Guentzel Family Farms

Guentzel Family Farms

Sixth-generation farmer, Angela Guentzel, enjoys her time at Guentzel Family Farms which is situated near Mankato, Minnesota. “Some of the land we have been running has been in our family for all six of those generations,” states Angela. “We’ve been more than 120 years on the same acres, which is something we’re very proud of.” The farm is split into four entities, which adds another layer of complication when it comes to farm management and accounting.

After spending years pursuing a career outside of agriculture, Angela returned to her roots and has since spent a decade working alongside her brother and parents on the family farm. With a focus on raising corn and soybeans, along with engaging in community activities, Angela’s commitment to the farm extends beyond mere cultivation. Through the implementation of Traction Ag software, her operation has been simplified and streamlined to her benefit.

Challenges

Before adopting Traction Ag, the Guentzel Family Farms faced time-consuming challenges in managing farm operations and finances.

Angela describes a time when accounting was manually intensive, often requiring two full days of preparation for tax season. The previous software used by the farm became cumbersome after being acquired by larger companies, leading to a user-unfriendly experience. Angela simply couldn’t get the day-to-day tasks done as easily as she wanted. “And I even think further back to when my dad was managing the farm to just the paper notes, he would have [been] tracking each load or managing the books by hand and the challenges we would have,” she says.

Eventually, Guentzel Family Farms adopted accounting software, but it didn’t possess the efficiency they were after. “The previous software was very cumbersome in the sense that it didn’t flow well and it didn’t have all the spreadsheets we would need. It did not have payroll services, and it didn’t have everything we needed to manage the farm.”

As a result, the process proved inefficient, highlighting the need to find a more effective solution. Luckily, Angela’s brother heard about Traction Ag through another farmer, opening the door to a better solution…

Results
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The transition to Traction Ag has saved roughly three hours each week on accounting. Angela can now easily access and manage the financial data necessary for year-end reporting, thanks to the software’s straightforward interface.

“One thing I like about Traction is that I can download the bank transactions by a click of a button and that is so easy,” states Angela. “And that saves me so much time and it makes me more willing to just get it done, instead of having to download files and convert them. Traction Ag helps me thrive because it makes my work a lot cleaner and more efficient. I can have what I need, when I need, at the click of a button.”

"I save several hours every week."

Angela is pleased with getting about 12 hours back each month. “I really recommend to any farmer that’s working on increasing their efficiency and productivity on the software side of things to look into Traction Ag,” says Angela. “They have a 30-day trial that I really recommend trying.”

Multiple Entities & Streamlined Reporting

Prior to Traction Ag, Angela confesses that their farm’s data didn’t flow well, and their systems didn’t make her life easier. Now, the tables have turned.

“Traction Ag is very streamlined,” Angela says. “It’s very handy for me to use. We have four entities on Traction Ag and it’s so nice because as I’m doing reports at the end of the year, I can do these reports individually, or if I want to see everything together, I can click and choose whichever entity aspects I want. I can see the data I need [with] everything together, all in one place.”

With the ability to link multiple entities within the farm, Angela can generate reports that reflect both individual and combined entities. This connectivity allows for a more comprehensive view of the farm’s financial health and makes year-end preparations significantly less cumbersome.

“It took a few hours to put everything together in the past, where now I can just click a few boxes, and it's there for me.”

User Friendly Accessible Farm Data

Traction Ag’s online accessibility has allowed Angela to manage payroll and accounting tasks from anywhere. She’s been able to complete critical tasks quicker, enabling greater flexibility and work-life balance.

“I’ve been on vacation and had to do payroll, and just with a few simple clicks I can have it done and not disrupt my day,” she says. “My favorite thing about Traction Ag is that it’s integrated online so I can use it anywhere at any time and it’s very, very simple to use. It’s very straightforward to do the accounting work and keep the books. Another part about Traction Ag that I really appreciate is the payroll software. Things that I used to have to do… the monthly work, the quarterly work, the yearly work, it’s all there and done for me, [it] saves me so much time!”

Improved Relationships with Financial Advisors

The efficiency and clarity provided by Traction Ag’s reporting tools have been valuable for communicating with the farm’s CPA and lenders. The easy-to-generate reports facilitate smoother interactions and quicker decision-making regarding loans and financial planning. The primary reports that Angela shares with her CPA feature expenses and revenues. “We email the files over to our CPA at the end of the year and they have everything they need. If they have any questions, it’s easy enough to pull out any additional information.”

“It’s so easy too, that I can use the software to pull out individual line item expenses if I want to just look at what my repairs are. We have a few different line items. We’ve got repairs major, and repairs minor. So I can customize the line items to be exactly what I need them to be. It’s very easy to do, so I can really customize the software to our farm.”

“I turn the revenue and expense reports into our accountants and lenders, and it just makes their lives easier, and it makes our lives easier.”

Quick & Easy Tax Prep

“I can remember years back, shortly before tax season, we would have about two full days where we would have to cram and go through old records trying to figure everything out from the prior year,” she says. Those days entailed sifting through paperwork, reviewing equipment purchases, and digging out payroll records from across the full year.

“We had some spreadsheets for tracking grain loads, and it was a lot to manage,” Angela states. So they tried a software program that ultimately didn’t deliver. “The previous software was very cumbersome in the sense that it didn’t flow well,” she says. “It did not have payroll services and it didn’t have everything we needed to manage the farm as adequately as we needed it to.”

1099s

Using the previous software, Angela sifted through all of the landlords and related entities in order to figure out who she needed to pull 1099s for. “Where here, when I’m setting up the vendor or the contact, I can click if they need a 1099 right away,” she says. “Then come tax season, all I have to do is click a few buttons, and it’s there for me.”

“Now, I have all the data submitted and the software itself can send out the paperwork all on its own! I eliminate the middleman of going through the accountant and spending the money to pay them.”

Grade "A" Support & Trusted Data Privacy

Angela emphasized the importance of customer service provided by Traction Ag. Their quick responses and willingness to adapt to a client’s needs contribute to a positive experience, reinforcing Angela’s trust in the farm accounting software.

“If I ever have any question, the support team is always there, whether it’s on their live chat within the web application, or an email away or phone call away,” she says with confidence. “Or I can schedule a visit as easy as visiting their website.”

When prompted to provide a grade for Traction’s client support, Angela responds, “I give them an ‘A’ because whenever I need Traction support, they’re always right there.” Angela feels confident that Traction has her back. “Traction Ag is doing its part and growing with the farmer, and developing and working with the farmer to see what he or she needs,” she says. “It’s really easy to communicate, and they always seem to have open ears, and [are] willing to learn and adapt to the farmer’s needs.”

Even when it comes to data privacy, Angela knows she can rely on Traction Ag. “Our farm data is important to keep internal.”

“That's one thing we appreciate about Traction Ag is that they have Ag Transparency. Our data stays with us, and not with everybody else.”

Angela’s journey with Guentzel Family Farms highlights the transformative effect that Traction Ag’s easy-to-use accounting software has had on their business. Today, Angela has not only streamlined her farm’s management processes, but also set the stage for continued growth and adaptability in an ever-evolving industry.

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