Services & Prices

Risk Management Service
 
The service provided involves an analysis of the farm operation, including financial condition, income goals, comfort level in using different marketing practices and budgets for the coming year. A marketing plan is provided with target goals. Our clients enjoy a very high success ratio in obtaining the targeted income goals.

The service includes an on site visit by someone from Russell Consulting Group. Marketing recommendations are communicated by email or fax to expedite timely communications. Clients have unlimited telephone access back to Russell Consulting Group.

This is not a commodity brokerage service. We do not trade your accounts, and we do not sell insurance. It is a consulting service recommending hedging concepts not speculative practices.

How much can I pay for cash rent?

Darin Kleve, our Associate in Fort Atkinson, Iowa has developed a software program that takes into account the cost of seed, fertilizer and chemicals in your cash rent leases. This is the newest, cutting edge technology we have seen in the market for tenants and landowners to help them get what they want. Call Darin at 563-419-2948.

Planning Made Simple and Easy

Having an organized planning process at the farm level is not common and in the past when some of the most innovative farms have tried the process they have found it does not accomplish desired results. If it was productive it would be worth it, but in most cases the plan is not used as a management tool. It is generally not reviewed periodically, updated and changed to met the needs of the farm.

We have found planning can help transform organizations to what they want to be if it is simple and useful.  To do that, the plan needs to be a working document, reviewed at least quarterly and used by the owners and managers to make their job easier and more fun.

There are five key parts to effective business planning. They are a vision statement, mission statement, objectives, goals and tactics. The simpler the plan the better and some of the best we have assisted farms with have been as brief as seven or eight pages.

An effective business plan should be a fluid working document. Sometimes an idea that appeared to be good at the time the plan was developed may no longer be relative to the success of the company. If this is the case, revisions to the plan may be necessary. The ability of the organization to recognize these opportunities and capitalize on them is what makes great farming organizations.

A good business plan can be viewed as a road map used by the entire organization to ensure everyone is in agreement and working toward the mutually agreed upon goals. It is recommended the owners and employees create and design their own plan. Russell Consulting Group can assist in that process. The cost of the planning process varies with needs. Call us for an estimate.