Record Keeping

Good record keeping is an important part of successful farm management. Accurate records are needed to track income and expenses and facilitate farm financial management. Detailed and well-maintained records are likely to be required by lenders, insurance companies, and in some cases to establish eligibility for government programs. Realistic farm business planning and forecasting also rely on the keeping of good farm records.

Learn about farm and ranch accounting and recordkeeping by working through the following online modules, which were developed by the University of Minnesota Center for Farm Financial Management as part of

The following course content is built upon and incorporates course materials from the the Developing Financial Statements & Measures (DFSaM) series developed by the Center for Farm Financial Management with funding provided by USDA-NIFA.