Accredited Farm Managers (AFM)
The Farm Management Professionals Members of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ASFMRA) are leaders in the management of agricultural land throughout the United States. Since 1929, the Society has grown to represent over 2,100 members and 36 chapters throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada. Today, Society members manage over 25 million acres of farm and ranch land for absentee landowners, bank trust departments, foundations, non profit organizations, and investors. Professional farm management services delivered by Society members include:
- Analyzing lease options, making recommendations on specific leases to help owners achieve their goals of ownership;
- Operator selection
- Inspection reports that analyze the highest and best use of the land and any improvements, while making recommendations on how to maintain and improve the land,
- Marketing the commodities grown and raised on the farms and ranches,
- Budgeting, bill paying, income collection and financial reporting.
Society members offer turnkey services to landowners who wish to maintain or improve their properties, increase their income and manage expense.
Farm Managers offer professional management services to farmland owners to help them optimize the returns from their asset. Using their expertise in working with people, crop and livestock production, commodity marketing, soil conservation, financial analysis and accounting, and real estate brokerage, farm managers help their clients maintain and improve the value of their asset and generate cash returns that meet their client’s objectives.
Managers associated with the ASFMRA follow a code of ethics and strive to provide high quality services that include leasing and tenant selection, crop production planning and supervision, improvement project management, commodity sales planning and execution, record keeping and investment analysis. An ASFMRA Accredited Farm Manager has achieved the highest level of professionalism and education in the industry.
An AFM possesses the skills, experience and education to provide land investment analysis and management of day-to-day operations for ag enterprises. The AFM designation is available only through the ASFMRA and is awarded to those individuals that demonstrate experience and complete a rigorous education program to enhance professional skills and knowledge of land management and production agriculture.
The AFM:
- Has specialized expertise to keep an operation profitable and sustainable
- Practices sound business to manage production inputs to improve margins
- Has an understanding of environmental issues for compliance with governmental regulations
- Has the knowledge of government activities that affect agriculture including taxation, regulations, legislation and subsidies
Expertise in:
- Cash flows and partial budgets
- Internal rate of return analysis
- Crop/livestock and futures marketing
- Farm plan preparation and implementation
- Operator selection
- Analyze all risk management practices to maximize profitability
- Lease terms and negotiations
- Seed, fertilizer and production input selection
- Precision farming
- Insurance programs
- Irrigation technology and analysis
- Biotechnology recommendations
- Government program analysis
- Environmental compliance
- Tax regulations
- Land/property purchases and sales
- Expert witness testimony
- Permanent plantings
- Soil conservation
