Running a farm both on the field and in the office are two separate businesses

Running a successful farm takes a lot of hard work both in the fields and in the office.

Leaders at Hebert Grain Ventures tell aginfo.net that farmers should view their operations as separate businesses.

“You run two [businesses],” said Kristjan Hebert. “You run a farm operation, and you run a real estate business. Understand the numbers on both of those. It’s no different than, you know, Walmart sells stuff and they have a building. If you have a hotel, you need it to be full. So, is your farm profitable? Is your real estate operation profitable? Yes, they’re at different rates. Then, how much cash flow does your farm operation have, and how much equity does your real estate operation have? You need to know both of those numbers because your real estate equity allows you to buy land, and your cash flow from your farm allows you to pay for it.”

Hebert says knowing that information will make lending requests a lot smoother.

Related Stories
ASFMRA’s Troy Swee joins us to discuss farmland values, investor activity, rental market trends, and the factors shaping rural real estate markets in today’s agricultural economy.
Texas A&M economist David Anderson says sharp declines in lamb and mutton production are helping support higher prices.
Cover crops may improve soil and reduce input needs over time, but producers should budget carefully before expanding acreage.
Higher ocean freight rates continue adding pressure to U.S. wheat exports despite stronger demand projections.
The report highlighted the role rural development programs play in supporting housing, infrastructure and essential services.
Limited supplies of lean beef continue driving import demand despite historically strong cattle prices.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

The agreement establishes a new system to monitor water deliveries to Texas and sets limits on how far Mexico can fall behind on its treaty obligations.
Unlike facilities focused on merchant ammonia, Meadowlark would convert its on-site ammonia into UAN and sulfur-containing ATS fertilizers used by regional crop producers.
Markets have been slow to respond as crop stress worsens across major winter wheat regions, where quality ratings have fallen to multi-decade lows.
Mike Stranz joins us to discuss farm safety net reforms, NFU’s proposed IMSET program, and the challenges facing family farmers nationwide.