Description:
Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection - Wisconsin Farm Center
Financial Counseling
The Wisconsin Farm Center has financial experts who are trained in a wide range of farm-related subject areas. They can provide assistance with feasibility analysis, enterprise analysis, along with restructuring and cash flow projections. These experts can personally assist you and answer your specific questions. They can also provide you with useful resources.
Cash Flow and Enterprise Analysis
The Farm Center's financial analyst can perform a variety of cash flow and enterprise analyses. The analysis can be done as part of a feasibility study, expansion plan, or restructuring plan. The financial analyst can assist farmers in making difficult financial decisions.
Feasibility Analysis
The feasibility study is usually done prior to doing a business plan. It is designed to explore the viability of changes to your current farm business. These changes could include - but are not limited to - expansion, modernization of existing facilities, or changes to one enterprise within the business.
Debt Analysis and Restructuring
A complete cash flow analysis includes an analysis of the debts owed by the farm business. It is important to look at not only the amount of debt owed, but also the term of the debt, interest rates, and repayment amount to get a complete picture of the operations debt structure.
Farm Management Tools
Putting together a top team of professional consultants is critical to today's successful farm business. The Farm Center has a publication, Hiring a Farm Consultant, to help guide the farmer through the process of hiring consultants and an experienced group of volunteer advisors who can assist farmers in many subject areas.
Vocational Careers
For people who have been farmers most of their lives, sometimes the hardest part in the decision to seek an off-farm job is to know what to do after you've made that decision. The Wisconsin Farm Center can help farmers or their family members make a successful transition to off-farm employment. It can help them examine their skills and explore their career options, regardless of whether they're looking to add off-farm income to the farm operation, start a new small business or seek off-farm employment.