Unlock New Potential with Enhanced Tools and Upcoming Innovations for Smarter Farm Management!
Dear Friend,
As spring unfolds and new growth begins, MASA Farm Smart is excited to share fresh updates to help you stay ahead this season! In this edition, we’re highlighting the release of our Professional Services offering, designed to streamline your farm operations with expert guidance. Plus, we’ll dive into what’s on the horizon with Microsoft Azure and how these advancements can enhance your farm’s data management and efficiency. Get ready to cultivate success this season with cutting-edge tools and insights!
In this month’s news:
•A Word from our CEO
•MASA Professional Services
•Moving to Azure. What to Expect.
•Introducing Data Exchange
•2025 Farm Financial Standards Updates
CEO Update
A Message from Leslie
As spring unfolds, the Mutual Agricultural Software Alliance (MASA) is focused on delivering new features, enhancing our professional services, and earning your trust.
We're excited to announce significant progress in the development of our new "Data Exchange" feature, which will streamline data imports into the FBS product. With this capability, you'll be able to quickly and easily import a wider range of data formats, set up and schedule imports, and gain deeper insights into your operation with less effort. We’re planning to release the Data Exchange this summer.
In addition, we’re collaborating with select customers to tackle key challenges and explore opportunities for expanding our reporting and analytics capabilities. Your feedback has been invaluable in guiding us toward a solution that addresses complex, common problems.
As you’ll see below, we're also expanding our professional services to better meet a wide variety of customer needs, ensuring our product delivers even more value.
Lastly, we continue to support our local installation customers as they transition to the cloud, where they’ll benefit from improved support, faster access to the latest features, and reliable backups for peace of mind.
Unlock the Full Potential of MASA FBS with Professional Services
At MASA, we understand that every farm and agribusiness has unique financial and operational needs. That’s why we offer Professional Services, designed to help users get the most out of MASA FBS through tailored support and expert guidance. Whether you’re looking to fine-tune your financial reports, set up additional features, or gain deeper accounting insights, our services are structured to enhance efficiency, improve accuracy, and maximize your software investment. Our four specialized service categories—Data Checkup, Additional Setup, Accounting Expertise, and Custom Data Configurations—ensure that you receive personalized assistance based on your specific business needs.
A Data Checkup is ideal for those looking to ensure accuracy and alignment within their financial data. Our team assists with balancing balance sheets, reconciling Accounts Receivable (AR) and Accounts Payable (AP), and guiding users in understanding basic financial reports. Maintaining accurate financial data is crucial for decision-making, compliance, and long-term business success. By keeping your books in order, you can prevent costly errors and ensure your records reflect the true financial health of your operation.
The Additional Setup service is perfect for users looking to expand and optimize their MASA FBS system. Whether you need assistance with implementing new data modules, setting up custom reports, configuring payroll and Schedule F, or managing 1099 submissions, our experts help ensure a smooth and efficient setup. This service is especially beneficial for growing operations or those looking to integrate new processes into their existing financial system while maintaining accuracy and compliance.
For those seeking advanced financial insights and strategic guidance, our Accounting Expertise service provides hands-on support in understanding reports, utilizing the FBS allocation process, synchronizing data with CPAs for tax reporting, and reconciling hedging activities. These services help users gain a deeper understanding of their financials, ensuring that financial strategies align with business goals and regulatory requirements. Whether you’re preparing for tax season or optimizing financial allocations, our experts help you navigate complex accounting processes with confidence.
Finally, our Custom Data Configurations service is designed for users who require specialized solutions tailored to their unique business structure. This includes setting up Work-in-Progress (WIP) Controllers, organizing reports for management or external partners, standardizing data between multiple entities, and managing intercompany transactions. These configurations help improve operational efficiency, streamline reporting, and provide greater visibility into farm financials, ensuring that every aspect of your business is structured for success.
