Bob Matlick
Robert A. Matlick
Of Counsel – Independent Contractor
Industry: Agribusiness – Dairy
Location: Visalia, CA
Bob Matlick spent more than three decades providing business consulting services to the agriculture industry with an emphasis on Western United States dairies. He joined Frazer LLP in 1986, after spending eight years in the banking industry. His extensive service specialties include credit acquisition, buy/sell transactions, including tax-deferred exchanges, debt & management restructuring of distressed agriculture financial situations, preparation of feasibility studies, and facility relocation services. Bob was a frequent author for industry publications and delivered many presentations regarding dairy business operations. Since retiring as a Partner end of 2019, he has continued to be an Advisor & Consultant to the firm and clients on an ongoing basis.
Areas of Specialty:
- Identifying, establishing, and forecasting effective business models to maximize profitability for each unique operation and situation
- Credit acquisition
- Distressed credit and bankruptcy situations
- Consultant to credit situations
- Litigation support and expert witness testimony
Education:
California State Polytechnic University
San Luis Obispo, CA
Bachelor of Science, Agriculture Management
Northwest Agriculture Credit School
Pullman, WA
Agriculture Lending
Business/Community Associations and Activities:
- Agricultural Lenders Society of California, Board of Directors
- Alpha Zeta Honorary Agricultural Fraternity
- American Dairy Science Association
- American Society of Agricultural Consultants
- American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers
- Dairy Calf & Heifer Association
- Idaho Milk Processors Association
Published Articles:
March 2019 – A Global Perspective on the Milk Industry: Highlights & Statistics, Idaho Dairy Focus
Bottom line observations are that the dairy industry is in a global market and milk price is a world competition. Read on.
April 2015 – Evaluating your operation to measure profitability, DairyBusiness West
Milk income remains one of the dairy industry’s greatest drivers of profitability, often leading to the common question among dairy producers, “How many cows should I milk?” The answer is not as simple as it seems; I think the real question is, “What business model is right for this dairy?” The number of cows is a major part of every dairy’s business model, but it is not the only part. Read on.
April 2014 – Consultants or Management Teams, Dairy Business West
For a consultant or consulting team to be effective, they must respect the knowledge of other consultants involved with the operation. Read this article for guidelines on conducting meetings with your dairy consulting team.
March 2014 – What should I do with a healthy milk check, Progressive Dairyman
Milk checks in 2014 look like they will more than cover my feed and operating expenses. Since this hasn’t happened for some time, and since I’m still gun-shy after 2009, how much cash should I hold liquid in a bank account after I pay some bills and build back a little equity? What should I do? Read this article for Bob Matlick’s response.
July 2013 – ‘Top Line’ Management Impacts Bottom Line, Dairy Today eUpdate
I have seen many of my dairy farmer clients negotiate hard on feed and supply purchases—sometimes down to what seems like pennies. They have squeezed, skimped, or just plain dropped many expense items. Rarely, however, do I have a client react to the ‘top line’ of the income statement when finances are a struggle. Read this article to consider evaluating your income rather than your expenses when the checkbook gets tight.
March 2013 – Know Your Own Dairy’s Numbers, Dairy Today eUpdate
Many dairy operators want to look at benchmarking or peer-group statistics to identify weak spots in their own operations. Read this article to learn the importance of benchmarking against your own dairy operation to make continual improvements.
August 2012 – How to Project Your Dairy’s Working Capital Needs, Dairy Today eUpdate
Working capital is the amount of readily available cash a business has available to meet its operating needs and any unexpected volatility related to its own business cycle. In the past, a dairy producer has relied on bank lines of credit for his or her working capital needs. With increasing volatility in the milk output and feed input side of the dairy business, a dairy owner should be keenly aware of his own personal working capital position. Read this article to accomplish this by forecasting business operations.
June 2012 – More than a Way of Life…, Western Dairy Business
If I think about my 34 years in agriculture finance and consulting, I realize running a dairy is now a business, and not just a way of life. To be competitive, producers must understand air and water regulations, labor laws, cash flow projections, hedging on futures exchanges, and how international markets affect local markets. Read this article for Bob Matlick’s thoughts on the issues of running a dairy business.
May 2012 – Smart Money Management – Accept the Business of Dairy, Dairy Today eUpdate
I see many producers who keep immaculate herd, reproductive and production records; however, many of those same producers have poor quality financial and money management records that may in turn lead to poor business decisions. I will many times drive home asking myself this very simple question, “Why?” Read this article to learn why financial records, both historically and looking forward, is critical to manage your dairy business.
March 2012 – Business plan, marketing plan or liquidation plan, Progressive Dairyman
Do you have a business plan, a marketing plan or a liquidation plan? In general, agriculture has always been a price taker (in both inputs and outputs), and dairy is no exception, perhaps even the leader. When milk price volatility brings negative margins, the typical producer seems to focus on cost cutting, as opposed to revenue generation. The cost cutting is then usually done without a plan and is more of a knee-jerk reaction. Read this article to learn how to reduce the risk associated with areas under your control, such as inputs and outputs, by creating a business plan for your dairy.
January 2012 – Is the Money Really Lost, Dairy Today eUpdate
Producers have a different risk profile based on their own balance sheet, management style, banking relationship and overall personality. Read this article for information about developing a business and marketing plan for your dairy that projects your individual operation for 12-24 months. The plan should include anticipated milk production, any herd increase or decrease, seasonality of milk production, anticipated feed costs (including physical hedges-inventory and forward contracts), capital improvements and debt structure.