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financial stress

Decomposition of Statement of Cash Flows

Cash flow trends from 2007 to 2024 show how crop farms rely on operating income and borrowed funds to drive growth through asset purchases. As income levels shift, so do investment decisions—offering key insights for managing through expected challenges in 2025.

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Decomposition of Changes in Net Worth

There are three major changes that contribute to an increase or decrease in net worth: change in retained earnings, change in contributed capital, and change in market valuation. Tracking changes in net worth over time is one of the most important tasks of those in charge of analyzing a farm’s financial position and performance.

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Contingency Planning with Cash Flow Shortages

Contingency plans related to how to respond to changes in projected cash flows are important. Given the expected drop in crop prices this fall and wide variability in expected prices, it would be prudent for a farm to examine the sensitivity of their cash flow and repayment capacity to changes in crop prices. Using a case farm in southwest Indiana, Michael illustrates how contingency plans could be used.

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The 2024-25 Financial Downturn: Who is the Most Vulnerable

Midwest crop producers have experienced a significant downturn in corn, soybean, and wheat prices since the beginning of the year and farm incomes are expected to be much lower in 2024 than they have been the last three to four years. Moreover, current expectations are that prices will continue to remain at or below the cost of production for at least a couple more years. Consequently, a key question being asked is as follows: “who is the most vulnerable financially during this downturn”?

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Contingency Planning with Cash Flow Shortages

Contingency plans related to how to respond to changes in projected cash flows are also important. Given the expected drop in crop prices this fall, it would be prudent for a farm to examine the sensitivity of their cash flow and repayment capacity to changes in crop prices.

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Financial Risk Management & Contingency Planning

Farming is never the same from year to year – sometimes prices are good, net farm income is high, and other times margins are tight. Planning ahead, or contingency planning for financial hardship is important for any farm operation. How to evaluate farm financials, update financial statements, analyze performance, and when borrowing makes sense.

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Measuring Financial Stress

Farms with low profitability and high solvency are typically financially stressed. This article uses the operating profit margin ratio and the debt to asset ratio to create a measure of financial stress.

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