(585) 749-4472 dstafford@nsagcst.com

Services

Offering tailored solutions to help agricultural businesses navigate their most pressing challenges and achieve sustainable growth. 

Chief Financial Officer

I act as a part time CFO for several businesses.  Working with your business on a regular basis (weekly or monthly) allows me to really understand your business, what works, what doesn’t, and who does what.  

Many family businesses have little financial training.  I can help decipher finances and show you ways to better understand your business, what is realistic and what is not.  You can leverage my years of experience and knowledge.  Often this involves setting up a regular meeting with key people to facilitate discussions and foster open communication.  

Common roles here include:

  • Developing budgets and a method to monitor actual results
  • Track working capital and term debts
  • Facilitate discussions with your lender
  • Cash management
  • Outside set of eyes reviewing and interpreting your financial records
  • Cash & Accrual analysis
  • Strategic planning
  • Year end analysis and planning
  • Help guide office staff

 An additional role that I find very rewarding is mentoring key people and helping them grow their financial understanding of the business.

Project Work

I am available to assist with a specific project.  You define what you are looking for and I will let you know whether this is something I can handle.  I have a broad understanding and real life experience with many functions needed to run a successful business.

Knowledge Areas

Over the years, I’ve developed a diverse skill set to address the unique challenges of agricultural businesses. My knowledge areas include:

Financial Management

  • Cash to Accrual Analysis 
  • Business Analysis
  • Strategic Planning
  • Budgeting and Proactively Monitoring Results
  • Enterprise Analysis & Management Accounting 
  • Partial Budgets
  • Income Tax Planning
  • Equipment and Job Costing
  • Costing Models
  • Crop Budgeting

Strategic Planning

  • Facilitate Team Meetings
  • Estate Planning & Business Agreements
  • Coaching and Mentoring the Next Generation

Business Entity

  • Setting Up and Dissolving a Business
  • Buying a Business – Analysis and Negotiation
  • Selling a Business – Analysis and Negotiation

Regulatory & Risk Management

  • Handling Audits
  • Risk Management
  • Business and Crop Insurances

Specialized Experiences

  • Grain and Organic Crop Marketing
  • Hedging
  • Organic Certification
  • Repair and Crop Software
  • CAFO and Food Waste Spreading Rules
  • Trucking Rules