If you're going to run a farm these days, you have to be a business person, a CEO.  Today Mike Gustafson, Chief Operating Officer of Water Street Solutions, continues his conversation with Ken Rahjes from KRVN about what it takes to be a CEO on the farm.

The CEO Farmer - Gustafson AUDIO

Are you farming, or are you managing a multi-million dollar business?  It's likely that the way you answer that question is a good predictor of your success in the future.  Mike Gustafson, Chief Operating Officer of Water Street Solutions talks here with Ken Rahjes from KRVN about what it takes to differentiate yourself as a CEO.  Be the CEO of Your Farm - Gustafson AUDIO

It's a blessing we in agriculture have during this economy....money at the end of the year.  Profit.  So what did you do with it?  From a strategic perspective, some choices are better than others.  This week Darren Frye, President and CEO of Water Street Solutions talks about these choices - including some feedback from farmers - in his Finance First post on www.farmfutures.com.  Read it here.

Whenever you're building a relationship with someone new, trust is a factor - especially if that new person on the farm is a financial or marketing advisor who is going to have access to your financial information.  It's important to pay attention to why an advisor wants your business and their motivations for that, according to Dean Heffta, Director of Development at Water Street Solutions.  Here he visits with Ken Rahjes from KRVN about the issue.  It All Comes Down to Intent - Heffta AUDIO

You may have read a lot about us over the years....and wondered if your business could benefit from our services.  In this interview with Dave Russell from the Brownfield Network, Water Street Solutions' President and CEO Darren Frye talks about the kind of farmer that benefits the most from working with us.  Listen to that interview here.

The fun part of farming for most of us is the outdoors, the production, making each year better than the one before.  Ultimately, where the rubber meets the road has more to do with the numbers on the spread sheet.  Indoors.  On the computer.  This week Darren Frye, President and CEO of Water Street Solutions, talks about two of the most important financial gauges you should be watching indoors so that the outdoor part can continue to be fun.  He writes weekly for www.farmfutures.com and you can read his most recent post here.

We measure all kinds of things on the farm.  We need to be writing a bunch of those down in the farm office.  This week on Finance First on www.farmfutures.com, Darren Frye, President and CEO of Water Street Solutions, talks about what you need to be measuring and why.  Read the post here.

One of the big decisions on the farm is what to pay for cash rent, especially when a certain piece of ground is really sought after.  Dean Heffta, Director of Development talks with Ken Rahjes from KRVN about some of the important considerations that go into this decision.  The Cash Rent Question - Heffta AUDIO

Darren Frye, President and CEO of Water Street Solutions is one of the speakers at the 2012 Farm Futures Business Management Summit.  Frye will talk about the key behaviors that can move farmers toward greater business success.  In an additional session he'll discuss the key business numbers that you should be tracking.  For more information about the conference, click here.

Over the weekend, Darren Frye, President and CEO of Water Street Solutions appeared as a guest analyst on US Farm Report.  Frye discussed what farmers can do to find profit in the market at this point.