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

The primary goal of this QuickBooks Pro 2020 training course is to help farmers and ranchers improve their financial recording-keeping and analysis capabilities, which will allow them to make better management decisions, said DeDe Jones, AgriLife Extension risk management program specialist, Amarillo, who developed the initial curriculum in 2005.

(DeDe Jones, AgriLife Extension risk management program specialist, Amarillo. Photo courtesy of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.)

Jones said while the examples used are tailored for farmers and ranchers, anyone can take this course if they are interested in learning how to use QuickBooks Pro.

The online course fee is $55. The class material and format are very similar to the two-day live classes Jones typically teaches, but the electronic version is broken up 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 section of the course 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 created the course to teach in the Texas Panhandle, but since 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 45 classes have been held with over 625 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. “When COVID-19 hit and my live classes were postponed indefinitely, the online option become even more important.

“I do plan on continuing to teach live workshops, as I enjoy interacting with producers, and I believe the hands-on approach that I use with my traveling computer lab is beneficial to a lot of participants. However, when I can start back up with the live programs is a big question mark. In the meantime, QuickBooks desktop online offers a really good alternative to producers needing to improve their bookkeeping skills.”

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