LUCAEHS Hosts Noble Profitability Essentials Course to Help Small Farmers and Ranchers Boost Financial Success

Zach Abney, an NRI facilitator, explores how shifting perspectives can help overcome challenges and drive greater profitability.

Lincoln University College of Agriculture, Environmental and Human Sciences (LUCAEHS) remains dedicated to supporting small farm owners by addressing their unique challenges and opportunities. On February 11, LUCAEHS hosted its second training session, “Noble Profitability Essentials,” led by Noble Research Institute (Noble) at the George Washington Carver Farm. The course brought together 19 small farmers and ranchers from Missouri, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma and North Carolina, offering practical financial tools and strategies to increase farm profitability.

The session began with an interactive discussion, allowing participants to share their biggest challenges in running profitable operations. Issues like rising expenses, aging infrastructure, cash flow management and the lack of a structured plan topped the list. Zach Abney, a facilitator from Noble, emphasized the importance of shifting perspectives to overcome these barriers.

Ranchers exchange insights and experiences, building knowledge and skills together in the classroom.

"What separates successful ranchers from unsuccessful ones when it comes to profit is mindset — not scale," Abney said, noting that overcoming challenges begins with a change in mindset and adaptability is often the key to unlocking greater profitability.

Throughout the course, participants engaged in interactive exercises that turned classroom instruction into actionable insights. Facilitators guided farmers and ranchers through topics such as budgeting, expense tracking and profit analysis to build a strong foundation for financial planning. Key lessons included:

• Profit Analysis and Budgeting: Learning to track expenses monthly, rather than quarterly, and make conservative income estimates to safeguard profitability.
• Enterprise and Division Analysis: Identifying and managing profit centers, such as crops or livestock, to determine where revenue is generated most effectively.
• Cost Allocation: Understanding overhead costs like labor, land and equipment to better allocate resources and improve gross margins.

Attendees collaborate to brainstorm and identify key productivity tasks for small farm operations.

Farmers and ranchers also explored topics such as livestock inventory management, forecasting and depreciation. Tools like livestock evaluation forms helped participants reassess inventory values and make data-driven decisions to maximize efficiency and profits.

Running through various scenarios served as a reminder to farmers and ranchers to focus their energy on controllable factors. “There are plenty of things we can’t control, but there are decisions you can make that will directly impact your bottom line," Abney said.

The sessions also emphasized the importance of creating a purpose beyond profit. Participants were encouraged to involve family, employees and customers in defining and communicating their goals, leading to increased workforce morale and more aligned decision-making.

Dean Loftis, account supervisor at Noble, noted a growing trend in health-focused farming. “We’ve had a lot of people here inspired by health — either for themselves or their families," he said. "There's a growing trend toward producing healthier food, reducing herbicides and fertilizers and regenerating the soil. This is about creating a sustainable livelihood that benefits the land, the farmer and the community.”

Steven Smith, a regenerative ranching advisor, teaches farmers to identify the most effective revenue streams for small farm operations.

Lincoln University plans to host three more sessions with Noble Research Institute this year:

June 4-6: Noble Grazing Essentials
August 6-7: Noble Land Essentials
September 23-25: Business of Grazing

Noble Research Institute, based in Ardmore, Oklahoma, is the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to regenerating 164 million acres of U.S. grazing lands. For more information on regenerative grazing and upcoming Noble Research Institute courses at Lincoln University, contact Chris Boeckmann at boeckmannc@lincolnu.edu or (573) 635-2063.