If we consider your farm a hockey team, you are Conner McDavid. You are responsible for doing the heavy work of production. Relying on your advisers as a team will make your position as the CEO more successful. Scoring goals is great, but our ultimate aim is to win the Stanley Cup of long-term financial success.

Knowing what the score is for each inning or quarter of the ag production game is invaluable for producers. This knowledge can modify the game plan at timely intervals, hopefully without adversely affecting the outcome.

My fear is that if we as ag producers don’t understand (or worse yet don’t pay attention to) these financial tools of cash position, budgets or profit and loss statements, and balance sheets, we may have marginal business managers of ag production in the decade of 2020 and beyond struggle unnecessarily.

In this episode, Editor Carrie Veselka discusses budgeting tips and financial habits for the new year with DeDe Jones from Texas A&M University. Also, Carrie, David Cooper, Cassidy Woolsey, and Paul and Tyrell Marchant preview the December issue of Progressive Cattle and duke out the best and worst Christmas songs of all time.