By the Numbers

Food is blogger Meredith Bernard's love language.

One of blogger Tiffany Dowell Lashmet's favorite things about being involved in production agriculture is that despite the geographical differences, farm kids are farm kids.

Blogger Jennifer Campbell knows there will be plenty of issues to face in 2019, but she says she's ready for them.

Everything on Jennifer Campbell's Christmas wish list needs to be tax deductible.

Believe it or not, there are 11 "official" hand signals for use on the farm.

With so many "hats" we all wear, life can get overwhelming and suffocating under their shadow.

In his final column, Danny Klinefelter reflects on the past, and shares some final points he wants readers to take seriously.

When most farmers look at their financial ratios, they analyze either their trends over time or relative to benchmarks. But it's also helpful to dig into what is driving their bottom line and to do "what if" analysis to see the impact different changes would have.

For farmers, margins are tight and additional spending is always carefully scrutinized. To remain profitable, farmers need to think about implementing real-time, site-specific business software sooner rather than later.

Ag lenders and Extension services need to immediately begin educating borrowers about finance and the basics of management to help producers survive the downturn in the ag economy.

Extension needs to adopt new delivery methods and model programs after progressive business schools.

Excess federal spending risks overheating inflation the next time around.

If you're not operating with managerial/cost accounting, you need to be.

Too often ag lenders focus on their own risks and forget lending policies can cause major business concerns for borrowers.

Facing another year of negative income? Take proactive steps now to increase your financial health.

After congressional backlash, Farm Credit backed off controversial telecom loans. But will that slow broadband upgrades for rural America?

Re-examine your recruiting and interview practices. You might be reaching out to job seekers instead of proven workers looking for opportunity.

Be aware of the financial strength and commitment of your business partners during periods of stress. Not all contracts are ironclad.