Producers needing to learn better record-keeping practices no longer have to wait for a training in their area, as the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is now offering a Beginning QuickBooks Online Training for Farmers and Ranchers.

The primary goal of the online version of this training course is to help farmers and ranchers improve their financial recording-keeping and analysis capabilities, which allows them to make better management decisions, said DeDe Jones, AgriLife Extension risk management program specialist, Amarillo, who developed the initial curriculum in 2005.

Jones said she created the course to teach in the Texas Panhandle. However, she has taken her traveling computer lab and expanded the outreach to Austin, Stephenville, San Angelo, Vernon and Midland. These in-person classes are limited to 15 people to allow hands-on training. To date, more than 50 classes have been held with over 650 people trained.

“I get calls from all over Texas and even outside of the state asking for live workshops, and it’s hard to accommodate everyone,” Jones said. “The difference between this class and previous workshops I’ve taught is that QuickBooks seems to be phasing out their desktop program, so this course will focus completely on the online version and will be available to producers all over the U.S.”

Training available online anytime

Jones said while the examples used are tailored for farmers and ranchers, anyone can take this course to learn how to use QuickBooks.

The online course fee is $55. The class material and format are very similar to the live classes Jones typically teaches, but the electronic version is broken into 10 different learning modules with several videos per module. This allows participants to stop and start as needed and work at their own pace. 

Each course section uses real-world examples to focus on core financial practices such as basic accounting principles, understanding forms and registers, creating accurate financial statements, setting up customers and vendors, and using billing, purchasing and inventory management options. Participants will learn to enter transactions into the program and analyze costs and profits.

Jones said she plans to continue to teach live workshops, as she enjoys interacting with producers and believes the hands-on approach used with the traveling computer lab benefits many participants.

“However, QuickBooks Online offers an excellent alternative to producers needing to improve their bookkeeping skills,” she said.