Bottineau, ND, March 31, 2025 – Dakota College at Bottineau (DCB) enrolls farmers and ranchers throughout the north central and western part of North Dakota. They work one-on-one with DCB’s Farm Management Education (NDFME) instructors throughout the state; Bottineau, Minot, Rugby, and Stanely. Enrollees do not sit in a traditional classroom setting. Since no two farm and ranch operations are the same, working one-on-one allows direction on a per-case basis. DCB – NDFME Instructors work with enrollees’ personal financial information to help understand and improve effectiveness in four main areas: Business & Family Goal Setting, Farm & Ranch Business Records, Financial Analysis, and Planning.

The information and data provided to instructors are confidential. Enrollee lenders are included as requested to communicate financial information efficiently and discreetly.  Data analysis is anonymously submitted annually to publish state and regional average reports. “Our family has been in the Farm Management Education Program in Bottineau since the first year it started, and it has always been an important part of our farm. From budgeting to the year-end analysis, they have been an invaluable partner to the success of our farming operation. They are also a valuable resource for benchmark analysis so we can compare our financials to other farmers in our area to see what we are doing well and where improvements can be made.” Bottineau FME testimonial. Categories are averaged to produce benchmarks for Average of All Farms, Low 20%, 40%-60%, and High 20% for a wide variety of financial measures and enterprises. This ensures that the enrollee’s exact information is never revealed and only used in the averaging of calculations.

The 2024 North Central Region averages will be presented by the DCB Farm Management Instructors on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, and Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Bottineau and Minot respectively. The April 8 presentation will host a guest speaker: Hannah Hoffert, DCB Mental Health Coordinator sharing warning signs and resources available in rural ND for depression and suicide.  The April 10 presentation will host guest speaker Nick Mock, Financial Advisor from Freedom Financial.