budgets to try to figure out how they’re going to manage (long term),” Winsor said.

Some families, she added, work with a farm analyst annually while others only consult with an analyst when they are looking at an expansion, experiencing a financial difficulty, or making a major change.

“We’ll go out to the farm and work with the family for the day, going through all of their finances,” Winsor said. “This is available to farmers across Kansas or anybody who has a land ownership interest in Kansas.”

Analysts use a financial tool called FinPack to build a full financial analysis of the operation. “We can look at alternatives side by side and try to consider every aspect of a change someone might be looking at making,” Winsor said.

A common scenario is exploring land purchases. According to Winsor, analysts can help analyze a land purchase by taking into consideration the loan, property taxes, acres, and the likely revenue and expenses associated with the purchase.

“It is really important that the producers we work with provide us with the best information that they have,” Winsor said. “Then, we can put together something that can be a tool to make decisions.”

To schedule a farm analysis, interested families can call the Kansas Agriculture Mediation Service at 800-321-3276, or visit www.agmanager.info.

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FOR PRINT PUBLICATIONS: Links used in this story
KSU Farm Analyst program, https://agmanager.info/programs/ksu-farm-analyst-program

AgManager website, https://www.agmanager.info/

K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county extension offices, experiment fields, area extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus in Manhattan. For more information, visit www.ksre.ksu.edu. K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Story by:
Shelby Varner
[email protected]

More information:
LaVell Winsor
785-220-5451
[email protected]

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