Threatening April cloud.

Dear Friend,

Field work in our corner of the world started off with a slow start due to cold temperatures punctuated with outbursts of rain, wind, hail and a solar eclipse.  On the other hand, the MASA/FBS "cloud" is making great progress.  (See below.)

In this month's news:

• April MASA Interim CEO update. 
• FBS/MASA Users in the news.
• FBS/MASA User Conference announcement.
• Experience an accounting total E.CLIPSE.
• Q&A: Basic accounting reports video.
                                                                        SDG

Interim CEO Update Emphasis on Customer Service For the past few months, I have emphasized in this space the importance and magnitude of the FBS upgrade to version 12.1, along with the addition of a new cloud-hosted environment. This is the most complex (and most tested) upgrade in several years. One component of the upgrade is the move to a new database, which will result in better performance, more security, and easier connectivity to other sources of data and analysis. A renewed emphasis on customer service is another component of this upgrade. As new owners of FBS, the MASA user group has made customer support a top priority. Upgrades to cloud hosting processes will dramatically improve the ability of MASA staff to service users who need assistance with the software or their data. We are also adding a new help web page, accessed only by users from inside the FBS program. This page will include a search of knowledge base articles or videos, an AI enabled chat, the ability to contact support and share screenshots and screencap videos, and other customer support tools. There is a phenomenal amount of help documentation and video training that has been created over the years for FBS, and we want to make that information easily accessible. The new version should be coming soon, but we are taking time to do extra testing to ensure a smooth migration. We plan to have an individual consultation with every customer as part of the upgrade process. This is a major beneficial step for all users, and we want it to be an efficient one. We look forward to visiting with you soon! Brian Watkins MASA Board Member and Interim CEO feedback@fbssystems.com

FBS/MASA Users in the News 

Meet Illinois Pork Producer President Cheryl Walsh
 

Cheryl Walsh is owner/operator of her family farm in Peoria County. As a 4th generation farmer, she grows corn, soybeans and hay with her family. In addition to the crops they have a cow/calf operation where they sell feeder calves, and own a 2,200 head sow farm.  They decided in the late 2000's to quit finishing and sell weaned pigs. For the last ten years, Cheryl has conducted the Ag in the Classroom project in Peoria County. The program started with 120 classrooms and has expanded to over 250 classrooms.  Cheryl uses TransAction Plus, Smart Breeder, Smart Feeder, Crop Audit, and LifeCycle Budget.

FBS/MASA User Conference Set For September 10-11

Mark your calendar apps for the 2024 FBS/MASA User Conference, which returns to the Stoney Creek Inn, Moline, Illinois on Tuesday, September 10th through Wednesday, September 11th.

Experience an Accounting Total E.CLIPSE

We trust you enjoyed the 3-minute "solar show" on April 8th. Now, we'd like to shed light on a more enduring eclipse.  FBS's E.CLIPSE module automates critical management accounting business logic:

• Based on the Farm Financial Standards Guidelines.
• Work in process, raw materials, and finished goods valuations.
• Activity-based costing allocations with drill-down analysis.
• Simultaneous cash and accrual reporting.
• Cost of production by commodity, stage, field, and group.
• Configurations for annual/permanent crops, cattle, hogs, poultry, and dairy.
• Detailed audit trail and work papers.
• Calculation of receivable invoices for crop-share landlords.
• Eliminates many hours of grueling manual entries.

E.CLIPSE "sits on top" of TransAction Plus and Crop Audit and/or Smart Feeder.

Schedule your E.CLIPSE viewing today!