From Receipts to Results: Turn Your Farm Records into Real Financial Insight

Recordkeeping is not glamorous work. For many it can be viewed as a chore rather than a foundational function.  Yet it has a fundamental role as it sits behind every other farm decision.  Recordkeeping is really one of the most important functions in a farm business. 

 Today’s agriculture demands more than strong soil and favorable weather.  Farms operate in complex economic environments, managing costs, navigating commodity price swings, borrowing capital, managing labor and complying with an increasing body of regulatory requirements.  At every turn, decisions must be made.  And good decisions require accurate information. 

By the end of the course, you'll be able to: 

• Set up and organize your books with a system built specifically for farm operations, so you have a simple yet efficient system, always know what to keep, for how long, and why. 

• Understand the difference between cash and accrual accounting and why that distinction matters when it comes time to make real business decisions. 

• Read and interpret your financial statements with confidence, so you can walk into conversations with your accountant, or lender prepared and informed. 

• Bridge the gap between your day-to-day bookkeeping and your accountant's year-end work, understanding how journal entries tie back to your own records. 

• Use your financial data to guide decisions from debt repayment and capital purchases to spotting trends that could shape your operation's future. 

Whether you have just started in the role managing the farm books or are a seasoned bookkeeper, this course gives you the tools to turn raw numbers into meaningful management decisions.

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Janet Nielsen

Janie is a fourth generation Albertan and farmer with a long farm family history in the Red Deer, AB, area, where they live, retiring from their farm career in 2016. 

Utilizing prior tax knowledge along with her farm knowledge, Janie began her career in an accounting office and became the firm specialist for all the farm clients, specializing in farm taxation and farm support programs throughout the years.   

During her years there, she used various software programs, setting up and administrating in-house work in progress software and other accounting software.  Retiring from the accounting position in the fall of 2009, she started consulting full time, setting up and customizing the AgExpert Analyst Software and training producers. She also offered training courses in the fall and winter. She has a wide variety of producers as clients from traditional farming operations including beef, grain, dairy, poultry and potatoes, as well as greenhouse, honey farm and meadery. She is also part of a Canada Wide Network of Group Trainers for Farm Credit Canada.

One of the things Janie learned over the years in accounting was stressing to farm producers the importance of them knowing their numbers, and not leaving it until April to file a tax return. It has been gradual, but most producers are now much better recordkeepers, and continue to look for more management tools.  One of her goals was to get users to that position and to be more in control of their expenses by having reports anytime and utilizing their financial statements for better management decisions.

Heather Broughton

Heather is a respected leader in agricultural business management education, with a passion for helping farm businesses and agri-business leaders thrive through stronger leadership, strategy, and decision-making. As the founder of Bridges to Success Inc., she specializes in creating programs that provide practical skills, foster collaboration, and build lasting confidence for participants navigating the challenges of modern agriculture. 

Heather’s experience includes serving with the Agriculture and Food Council, where she played a key role in advancing agricultural development and innovation initiatives. She also led the Success for Women in Agriculture project, a groundbreaking initiative designed to enhance leadership development, mentorship, and visibility for women in agriculture — a cause she continues to champion. 

Over the course of her career, Heather has worked with producers and industry professionals across Canada, supporting them in building the management capacity needed for long-term business success. She has been instrumental in shaping advanced business management and leadership programs including highly regarded initiatives such as CTEAM and ELLE, bringing world-class concepts into formats that resonate with farm families and agri-business owners alike. 

Heather is known for her ability to design education that goes beyond the classroom — blending expert instruction with peer-to-peer learning and real-world application. Her work emphasizes the importance of bridging knowledge with practice and building networks of support among agricultural leaders. 

As a facilitator, speaker, and program developer, Heather brings energy, clarity, and a deep commitment to strengthening Canada’s agricultural sector. She believes that when farm managers and agri-business leaders invest in their business skills, they not only improve their own operations but also contribute to the resilience, innovation, and sustainability of the entire industry.