The Automation of Monthly Cash Flow Monitoring
A key P2PAgri capability is the integration with the accounting platform Xero. This happens in two levels of P2PAgri:
ESSENTIALS – Trial Balance data can be imported from Xero into the ESSENTIALS level of P2PAgri. Here data is prepared to provide business management analytics and past important financial trends of the business. The Management Profit and Loss and Management Balance Sheet are created, along with essential business performance ratios.
SEASON – A detailed planned monthly cash flow is created in P2PAgri at the beginning of the farming season. As the season unfolds, actual monthly income and expenditure data can be imported from Xero to automate the cash flow planning and monitoring process. This makes this important financial management process automated and easy to maintain.
Instructions for importing Xero data to monitor monthly cash flows
The monthly ‘Profit and Loss’ data from Xero can be imported into the SEASON > Cash Flow section of P2PAgri, which automates the activity of cash flow management. Follow these 6 steps to initially line up the accountant categories used in Xero with the account categories in P2PAgri, then continue to import this data monthly to manage cash flow through the season. Then finish with easy-to-use reporting.
Log into P2PAgri
 | Login into P2PAgri and ensure that all the necessary data for the farming business has been entered. Before you start working on Cash Flow, make sure you enter the following in this order: Dashboard Paddock Livestock Pasture Cropping Financials This will ensure you have completed all the necessary income, expenses and lending needed for your account categories in P2PAgi, and will make matching account categories easier with your Xero account categories. |
Complete your planned monthly Cash Flow
Please note in this ‘pop-up’ menu, the ‘Budgeted Total’ is the accrual estimate of the annual income of Barley for this farm. This number is provided as a guide and is based on the number of paddocks in barley, the estimated yields and prices. This may not be the annual cash income as this depends on when and how much barley is sold. Barley that is stored for this period to be sold next year will appear in next year’s cash flow budget.
 | Go to SEASON > Cash Flow > Planned and ‘left click’ on the first income item. Enter the expected monthly amount of income expected in this 12-month period. Enter your expected income in the appropriate months, scroll to the bottom of the pop-up menu and select ‘Save’.  Repeat this process until each income, expenditure and loan repayment are entered. If you have a regular income or expense item you can use the grey area to the right to select equal month, equal bimonthly etc. and then select ‘Apply’. P2PAgri will split the amount and place in the correct months. If you are happy with this entry select ‘Save’ and continue. |
Import actual data from Xero
 | When you are in SEASON > Cash Flow, ‘left-click’ on the ‘Import with Xero’ button, top right of the screen. |
 | Select the year in which you wish to import the Xero data, by selecting the correct year in the ‘time-line’. In this example 2022 data is to be brought into P2PAgri. Left-click the ‘Connect to Xero’ button |
 | Select the business entity you wish to connect with. If you have multiple business entities, bring the data in from the entity that is used to manage the check book. P2PAgri can only bring in one entity’s data. Left-click ‘Continue with 1 organization |
  | Note: If you have selected the incorrect business entity in Xero, you can disconnect from Xero by left-clicking on the ‘Disconnect with Xero’ button. |
  | Once connected you can select the month you wish to import. Please note this should be a month after you have reconciled the Xero data. |
 | Now work your way down the screen matching the Xero categories listed in the left column with the P2PAgri categories in the drop-down menu |
 | If you wish to split a Xero category between two or more P2PAgri categories select the associated ‘+’ and select the appropriate P2PAgri category. Split the payment amount accordingly. |
 | If you do not have the correct P2PAgri category to select from, scroll down and left-click the orange ‘Save’ button, go back into P2PAgri and add the item into the appropriate part of P2PAgri. Note this could be in the menu areas of Paddock through to Financials. If it’s a variable cost category it is likely to be in Livestock, Pastures or Cropping. If it’s an overhead category it’s likely to be in Financials > Fixed Costs. Once you have entered the category then repeat from the start of Step 3. Repeat this until all categories are matched. Please note P2PAgri will remember your matching, so each month’s Xero importing will become more automated. |
 | Loan repayment data is not available for Xero, so P2PAgri has a table at the bottom of this popup menu that suggests what loan repayments you have made that month. If P2PAgri has guessed correctly then select ‘Save’ and continue. Otherwise put in the correct loan monthly payments for that month, select ‘Save’ and continue. |
Cash Flow Reporting
The reporting of Cash Flow planned to actual can be done in two ways:
 | Chart – Selecting SEASON > Cash Flow > Chart will show a data graphically, showing the progress of the monthly cash flow. The ‘blue’ line showing planned and the ‘orange’ line showing actual. |
 | Comparison – By selecting the ‘Start Month’ and the ‘End Month’ Comparison will show the difference of each category between the planned and actual. This highlights where the significant changes have been in the budgeting process. |
Print the Reports
 | You can create a pdf of any of the reports by left-clicking the ‘Print Report’ button and selecting which combination you require. These pdf file can be printed or emailed to other people involved in your business. |
  | Please note the ‘Start Month’ and ‘End Month’ selected in SEASON > Cash Flow > Comparison will determine which group of months are reported. |
 Create a CSV file | If you wish to create a csv file of either the Cash Flow > Planned or Cash Flow > Actual, left-click the ‘Print Report’ button and select the appropriate ‘Excel’ icon to the right of the pop-up menu. |