Today on the Cattle Convos Podcast, Shaye Wanner interviews Shannon Emley, from Ambrook, about managerial accounting for ranchers. Shannon contrasts technical accounting for taxes and lenders with managerial accounting focused on clarity for business decision-making, emphasizing that clean, up-to-date books and properly categorized transactions are the foundation.
He explains how producers can analyze profitability by enterprise (cow-calf, stockers, custom grazing, hay), reduce emotion in decisions, and evaluate choices like grow-versus-buy feed, raise-versus-buy calves, or own-versus-hire equipment by capturing full costs including labor, fuel, and repairs.
Something he notes that makes Ambrook unique is that it can track sub-enterprises, locations, and metrics like profit per acre or per head, even down to individual cows using projects, plus inventory and timing of feed use. Emley recommends starting small, spending about 10 minutes weekly, and using the last 12 months’ P&L to forecast cash, including loan and equipment payments.
Learn more and try Ambrook at: ambrook.com/casualcattle
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Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/
00:00 Big Decisions Made Easier
00:59 Meet Shannon Emley
02:22 Managerial Accounting Basics
03:29 Clean Books First
04:27 Enterprise Profitability
06:12 Grow Versus Buy
09:03 Start With Key Questions
10:17 Going Deeper With Tracking
13:30 Forecasting Cash Flow
15:10 Simple Weekly Habit
17:35 How to Try Ambrook
