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Writer's pictureGrant Wiese

Capital Changes Impact Decisions

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If you missed it, here is the recording of last week’s webinar:

SW Financial Literacy

Capital Changes Impact Decisions

Disclaimer: I am not a marketer. I am terrible at understanding marketing. I work with a marketer that I trust to help manage my risk and I still swing and miss. This is not a marketing article as I do not give marketing advice.

This is about understanding your position and making smart decisions.

Ignore the negative news and attitudes around ag and focus on your position. There is no one-size-fits-all advice. EVERYONE is situated different financially and has different approaches to manage growth and their own risk.

Let’s update your position as of February 27, 2024.

It was very common for $7.00/bu corn on balance sheets in December ’22. Here is a sample of that balance sheet.

Farmer of 500a with 100,000 bushels of corn valued at $7.00/bu unpriced. Working capital per acre is sitting at $765 WC/a. This is a great position to be in!

What happened next?

Grain was actually delivered and sold for $6.00/bu. I used the $600,000 in crop sales to pay off $52,634 in Accounts Payable, $436,804 in Operating Loans, $6,287 in Outstanding Drafts/Checks, and $12,584 in Accrued interest. There is $91,691 left over which was put into Cash and Equivalents.

See how the Working Capital decreased from $382,514 to $282,514? We are now at $565 WC/a. That is a loss of $200 WC/a and we still won’t update our balance sheet for another 7 months to recognize this!

(Side note, the Current Ratio is now 5.44:1. This is why when Operating Loans are paid off I ignore the Current Ratio and instead look at WC/a. It can be a misleading figure as your WC decreased but the Current Ratio looks better.)

Now it is December ’23, time to update.

Inputs were paid for, the crop was raised and harvested. This is assuming input expenses and yield were exactly the same as ’22. The only difference is commodity price. 100,000 bushels on your balance sheet again, but this time valued at $5.50/a.

WC/a of $465 the Current Ratio is actually below most lending standards of 1.50:1.

Now we are updating your position as of February 27, 2024.

$3.90/bu corn on the balance sheet as the 100,000 haven’t been delivered or marketed. WC/a of $145. This balance sheet now needs help and shouldn’t make any purchases outside of inputs for the upcoming year.

If you were making purchasing decisions based off the Dec ’23 balance sheet you might have been approved for financing. The Feb ’24 balance sheet will get a credit denial.

I want you to be aware of where you stand financially and to be working out of a position of power. Keep updating your numbers to match the market and talk with experts if you need help understanding.

Have a great week!

Grant

All views expressed on this site are my own and do not represent the opinions of any entity whatsoever with which I have been, am now, or will be affiliated. Information provided is authentic to the best of my knowledge, and as such, is prone to errors and the absence of key details. The content of this blog is for entertainment and informative purposes and should not be seen as professional advice to finances or any other field.

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