You might feel like you're negotiating mostly at the equipment dealership or when you're buying inputs, but negotiating skills are important all the time.  And these are skill sets you can learn to improve.  Dean Heffta talks with KRVN's Ken Rahjes about the important steps in the process.

February 1 2010 Successful Negotiating - Heffta.mp3 (3.68 mb)

For the first time, Water Street Solutions took part in the Top Producer Seminar in Chicago as a sponsor.  We enjoyed visiting with the innovative growers who attended.  Many of the seminars focused on the financial aspects of the business, from evaluating crop insurance options to getting your financial house in order -- even a look at what makes bankers nervous.  In the next few days we'll post more information from the meeting.  You can also find more at www.TopProducer-Online.com.

It's important to financially manage your farm using an accrual method of accounting.  It helps you get a better vision for your financial success or failure out of a cropping season.  That's different than the way you manage financially on a calendar year for tax reporting purposes.  Chip Nellinger finishes his conversation with KRVN's Ken Rahjes about the key parts of a financial analysis.

Jan 25 2010 More About Financial Analysis - Nellinger.mp3 (3.37 mb)

Making your way through agriculture these days is a little like navigating through some town you've never been to before.  If you were suddenly plopped down in the middle of a foreign city, it would be nice to have a good map, or maybe a GPS device that spoke English.  Now that you've found yourself plopped down in the middle of farming, 2010 style, a really good "map" is a financial analysis.  It can help you understand where you are, where you'd like to go, how long that might take, and the best ways of getting there.  Since we're on a travel theme here, I'll let Chip Nellinger and KRVN's Ken Rahjes be your guides for the rest of this discussion.  Click on the link to hear their discussion about the workings of a financial analysis.

Jan 18 2010 Why Do a Financial Analysis - Nellinger.mp3 (1.93 mb)

You've set goals for your business in the past, but maybe that didn't seem to get you where you wanted to go.  Were your goals SMART?  Did you have a BHAG?  There are some pointers to make goal setting work for you, including the incorporation of those two acronyms.  Dean Heffta shares these with KRVN's Ken Rahjes.

Jan 11 2010 Goal Setting Continued - Heffta.mp3 (1.93 mb)

Want to build a successful 2010?  Now's the time to start with some serious goal setting.  Dean Heffta talks with KRVN's Ken Rahjes, outlining a way to go about this.  One of the first steps, he says, is evaluating how things went in 2009.

Jan 4 2010 Goal Setting - Heffta.mp3 (1.50 mb)

There are more opportunities for profit if you just look closely.  Chip Nellinger talks with Tom Steever from the Brownfield Network about the places to look, in this report.

The latest crop insurance newsletter is on its way out to you.  If you'd like a sneak peek, take a look at it here. 

Crop Ins Newsletter January 2010.pdf (1.63 mb)

If you're not currently on our mailing list, and you'd like to receive this publication, click here and send us a note to put your name on the list.  Be sure to include your mailing address.

Have you thought about what to resolve for 2010?  How about making your resolutions something that can improve your farming business?  This week Dean Heffta talks with KRVN's Ken Rahjes about a couple of resolutions that might work well for you.  1)  Controlling What You Can Control  2)  Starting with Succession Planning. 

Dec 28 2009 New Years Resolutions - Heffta.mp3 (1.15 mb)

You may not think about business books helping you to build your farming operation, but there's really no reason that the same principles wouldn't apply.  This week Jason Ladman talks with KRVN's Ken Rahjes about a business book that he's recently finished, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, by John C. Maxwell.  Many of the lessons can make you think about how you're going about your business, and some things you might change about your day to day activities. 

Dec 21 2009 Laws of Leadership on the Farm - Ladman.mp3 (1.39 mb)