For Immediate Release
April 9, 2003

Contact:
Jeanette Warnert
(559) 241-7514
jwarnert@ucop.edu

UC Cooperative Extension offers business tools to farmers facing tough times

Fresno – Business tools are as important to farmers as the tools they use in the field. To help hone farmers' business skills, University of California Cooperative Extension will hold a series of four computer seminars this spring at the UC Center in Fresno, 550 E. Shaw Ave., Fresno.

The meetings will be from 6 to 8 p.m. on four consecutive Tuesdays, April 29 through May 20. Cost for the four sessions is $20 per person or $20 for two people from the same farm. The training takes place in the UC Center President's Room, which is equipped with 36 networked PC computers.

Participants will be trained in computer record keeping for taxes, determining the relative profitability of various operations or inputs, calculating trends for costs and returns, and making production and investment decisions. The first two sessions demonstrate the use of Microsoft Excel, the last two use Intuit QuickBooks.

"Each of these tools will help farmers increase efficiency and profitability in their farming operations," said Mark Freeman, the Fresno County UCCE farm advisor who is coordinating the sessions.

The training seminars also make use UC Cooperative Extension online cost and return studies.

"Since the studies have been used for years by farmers and lenders, many farmers are familiar with them," Freeman said. "We are now converting some of the data tables into spreadsheet format that allows farmers to enter their own data and play 'what if.'"

Each participant will receive a CD with spreadsheet templates and forms.
Following is the seminar schedule:

Tuesday, April 29
Using UC cost and return studies to identify cost savings potentials
Dr. Karen Klonsky, agricultural economist, University of California Davis

Tuesday, May 6
Cash flow budgeting and forecasting made simple
Tim Leach, Senior Vice President, Fresno-Madera Farm Credit

Tuesday, May 13 and
Tuesday, May 20
Record keeping made simple
Ken Awbrey, Certified Public Accountant, Tamiyasu, Smith, Horn and Braun

To enroll, send name or names, farm or business name, address, phone and fax numbers and a check for $20 payable to "UC Regents" to UC Cooperative Extension, 1720 S. Maple Ave., Fresno, CA 93702. Class size is limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration deadline is April 22, 2003.

For more information contact Mark Freeman at (559) 456-7265, mwfreeman@ucdavis.edu