Iowa Farm Business Association

What Iowa Farm Business Association does

Iowa Farm Business Association (IFBA) is a member-controlled cooperative founded circa 1950 and headquartered in Ames, Iowa, providing business management services to individual farm businesses in Iowa. The association is governed by a farmer-elected board of directors; members hire agricultural consultants who deliver scheduled on-farm consultations, financial record-keeping, comparative performance analysis, and income tax planning and preparation. Its member base consists of Iowa farm businesses (SMB-segment), with named case-study users including Diamond E Farms and Wistam Farms.

The association's core products center on a Farm Record Keeping System available in three delivery modes: a manual farm account book, a computerized monthly accounting system with coded-check mail-in service, and the proprietary PC Mars farm accounting software. Members also receive Computerized Business Reports covering capital structure, net worth, enterprise analysis, and depreciation; on-farm consultant visits; income tax assistance; and access to educational seminars and tours. PC Mars — developed internally and described as 'by farmers for farmers' — is the principal software differentiator and a domain-specialized asset in farm financial management.

IFBA operates a geographic distribution model with agricultural tax and financial consultants deployed across six Iowa regions (Cedar Valley, Central Iowa, Mississippi Valley, Northeast Iowa, Northwest Iowa, Southwest Iowa), supported by offices in Ames (headquarters) and Jefferson (state coordinator). Revenue is generated through annual membership dues set by the elected board; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The organization is funded entirely through member dues with no identified outside institutional investors, and it operates the Farm Business Association Foundation as a wholly-owned charitable arm focused on rural community programs.

Name

Iowa Farm Business Association

Legal name

Iowa Farm Business Association

Website

https://iowafarmbusiness.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Iowa Farm Business Association is a member-controlled cooperative, founded circa 1950 and headquartered in Ames, Iowa, that provides farm business management services — record keeping, comparative financial analysis, on-farm consulting, and income tax preparation — to individual Iowa farm operations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Business Management Services

NAICS

Farm Management Services (115116)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYAFACAJAC

Farm Financial Management & Recordkeeping Services

Agriculture & Food Production/Agricultural Services (Custom Farming, Agronomy, Veterinary)/Farm Management & Operational Advisory Services

SECONDARYAFAAAFAA

Farm Management Information Systems (FMIS) & Farm ERPs

Agriculture & Food Production/Agricultural Equipment & Technology/Precision Agriculture & Farm Management Software (GIS, IoT, Telematics)

SECONDARYAFACAJAA

Whole-Farm Business Management & Budgeting Advisory

Agriculture & Food Production/Agricultural Services (Custom Farming, Agronomy, Veterinary)/Farm Management & Operational Advisory Services

Keywords

• Farm business management
• Agricultural consulting
• Farm accounting services
• Farm tax assistance
• Farm record keeping

Headquarters

HQ city

Ames

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Annual Membership Dues: Members pay annual dues established by the farmer board of directors. The association is controlled and operated by its members who hire agricultural consultants for farm business management services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Iowa Farm Business Association provides farm business management services to individual Iowa farmers through a member-controlled cooperative model. Members receive farm record-keeping systems (manual account book, computerized monthly accounting, or PC Mars software), computerized business reports with comparative benchmarking, scheduled on-farm consultations with agricultural consultants, income tax planning and return preparation, and access to educational seminars and meetings.

Product overview

Iowa Farm Business Association provides business management services for individual farm businesses through a member-controlled association model. The core offering is a comprehensive Farm Record Keeping System available in three variations: manual farm account book, computerized monthly accounting system, and PC Mars software. Members also receive Computerized Business Reports with financial analysis and comparative benchmarking, Scheduled Farm Visits from agricultural consultants, Income Tax Assistance, and access to Tours, Seminars, and Informational Meetings. The association operates through a network of local consultants across Iowa regions. The Farm Business Association Foundation operates as a separate charitable arm focused on developing new tools and programs for agricultural producers and rural communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Farm Record Keeping System

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Saltech SystemsminorOthersThird-party web hosting and development service provider. Saltech Systems provides web design, development, IT, and hosting services for iowafarmbusiness.org. They are a separate entity from IFBA with their own privacy policy and terms of use.
• USAePayminorOthersPayment processing gateway used by IFBA for handling payment transactions. Credit card and payment information is transmitted to USAePay for secure processing.
• Greatland CorporationminorOthersPayment processing and privacy/security services provider used by IFBA for transaction handling and data protection.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Conservis: Provides farm management software for planning, records, and financial reporting across crop and livestock operations. Competes with IFBA's record-keeping and business report services through a modern cloud platform aimed at larger commercial farms.
• Granular (Corteva): A cloud-based farm management software platform (now part of Corteva) offering records, planning, and benchmarking for row crop operations. Direct functional overlap with IFBA's PC Mars and comparative analysis capabilities, but at a different technology-generation and scale.
• FarmRaise: A financial management and grants/loan support platform for farmers, including record keeping and benchmarking. Targets a similar SMB farmer segment as IFBA but with a digital-first delivery model that could substitute for traditional association services.

Broad incumbents

• Compeer Financial: A major Farm Credit cooperative serving Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin with lending, risk management, and farm financial advising. Comparable on customer base and advisory services, though it operates at much larger scale and across multiple states.
• AgCountry Farm Credit Services: A large Farm Credit System lender serving farmers across the upper Midwest including Iowa. Overlaps with IFBA on farm financial advisory, record keeping tools, and benchmarking, but operates as a much broader financial services provider rather than a focused management association.
• Iowa Farm Bureau Federation: A large statewide general farm organization serving Iowa with insurance, advocacy, and member services. Overlaps with IFBA on Iowa farmer membership base and advisory content, but at far broader scale and with a different primary mission.

Direct peers

• Illinois Farm Business Farm Management (FBFM): FBFM provides the closest analogue to IFBA: a member-supported service delivering farm record keeping, financial analysis, income tax management, and farm management consulting to Illinois farmers. It is the most direct functional and structural peer.
• FBS Systems (AgriSolutions): Provides on-premise farm accounting and management software (FBS) for crop and livestock producers, including financial reporting and analysis. Closely parallels IFBA's PC Mars in product scope and customer base, serving independent farmers needing farm-specific accounting.
• Michigan State University Extension — Telfarm: Telfarm delivers farm record keeping, financial analysis, and tax preparation services to Michigan farmers — a structurally similar state-level farm business management program to IFBA's Iowa offering.
• Center for Farm Financial Management (University of Minnesota): Develops FINPACK and other farm financial analysis tools used by farm management associations and educators across the Midwest. Comparable to IFBA's role in producing/maintaining farm financial benchmarking software and analysis for member associations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/iowafarmbusiness
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/central-iowa-farm-business

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Iowa Farm Business Association