Professional Services can be purchased in flexible packages, ensuring you receive the right level of support to meet your objectives. Whether you’re fine-tuning existing processes or implementing entirely new workflows, our experts are here to help. For more information, contact sales at sales@masa.ag or visit www.masa.ag/professional-services. Let MASA help you unlock the full potential of your data and drive smarter business decisions today!
Moving to Azure?
What to Expect.
The migration process begins with creating backups of all your company data and uploading them, along with any necessary ancillary files, to the MASA Uploads Portal. Detailed instructions on how to complete this process can be downloaded from the portal link you were provided.
Please email support@masa.ag to ensure the support team has your most current contact information for the next steps.
Once the backups are uploaded, the team will use these files to perform a test conversion. This step ensures that all data is correctly converted and no corrections are needed prior to the full migration. If the conversion is successful, you will be contacted to schedule the migration date. If any issues arise during testing, the team will reach out to assist in resolving them before proceeding. Once testing is complete and the data passes validation, the migration date will be finalized.
On the evening before the migration or on a prearranged backup date, a final set of backups will need to be taken and uploaded to the portal in preparation for the transition. After this, no further work should be done in FBS as any new data entered will not be included in the migration. You may use your local FBS installation for reference, but no new entries should be made.
Unless otherwise notified, the migration will typically be completed on the scheduled date. Access to FBS on Azure will be granted once the migration is complete, and instructions for accessing the new system will be sent via email the following morning. If any unforeseen issues occur during the migration, you will be promptly notified.
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please reach out to the MASA Support Team at support@masa.ag. We’re here to help ensure a smooth transition to MASA Azure!
Introducing Data Exchange
Streamlined Data Integration for your FBS Environment
We’re excited to announce significant progress on our upcoming Data Exchange feature, designed to revolutionize the way you integrate third-party data into your FBS. Scheduled for release in summer 2025, this powerful tool will make it easier than ever to import a variety of data formats directly into your hosted FBS environment. Whether it’s financial data, operational metrics, or other critical information, Data Exchange will automate and streamline the import process, reducing manual entry and ensuring that your data is always accurate and up-to-date. By setting up and scheduling imports, you’ll save valuable time and gain deeper insights into your operation with minimal effort.
Data Exchange is yet another compelling reason to move to the hosted FBS environment, where you can take full advantage of these advanced features in a secure and optimized platform. Hosted FBS users will benefit from seamless updates and ongoing improvements that ensure their systems remain cutting-edge. With the addition of Data Exchange, producers will be able to analyze their farm’s performance more effectively, make informed decisions, and respond quickly to changes in their operation. Stay tuned for more updates as we prepare for the exciting launch of this game-changing feature!
2025 Farm Financial Standards
Stay Ahead with the Updated 2025 Guidelines
In today’s rapidly evolving agricultural landscape, producers face increasingly complex business environments where managing large volumes of data is essential for success. Accurate and consistent financial reporting is critical not only for meeting external requirements from creditors, government agencies, and stakeholders but also for making informed internal decisions that drive operational efficiency. To support this need, the Farm Financial Standards Council (FFSC) provides comprehensive guidelines to help producers generate reliable financial reports and conduct meaningful financial analysis. These guidelines have recently been updated, and the 2025 Farm Financial Standards Guidelines are now available.
The updated guidelines include several enhancements aimed at improving the accuracy and consistency of financial reporting in agriculture. Among the most notable updates is the addition of five new financial measures to the list of recommended ratios and metrics, helping producers better assess their financial health. Additionally, revised recommendations for calculating depreciation now offer a more accurate reflection of financial performance, addressing discrepancies that often arise from tax-based depreciation methods. Updated sets of example financial statements and measures have also been incorporated to reflect these changes, ensuring producers have clear, practical applications to follow. To explore these updates and access the latest guidelines, visit the Farm Financial Standards Council website at FFSC Guidelines. By staying current with these evolving standards, producers can strengthen their financial management practices and make more confident, data-driven decisions.
Mutual Agricultural Software Alliance, 1201 North Avenue, Tipton, IA 52772, US, 319.302.3322
