Quickbooks in California Agriculture

Quickbooks in California Agriculture. This selected set of slides and accompanying data files can assist a beginning user in learning Quickbooks® for agricultural record keeping purposes. Utilizing a self paced tutorial, consisting of Microsoft Powerpoint® slides and Quickbooks data files, a data set can be developed and results checked by the use of a solution set which has been provided. The data files are in a self extracting ZIP file VAL_QBW.EXE and the matching Powerpoint slide sets are contained in a self extracting ZIP file VALLEY.EXE.

This tutorial has been developed by Dr. James Cothern, Professor of Agricultural Economics, CSU-Fresno, Fresno, CA 93740-0101, with the aid of funding provided by the California Agricultural Technology Institute (CATI)

Please review the brief descripion of the data sets before downloading. Also, be sure and read the limitations of their use, listed at the bottom of this page. These data are presented on an "as is" basis and neither support nor advice is given as to their proper use in an individual's own business situation. You must have Quickbooks® Version 5 or higher in order to read the Quickbooks files and Microsoft Powerpoint® 97 or a graphics program which will read the Powerpoint 97 files in order to view them.

You may download by clicking on the download button for each of the two files:

Download VALLEY.EXE (1.22MB)

Download VALL_QBW.EXE (130KB)

Please address any comments or report data errors to jamesco@csufresno.edu

Unit 1: Getting Started With Quickbooks

Attributes of a Computerized Record Keeping System

Description of desired attributes of a computerized accounting and record keeping system

Introduction to the Easy Step Interview

Record setup, terms used in Quickbooks, initializing the data base, data needed

Entering Data with the Easy Step Interview

Opening balances, including customers, vendors, accounts payable and receivable, fixed asset entry

Reviewing the Chart of Accounts and Returning Reports

Returning the profit, net worth and other statements, reviewing the chart of accounts

Unit 2: Quickbooks Data Entry

Introducing the Quickbooks Navigator

Paying bills and billing customers

Creating Income and Expense codes

Classifying expenses, receipts, principal payments and equity draws

Creating Classes

Entering enterprise or profit center data

Coding Income and Receipts data

Coding for accrual adjustments

Unit 3: Practice Coding Data

Utilizing the Navigator for Purchases and Sales

Posting bills and billing customers

Entering Income and Expense Data

Posting expenses, receipts, principal payments and equity draws by code and class

Entering Equity Account Data

Posting family monthly draws

Review of Materials

Accounts utilized, evaluating the profit and loss statement

Unit 4: Depreciation and Inventory Management

Entering Fixed Assets

Posting farm equipment values and depreciation claimed

Theory of Depreciation

Quickbooks depreciation entry procedures versus IRS use of MACRS

Speeding Up Fixed Asset Entry

Utilizing Excel to read in fixed asset data

Inventory Management

Coding typical farm inventory data

The Quickbooks data are in a Quickbooks Version 5 format. Quickbooks Version 6 will convert them to the proper format, but once they are converted they can no longer be read with Version 5. Quickbooks Version 5 files are readable by both Windows 3.1 and Windows 95-98. Once they are converted to Version 6, they are no longer usable in Win 3.1.

Quickbooks Occasional Papers

I will be publishing some overview papers from time to time. In order to gain an understanding of basic Quickbooks features, I have included an introduction and overview paper. This paper may be read on line if you have Adobe's Acrobat Reader. A link to the Adobe download site is included on the Outlook page. More and more Quickbooks sites are opening. It is not my business to pose as an expert but to point and lead you to information which will make you a better manager. A midwest commercial service offers a good first start as a source although it's "hogs and corn" oriented.

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E-Mail jamesco@csufresno.edu