FARM DIRECT ALTERNATIVE CURRENCY TRACKING – EXCEL WORKSHEET

The ability to track sales by category (for reporting to vendors, state, and organizational boards) and track alternative currencies, including distributions, redemptions, and liability balances is critical to Farmers Markets.

Food From Farms has developed a worksheet designed to help track alternative currency counts and liabilities, calculate vendor checks, and track vendor and market weekly and annual sales totals. Instructions for use of the workbook are on the first worksheet in the Excel workbook.

Generic Farmers Market Worksheets – Click to download the excel worksheet used to input the data from the paper forms and batch reports, automatically calculating check amounts to give Vendors and token/incentive liability numbers for the Market to reconcile to in the accounting system.

The worksheet is also a great tool for communicating with the bookkeeper, as it can give them the following information:

• Vendor checks (tokens/incentives redeemed, fees)
• Batch report deposits into token liability accounts (and other uses of dr/cr funds – retail, etc.)
• Journal entries for Incentives distributed
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  • Dr. Expense
  • Cr. Incentive Liability
• Coalition Entries (if working in a group)
• Volunteer hours

Example of the vendor check calculation; tracking redemptions, distributions, other credit/debit transactions, market sales data:

Example of the batch report input, calculating liabilities and other WSFMA data, reconciling tokens in hand:

See Tracking and Accounting for Farm Direct Alternative Currencies for more information on how to use these tools.

Though the non-profit Food From Farms no longer exists, the organization existed to provide support to farmers markets and other food sustainability programs. This blog entry has been transferred from their site to ensure their legacy continues, and their work can remain to support farmers markets, farms, and more.