FarmBooks Accounting Software Review

Key Features

Accounts Register and Detail Register

The FarmBooks account register is designed to allow users to view a list of their farm’s earnings and expenditures. It is similar to a typical paper check register with color coded transactions. 

The detail register gives you the ability to toggle between the payee and the detail to filter for a specific transaction. With this feature, you can filter and search for specific transactions by the description, amount, code, date, or other searchable functions. 

Check Writer 

With this feature, you can record and print your paychecks, record and print your checks to vendors, and other checks for expenses. It will then be registered in the farm’s accounts to help monitor your payments overall. You can record checks with the payee and vendor, date, check number and account information for easy tracking. 

Accounts Payable 

Managing a growing list of vendors as a farmer or rancher can be overwhelming. From mechanics to feed vendors, the Accounts Payable feature allows you to track vendor payments and manage any unpaid bills. 

Invoicing and Accounts Receivable

An essential element to any business, but especially a busy and bustling farm business, is an efficient and clean invoicing and accounts receivable function. With this, you can easily generate your estimates and billints, post your payment and deposits, generate all of your statements, track your tax collections and monitor your customer balances. 

Manage Bank Accounts 

Although you can only manage one farm per subscription, you can manage unlimited bank accounts using FarmBooks. Users can also separate farm expenses from personal family living expenses. 

Asset and Liability Tracker

Tracking the cost and market value of your assets is made easy with the asset and liability tracker. You can plan for cash flow requirements, while monitoring the changes to your assets over time. 

Inventory Management

With large herds especially, keeping a very clear and up to date look at your inventory is essential. You can record livestock births, weanings or deaths on a real-time basis. This feature includes two units of measurement, including key dates and weight measurements. 

Enterprise Codes 

Enterprise Codes are used to track farm and personal expenses. With this feature, you can understand when you purchased a new John Deere, for example, and you can append it to a specific enterprise code. This will help you determine which fields or crops are profitable, or those that are needing investment. 

Fixed Asset Management 

FarmBooks accounting software has a fixed asset manager that will allow you to track and measure the cost and value of your assets. It can help understand overall depreciation, calculate the annual value of your equipment, help you create amortization schedules should you wish to purchase equipment with loans, and assist you in planning for better cash flows overall.

Short-comings of FarmBooks Accounting Software

Price of software is per farm

It is important to note that this software is priced at a per-farm level, not a single subscription level. If you have multiple farms, you will need to allocate investment for multiple subscriptions. 

No mobile accounting app available at this time 

This is an unfortunate short-coming of FarmBooks. We believe that all accounting software should have an associated mobile app, and this is a major drawback for this platform. 

Not available for recurring invoices 

This is currently not a feature of FarmBooks, but one that we hope is on the roadmap for the future. 

Lack of modern user experience 

As seen on the website and the software itself, the interface is very outdated. While this will still work for many in this industry, it is important to note that modernity is not part of the overall user experience. 

How to setup and use the FarmBooks Accounting Software

To get started with FarmBooks, you will need to do the following: 

1. Click “Buy Now” on the FarmBooks website, or follow the link here
2. Submit an order form using the contact form on the page from the previous link
3. FarmBooks Support will contact you to request your payment information. You will then be sent an email with your registration information that will unlock the full version of FarmBooks.
4. It is important to note that you must have a Windows operating system to use this software. Anyone using Windows 2000 and prior will not be supported, and for Mac OS, you will need to contact FarmBooks directly to discuss options 
5. Once you receive the email or CD to install the program, you will be led through a simple registration and activation guide.  First, you will need to click on File > New Farm, and the Wizard will guide you through the process of creating a new farm to track all of your income and expenses.
6. You will then be walked through how to add your accounts, inventory management, profit and loss information and more. 
7. There are training videos located online here to review at your leisure. We encourage you to walk through each one so you are familiar with the process. 

This easy seven step process will set you up for success through FarmBooks; however, there are plenty of resources available at your fingertips, like the Support Center here, and also the ability to contact support here.  It is clear that FarmBooks Accounting Software is focused on customer support across the entirety of their program and platform. 

Key benefits of using FarmBooks 

• You can use FarmBooks even without bookkeeping experience

Farmers even without a background in bookkeeping can use this software, which is an excellent benefit of FarmBooks. We are impressed with how easy and straightforward it is to use. 

• Impressive Customer Support services 

FarmBooks offers phone and email support, paid live training sessions, a plethora of online resources, self-help guides and articles on accounting basics. This is helpful for anyone who is trying to teach themselves a new program, or simply uplevel their existing bookkeeping. 

• This works for farmers who are living in rural areas, which is essential to many farmers and ranchers today

Many farmers live in rural areas of the United States, and with that can come low internet activity. As this is locally installed software, FarmBooks does not need an internet connection to run. This means that once your program is installed and set-up, you’re ready to go – no wifi connection or lapse needed.

• This is an ideal program for farmers who blend their farm and personal funds together

We know that many farmers also live on the land, raise their families and prepare properties to be passed down to next generations. From a tax and bookkeeping perspective, this can be challenging as farm and personal funds are inherently mixed together. With FarmBooks, you can blend both farm funds and personal funds using a single checking account. 

• Ideal for small scale farmers, too

While the first year price point of FarmBooks accounting software might be an initial investment, the year over year cost is significantly less. This makes it one of the most recommended farm accounting software options for small scale farmers, as well as large, multi-property farmers alike. 

What are the alternatives to consider

In addition to FarmBooks accounting software, the following are some other options to consider:

Quickbooks

Quickbooks can offer solutions for farmers who work with bookkeepers remotely. While the cost for Quickbooks can range between $30 to $200 per month, it is advised that you hire a bookkeeper to support with the day to day management of this software. There is a free trial option available for 30 days. 

Datatech – The Farmer’s Office

The Farmer’s Office was made for agricultural payroll, HR and accounting. It offers an all in one solution for farmers and ranchers, allowing you to save time with automatic calculations, maintain accurate records, and get a handle on your office workload. This solution is best for farmers with multiple farms, so we recommend this as a solution for large businesses. You will need to contact Datatech – The Farmer’s Office for a custom quote. 

Wave

Wave is an excellent option for those looking for free invoice and vendor management. You can accept online payments, create invoices and track your expenditures all in one place. It has a very user friendly dashboard and gives you a complete picture of your business. Best of all, invoicing and accounting is free, with paid options for payments (on a pay per use basis), mobile receipts and payroll. This is an excellent way to get started and try out a new platform before you potentially utilize some of the paid options. 

Product FAQ  

• Can I get a demo of FarmBooks accounting software? 

Yes! FarmBooks offers a free trial of their software. 

• Can I run FarmBooks on a Mac? 

Yes, although it is important to note that the only way you can do this is if you have the software installed and run in “Windows” mode, as this software works best on Windows.

• Can I email reports to people? 

Yes, you can. You can use the Batch Print options and export in a PDF format. This is important to note especially if you are a single user on a single farm. 

• Do I have to pay annual fees? 

Yes, while there is a one time payment upfront, you will need to pay an annual service or maintenance fee for FarmBooks. 

Conclusion

Overall, we find FarmBooks accounting software as a great option for single farms. It offers very unique features and benefits for farmers and ranchers alike, especially those who are looking for a simple, easy to use option. It is important to note that this is only suitable for single farms, as you would need to purchase individual subscriptions on a per farm basis. 

With this in mind, if you are a large business, you may wish to look at a different program or platform that is more suitable for your operation.  Enjoy the benefits of uniquely customized solutions to keep track of your expenses, your inventory, and ultimately the growth and trajectory of your business.