Plan your business
Farm Business Planning
Make the best decisions for your business by having a clear picture of where you are and where you would like to go...
Business planning, budgets and forecasts
Accurate, detailed and thoughtful business planning is paramount to any and all businesses. For a farm business with tight margins this is even more important. A manager or an owner cannot simply carry on doing what has always been done and not expect to be taken by surprise. A clear perspective of where the business currently stands, where it is going and how it is going to get there is essential.
It is vitally important that any business making investment decisions do so with clarity based on the best possible information and forecasting.
Major grant application processes also require careful business planning and budgeting. At Keedwell & Co we will not proceed with a grant application if we feel that the grant funded project might be detrimental to the agricultural business in question.
5 year plans
Every business should have a 5 year plan in place now, this doesn't have to be overly complex but a successful business needs to know where it is trying to get to! However the key to knowing where you are going is to know where you are right now.
Budgets and Forecasts
Keedwell & Co can produce budgets and forecasts for any farm business. All budgets will be produced using detailed historic data. All forecast of future likely outputs and inputs will be discussed with the farmer/business owner and used to make as accurate a prediction as possible.
By using the best possible information in the forecasts any discrepancies between forecasts any actual results can be quickly challenged and where possible actions taken to challenge these results. This give business decision makers vital information to act on before it's too late. Waiting for your yearly accounts is far too late (two years too late).
Monthly actual results compared with forecasts
Every month we will input your actual income, out goings and check performance against out predicted results for each month..
This will give you a real time overview of your business to allow for aspects of the business to be monitored and managed differently if required (before they become an issue which cannot be fixed.
Cost of production
Cost of production (COP) of any unit produced by your farm should be known by every farmer. If you don't know exactly how much a litre, kilogram or tonne of what you produce costs how can you know what your business needs to achieve to be profitable. It's is not a difficult figure to work out but without being completely comprehensive it simply isn't your COP. The devil is in the detail.
Do you know your true cost of inputs? How much does a heifer cost to rear to calving? How much does it cost to produce a tonne of forage? Too many farmers guess these figures and don't actually know these crucial details. Would you rear heifers if you knew it cost you an average of £500/animal less to buy them over rearing them yourself? Your business is unique and so are your individual cost. At Keedwell & Co we will work with you to give you the true cost to your business. Efficiencies you make can save you money or just give you some free time to spend with your family.