One of the most important factors in running a business is finding a management system that works best for the individual and provides opportunities for feedback on the operation. Farming is no different; however, it can be more difficult to find a software program designed for agricultural operations that has the right features and is easy to adopt. This introduces farmers to software commonly used in farm business management for recordkeeping, bookkeeping, and financial management.

Many features and options are available but understanding a few key terms will help guide the decision. Recordkeeping and bookkeeping are two words that are often used interchangeably; however, they have different meanings.

• Recordkeeping is the process of storing information such as production records, legal documents, and financial records.
• Bookkeeping is the process of recording and organizing financial transactions from those records. Through this process, one keeps track of the daily financial operations.

After storing and recording financial information, it is possible to understand more about the business through financial management. Financial management involves the strategic planning, organizing, and directing of a company’s finances. It helps to determine the financial situation of a company.

Many different programs can assist with recordkeeping, bookkeeping, and financial analysis. The chart provided depicts the key features of software programs commonly used in farm management. This list is not all inclusive of the many options that exist. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System does not recommend or endorse using these options but provides them for illustration of different features and a means of easy comparison. All prices listed are as of January 2025.

Bookkeeping and Recordkeeping Software

QuickBooks

If you search for farm bookkeeping software using a search engine, the first one that usually appears is QuickBooks. QuickBooks is one of the most common programs businesses use for bookkeeping. It is not built to be used for agricultural operations, which tends to make it more complicated for farmers to use. The upside is because it is so common amongst the agricultural community, there is plenty of help available to make it seem less daunting. There are four different QuickBooks packages available for purchase:

• Simple Start: $35 per month
• Essentials: $65 per month
• Plus: $99 per month
• Advanced: $235 per month

Plus is the most purchased software. Each package offers a couple more amenities than the one before it. QuickBooks also offers payroll to be added into the software for an additional monthly cost.

• Payroll Core: +$50 per month
• Payroll Premium: +$85 per month
• Payroll Elite: +$130 per month

While it is not necessarily a production recordkeeping system, it has the capabilities to create production records by tracking the used inventories of fertilizer and chemicals. It is a good program and will get the job done as farm management software; however, because it is not designed for farming, it might be more difficult to set up and navigate for agricultural purposes.

QuickBooks offers a free 30-day trial period to be able to test the software and determine if it would be a good fit for the operation. Learn more about QuickBooks at quickbooks.intuit.com.

PcMars

PcMars is a farm management software designed and built by farmers for farmers. It has all the same applications as QuickBooks with an organizational structure for agricultural use. They charge $75 per year per set of books with the additional costs of addons. The program add-on options are as follows:

• PcMars Plus: +$50 per year per set of books
• Advanced Payroll: +$30 per year per set of books
• Accounts Payable: +$40 per year per set of books
• Accounts Receivable: +$40 per year per set of books

For a small operation with a couple of enterprises, it is relatively inexpensive. With the optional additions of accounts payable and accounts receivable, farmers can also use the program to track bills and invoices and make payments. PcMars Plus allows for field and production tracking. Users can record crop acreage, production, and yield data; they can enter individual field data by farm name, field name, and crop. This program is better suited for the creation of production records. Learn more about PcMars at pcmars.com.

FarmBooks

Another software built for strictly farm use is FarmBooks Farm Accounting Software. This software has the same features as QuickBooks and PcMars. It can create financial management reports for the farmer to help better assess the financial situation of the business. The pricing for this software is slightly different:

• $495 per farm, including the installation and registration of the software and a 1-year license and maintenance.
• $95 annual fee for maintenance after the first year.

This system is designed more as a bookkeeping system rather than a recordkeeping system. For a livestock operation, it has the capabilities to record livestock births, weanings, and deaths. The creation of production records can be achieved through the calculation of the inventories of products used during the production year, such as chemicals and fertilizer. Learn more about FarmBooks at farmbooksaccounting.com.

