COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Jake Anderson didn’t have to delvetoo deep into the University of
Missouri’s agricultural economicsprogram before realizing he was destined to return to the
1,500-acrefamily farm. After all, that’s been the Anderson family trade since1891, when his great-great
grandfather came to Callaway County fromSweden.What the self-described "farm kid" was less
certain of washow to manage a volatile business where market price fluctuations arecommon, the weather
is unpredictable and long-term planning — at leastfor his parents and their parents — often meant
scratching out financialestimates on a yellow legal pad or the back of an envelope. So, eachWednesday in
the just-concluded spring semester, Anderson and a dozenother Missouri students crunched numbers in a
campus computer lab, themale students’ agrarian roots betrayed only by baseball caps sportingfarm
equipment logos.The focus on data is intentional: Whileother classes teach ag students how to repair
combines or learn theproper chemical mixes of common fertilizers, students in agriculturaleconomist
Kevin Moore’s "Returning to the Farm" class create businessplans using financial information
from their own family farms. It’s anapproach more commonly found at the county agricultural extension
officeor in community college classrooms rather than flagship public researchuniversities.Moore says the
skills are essential for the nextgeneration of farmers for whom technology is second nature, but
bringingtheir elders on board remains a challenge."For a lot of thestudents, the first time they
actually get exposed to the real financialnumbers on the farm may be through this class," Moore
said. "Generally,Mom and Dad try to make everything rosy for the kids. … For many,it’s really
their first honest exposure to the complete financial sideof things."The necessity of having those
conversations will onlyincrease. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the number of U.S.farmers older
than 65 grew by nearly 22 percent between 2002 and 2007.Farmers 75 and older outnumber those under 25 in
the country 5-1.Anderson,a 21-year-old junior, returns to the farm that’s 30 miles east ofcampus on the
weekends to help out. When it’s time to harvest the rowsof soybeans and corn, he makes the same trip
three to four times weekly.He also sells corn from his own small patch of land at a roadside standin
front of the family home, a part-time summer job he’s done since hewas nine that helps pay for
college.After graduation, he hopes toadd 50 to 100 head of cattle and grow the family operation by
another500 acres, as well as sell seeds for supplemental income. He saidMoore’s class has given him the
financial tools to support thatdecision."In high school, I didn’t expect to get back on thefarm. It
seemed like times were getting tough," Anderson said. "And atMizzou, I saw all these other
farm kids who couldn’t come back. But thisis what I’ve grown up doing, it’s what I have a passion
for."DaleNordquist, associate director of the Center for Farm FinancialManagement at the University
of Minnesota, said Missouri’s practicalapproach to understanding farm finances is relatively uncommon at
large,land-grant universities where both students and professors are morelikely to concentrate on
theoretical approaches as opposed to practicalsolutions, and the use of personal data can still be seen
as anintrusion.Beyond the nuts and bolts of finances, he said suchtraining can serve an equally valuable
purpose: It forces farm familiesto prepare their sons and daughters to take over the
business."Youcertainly hear the stories about the older generation that never reallywants to let go
of the reins," Nordquist said. "Even though they mightbe going through the motions of letting
go of the kids, they neverrelease (control) of management.So they keep on doing the same thing… Maybe
they don’t ever step back."Garrett Riekhof, aHigginsville farmer and 2003 Missouri graduate who
took the class adecade ago, said the course marked the first time he took a hard look atthe business
side of his family’s operation."A farm is more thanhow many dollars of seed you have in the ground
each year," he said."These are business practices that any small business needs to gothrough
to assess their health. I like to run my farm just like anysmall business would."For some, the
statistical approach couldlead to a disheartening conclusion: The family farm may not surviveanother
generation. And other students’ parents remain resistant toopening the family’s books — even to their
own progeny. In those cases,Moore encourages his students to "use me as a
scapegoat."Anderson’sparents, though, were more than happy to hand over the books, and nowtheir son
shares his newfound insights into estate planning, assettransfer and other financial management
details."I’m very proudhe wants to come back, but I wanted it to be his decision," said
hisfather, John Anderson, 53, whose three daughters also attended Missouribut pursued other
professions."Technology is taking overagriculture just like it’s taking over the world," John
Anderson said."And he’s getting it firsthand."___Alan Scher Zagier can be reached at http://twitter.com/azagier .Copyright 2013 The
Associated Press.