Farmer Financial 201 Webinar Series

Join the Farmer Financial 201 Training by Good Roots in February. Sponsored by CAFF. 

Three sessions on Mondays in February—the 9th, 16th, and 23rd from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM, with special consideration for farmers transitioning to organic.

This FREE educational series is worth over $4,000! To register for this series, please email Grace at grace[at]caff.org.

Session 1 – Review Basics, Build Budget from Historical Data, and Monthly Budget (with Sarah Hyde)
Zoom Session 1: Monday, Feb 9, 2026 9 – 12 am PST
Key learning objectives:

• Review the fundamentals of Profit + Loss statements and Chart of Accounts to ensure accurate financial tracking.
• Analyze historical P+L data to build a realistic annual budget and derive monthly budget goals for cash flow management.
• Practice creating a monthly budget model based on historical data through a guided exercise and homework assignment. If you didn’t do this in 101 sessions we’ll spend time on this together!
• Understand the reconciliation process and its importance in maintaining reliable financial records using tools like QuickBooks Online.

Session 2 – Balance Sheet, Opportunity/Debt, Amortization, Cash Flow Forecast (with Lindsey Sorah)
Zoom Session 2: Monday, Feb 16, 2026 9 – 12 am PST
Key learning objectives:

• Build Balance Sheet accounts and a debt schedule to understand debt’s impact on cash flow and net profit.
• Learn to develop a preliminary 13-week cash flow forecast to manage short-term-these were topics we ran out of time in 101 sessions to cover in depth.
• Troubleshoot and correct Balance Sheet errors to ensure accurate representation of farm financial health.
• Learn to create a debt schedule and understand the differences between accrual and cash accounting for debt management.
• Incorporate monthly debt service into a 13-week cash flow forecast to plan for financial obligations.
• Evaluate opportunity versus debt using a Return on Investment (ROI) tool and project loan impacts through an amortization homework exercise.

Session 3 – Key Financial Ratios and Peer Benchmarking (with Sarah Hyde)
Zoom Session 3: Monday, Feb 23, 2026 9 – 12 am PST
Key learning objectives:

• Identify key financial ratios (KPIs) and their role in assessing farm profitability and operational efficiency.
• Compare farm performance to peer benchmarks to understand healthy financial ratios for vegetable farms.
• Develop management strategies using historical data, including sales trends and weekly labor/sales goals, to maintain profitability.
• Establish a financial management routine to transition into a confident farm business owner and project manager.

All sessions include Q&A time. Attendees should plan on 1+ hour per week outside of sessions and office hours to complete homework.