Q&A with Steve Core, board member for multiple ethanol plants Steve is featured in this year's Biofuels Financial Conference panel, Meaningful Reports for Financial Leaders. What is the more important decision(s) made by the board annually? What information do you utilize to make that (those) decisions? Communicate clearly with management about goals for the year with a time-line and naming who is responsible to complete the tasks. Boards need to have a board retreat each year to review the past year and set goals for next year and a one-to-five-year plan. What’s the critical difference for planning for long- versus short-term? For long term goals you need to be comfortable with the outlook for ethanol. If you are not, can you Read More...
Congressman Collin Peterson to Speak at Biofuels Financial Conference
This year’s Biofuels Financial Conference will include an appearance by Congressman Collin Peterson. Congressman Peterson represents Minnesota’s Seventh District and is a Ranking Member of the House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture. Congressman Peterson has been a staunch supporter of the biofuels and agriculture industries and an advocate for renewable fuels initiatives in the U.S. The Biofuels Financial Conference offers leaders, decision-makers, and financial experts in the biofuels industry the chance to learn about new and developing issues affecting renewable fuels. Congressman Peterson’s appearance at BFC reflects the continuing importance biofuels have for the U.S. To learn more about the Biofuels Financial Read More...
C&A Hosting Overtime Rule Workshop September 15th
The Willmar Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce has looked to the experts at Christianson & Associates to communicate upcoming changes to federal overtime regulations to local businesses. The Department of Labor’s Overtime Final Rule goes into effect on December 1, 2016 and includes some major changes pertaining to local businesses. The threshold for all salaried employees has increased significantly and employers will need to review all salaried employees to make sure they are in compliance with the new regulations. To discuss the changes coming with the Overtime Final Rule and how these changes will affect local businesses, Christianson & Associates will be hosting a free workshop on September 15th from 7:30 to 9:00am at the Willmar Read More...
C&A to Host 12th Annual Biofuels Financial Conference
Christianson & Associates is hosting its 12th annual Biofuels Financial Conference October 17-18 at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Minnesota. With this conference, C&A continues our legacy of working with the biofuels industry to build and sustain financial growth. “We have had the opportunity to be part of the Ethanol and Biodiesel industries’ development for the past 20 years,” says John Christianson of Christianson & Associates. “Helping our clients and these industries succeed is our primary purpose. The Biofuels Financial Conference lets us help companies interact with each other, to address the critical financial issues facing the industry.” The two-day conference provides simultaneous ethanol and Read More...
C&A Hosts its Second LCFS Webinar
Christianson & Associates hosted its second in a series of webinars discussing the upcoming changes to California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). This webinar, held August 3rd, discusses the most recent LCFS changes presented by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) during their July 29th workshop. Since early in 2016, CARB has been working on updating the LCFS program. Developments include new pathway and carbon intensity modelling, regulatory changes, and a requirement for third-party verification of Fuel Pathway compliance and LCFS credits transactions. To present these changes, CARB has held a series of workshops at intervals throughout 2016 outlining the proposed changes and has allowed stakeholders the opportunity to Read More...
Tax Newsletter 8/1/2016
About Your IRS Notice or Letter The IRS normally sends correspondence in the mail and they mail millions of letters to taxpayers every year. This is a follow up to last week’s newsletter with some points to keep in mind if you, or your client, get a letter or notice. Don’t ignore it. Most notices can be responded to quickly and easily. Follow instructions. Read the notice carefully. It will tell you if you need to take any action. Follow the instructions. The letter will have contact information if you have questions. Focus on the issue. IRS notices usually deal with a specific issue about the tax return or tax account. The notice or letter will explain the reason for the contact and give instructions on how to handle the Read More...
5 Signs Your cGMPs are Ready for FSMA
The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) covers the operation of a facility that manufactures, processes, packs, or holds animal food for sale in the United States. Renewable fuels facilities producing feed co-products are no exception. In fact, if you are a biofuels producer that sells co-products later used as an ingredient in animal feed (ex. distillers grains, corn oil, glycerin), FSMA is a multi-faceted regulatory program with which you will soon become quite familiar. Phase 1 Requirements The first phase of FSMA compliance requires implementation of “Current Good Manufacturing Processes” listed in Subpart B of the Code of Federal Regulations (21 CFR 507). cGMPs help establish the basic environmental and operating conditions Read More...
MN Minimum Wage Increase 2016
Effective August 1, 2016, the minimum wage in Minnesota will increase. The increase will impact all businesses, including agri-businesses. Hourly Rate Overview Below is a brief overview of the new minimum wage rates for hours worked beginning August 1, 2016. LARGE EMPLOYER Any enterprise with an annual gross dollar volume of sales made or business done of $500,000 or more $9.50 SMALL EMPLOYER Any enterprise with an annual gross dollar volume of sales made or business done of less than $500,000 $7.75 TRAINING RATE May be paid to employees younger than 20 years of age for the first 90 consecutive days of employment $7.75 YOUTH RATE Paid to employees younger than 18 years of age who are not covered under Read More...
Ask the Experts – Presidential Tax Policies
Tax Policy Highlights of the 2016 Presidential Candidates As featured on KWLM 1340 Newstalk with Todd Bergeth, Joel Gratz and Bradley Pederson from Christianson & Associates discuss the tax policies of the 2016 presidential candidates and their impact on you. You can also listen to our latest radio ad focusing on how our certified public accountants assist ag producers with farm equity preservation, cash flow management, and debt coverage analysis. Read More...
Come visit us at FEW 2016
Christianson & Associates is featured at the Fuel Ethanol Workshop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Come see our experts present at the 2016 FEW and visit our booth, #1134. Track 2: Leadership and Financial Management Didn’t See that Coming: Best Practices for Being Ready for Unforeseen Weather Events, Inspections, Legal Events and other Uncommon Occurrences Phil Cleary, Technical Research Consultant, Christianson & Associates PLLP Ethanol and the Oil Spill Tax Download Presentation: Ethanol and the Oil Spill Tax (OSLT) Track 2: Leadership and Financial Management It’s the Margin that Matters: Positioning Your Plant for the Best Possible Financial Results John Christianson, Principal Partner, Read More...