Traction Ag

Traction Ag is a bookkeeping, financial management, and recordkeeping system all in one. Depending on the package purchased, this program has the capabilities to create financial records and employee tax forms and track inventories. It can also manage accounts payable, manage land agreements, create invoices, and so much more. Following are the three software packages:

• Basic: $950 per year
• Plus: $1,900 per year
• Pro: $3,800 per year

The optional add-ons are listed below:

• Payroll: $750 per year
• Agronomy: $950 per year
• Field App: $350 per year

The Agronomy add-on has a few useful features. It allows farmers to connect to the lab they use for soil research for automated results, although most of the labs this company partners with are based in the Midwest. It can also export fertilizer prescriptions to any fertilizer applicator. This add-on can sync to the Traction Field App. The Field App is supported on any iOS device and allows for better collaboration between users because the data can be accessed from anywhere. Learn more about Traction Ag at tractionag.com.

FarmRaise

FarmRaise is a recordkeeping and bookkeeping software designed to simplify those processes for farmers. Two package options are available: FarmRaise Premium and FarmRaise Premium + Payroll. FarmRaise Premium allows the farmer to manage their income and expenses, track transactions by linking their bank account information and importing transactions directly into the program, create and send invoices, and track inventory. The program will also help to reduce stress come tax time because it can generate a Schedule F and will also create the farm’s balance sheet and income statement to help with future planning. This software will also create invoices and log mileage for those that are in the hauling business.

FarmRaise Premium + Payroll has all the features of FarmRaise Premium plus the additional features of the payroll program. FarmRaise launched their payroll feature in October 2024. It allows unlimited payroll runs for ten employees, employee onboarding, and direct deposits. The user can also import payroll expenses to their transaction history for tracking purposes. Payroll can also help to make tax season easier by automatically creating W2s. It also has an automatic 1099 filing feature and automated tax calculations.

FarmRaise also has an app for mobile devices called FarmRaise Tracks to be accessible anytime and anywhere. You can make an account entry or inventory entry or create an invoice while on the go. The pricing of FarmRaise is as follows:

• FarmRaise Premium: $36 per month
• FarmRaise Premium + Payroll: $90.50 per month

Learn more about FarmRaise at www.farmraise.com.

Financial Management Software

Profit Manager

Ag View Solutions has a financial management program called Profit Manager. Because it is a financial management software, it can calculate the cost-of-production and perform an equipment analysis with a cost per acre breakdown. It also contains a predictive analysis tool, cover crop analysis tool, a budget tracking tool, and a margin target tool. The company is based out of Iowa, so the program is centered around the main crops produced in the Midwest, such as corn, soybeans, and wheat. However, it has the option for farmers to input what crop they produce. This is not bookkeeping software, but rather financial management software to track input and output costs to better analyze profit. It can calculate the costs per acre or per unit of crop harvested. The purpose of this software is to help with better decision-making. Learn more about Profit Manager at www.farmprofitmanager.com.

FINPACK

FINPACK was created by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Farm Financial Management. It is a tool used for business planning, credit analysis, and profitability analysis. It is not a recordkeeping system, but provides the tools to analyze and assess financial numbers provided from the bookkeeping system the farmer uses. Some farm management software can export financial reports directly into FINPACK so it can run an analysis.

This software is good for preparing financials before meeting with a loan officer. Farmers can also use it to assess their financial situation throughout the production year. The price for FINPACK is $149 per calendar year, with the license expiring on December 31 of each year. Users can also purchase 6 months of online training for $300 to learn how to use the software to its full potential. Learn more about FINPACK at finpack.umn.edu.

Conclusion

Finding good farm management software that is going to work for the business is an extremely important step that can contribute to running a successful business. Ultimately, choose the software that will be used on a regular basis and one that those responsible for the activity are comfortable using. That may or may not include software in this article as this is not an all-inclusive list. This is to help farmers begin the evaluation process of finding the right software for their operation.

Jocelynn Budwig, Graduate Research Assistant, and Adam Rabinowitz, Extension Specialist, Associate Professor, Agricultural Economics, Rural Sociology, Auburn University

New May 2025, Choosing the Right Farm Business Management Software, ANR-3145