How to Design a Farm Office

A farmer's office is a place of respite after a long day's work, so it should be comforting and relaxing. Implementing small reminders of what goes on outside the office is quite fine, but no farmer wants to be surrounded with their work day in and day out. The office needs to offer a place where the farmer can take care of his daily inventory, bills and other business-related tasks. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Determine the best place for your farm office. Generally, farm offices are kept in the barn or one of the other outbuildings. If you prefer to keep your farm office in your house, ensure that you separate it from the rest of the household. A door is a good investment in this situation.

2

Strive to make your farm office a place that reflects who you are as a person. Incorporate mementos of your family and your properties, including awards and recognitions in your office. Frame awards nicely and place them in a prominent area. This is the place where you will meet with your customers, so now is not the time to be bashful about your accomplishments.

3

Include four main areas in your farm office -- a computer station, an administrative station, a visiting station and a project station. Each of these stations have particular tasks assigned to them to help improve work flow.

4

Utilize computers to keep track of growing seasons, payroll, profit and loss sheets and so on. Keep records that are used on a daily basis near the computer station. Easy access to the records will facilitate prompt data entry into data tracking programs. Keep a scanner nearby to scan in receipts, and other tax records to reduce clutter.

5

Store administrative documents in a designated area. Set up folders for various functions, such as accounts payable, accounts receivables and vendor information. Keep a folder of 1099-G's available to provide to those people to whom you pay more than $600 in a calendar year. Ensure that you have enough file cabinets on hand to store at least three years worth of documents, or have an alternative storage area for records over one year old.

6

Furnish the visiting area of your farm office with a comfortable love seat and a couple of small chairs. A small coffee table can be beneficial if your guests have materials that they would like to share with you. Place a water dispenser or coffee maker in the corner for easy access to refreshments.

7

Set your project center up so that your supplies are ready to work with. This place should always be well organized -- you should not have to look for anything to work on your project.