LONDON, Ohio — The goal of “Farm Finance for Women” is to take material presented in Annie’s Project to the next level, according to Julia Nolan Woodruff, Ohio State University extension educator for Erie County.

Woodruff will be presenting Farm Finance for Women on Sept. 21 at 11 a.m., and Sept. 22 at 12:20 p.m. The sessions will be part of the “Question the Authorities” presentations located on Friday Avenue, at the Ohio Farm Science Review (FSR).

She said a brochure with complete information about the program will be available at the OSU extension booth in the Firebaugh Building on the FSR grounds.

Woodruff has been actively involved in Annie’s Project, which covers farm financial and legal aspects, human resources, marketing and production risk for women. She said that during the Annie’s Project sessions, many asked questions about risk. The Farm Finance for Women project came about because of those questions.

“Many women are responsible for keeping the financial records on their farms,” she said. “This is the second level of Annie’s Project and deals with our connection with money, the emotional aspects and how money is spent at home versus the business.

“We also look at record-keeping, all of the farm financial statements such as cash flow, balance sheet and income statements, as well as financial benchmarks and Quicken. We also look at a case study during the class.”

Woodruff said the case study gives participants the opportunity to work with the different types of financial records needed on a farm. “The case study increases their confidence level in their ability to handle farm record-keeping and financial aspects of the farming operation,” she said.

 Funding for writing the program curriculum came through a grant from the North Central Risk Management Education Center.

“We did a trial run this year and presented three sessions,” Woodruff said. “We had 47 women participate in the program.”

She added several sessions of Farm Finance for Women will be offered around the state next year, including one in the Montgomery/Preble counties area. For more information or to enroll in the program, contact Chris Bruynis, OSU extension educator in Wyandot County, at 419-294-4931.