The 2026 crop year has been one of those where life handed us a lot of rotten lemons and asked us to make lemonade. Rain, hail, soaring energy prices, more rain, data wars, unreliable USDA numbers — and did I mention rain? In the weeks ahead, the laptop will be the most valuable tool on the farm. Taking in the data from this year’s crop, making necessary changes to next year’s rotation, filing cost-share paperwork for cover crops, preparing for pretax appointments, monitoring local basis, and understanding what our cost of carry is — these are the office jobs that aren’t fun, and most of us avoid them. Myself included. But the amount of money that can be gained or lost by ignoring the business side of the farm is massive in today’s world. So, while you’re all busy cleaning equipment, doing maintenance, and hauling grain — don’t forget to carve out some time to sharpen those pencils and stare at some spreadsheets.