Several of our accepted on-farm practices are keeping many sheep and beef farmers in a state of low profit and lack of belief that they can generate any more profit than they are doing now. In fact these practices tend to be recommended to farmers with the belief that they are sound. However, there tends to be very little connection with long term use of these practices and the historically poor business results from farming that are keeping our farm businesses just off survival. Here are some examples:
While speaking recently with sheep and beef farmers in Southland, it was confirmed to me just how important personal confidence really is in sheep and beef farming. As we discussed farming and what opportunities people saw for themselves and their businesses, two distinct lines of thought emerged out of two completely different thinking environments.
As a sheep and beef farmer, have you ever stopped to ask yourself if you really know the pattern for generating profit from your farm business? Have you ever mulled over how it should be a lot simpler than our industry (and our annual results) seems to make it? Well, the good news is that creating profit from a sheep and beef farm business comes down to exactly that - keeping it simple!
All sheep and beef farmers need to answer these 3 questions accurately if they really want to get their hands on that consistent profit that is proving so elusive in our industry. Moving their businesses forward is not only important, it is crucial to their families futures.
Sheep and beef farmers are enjoying some reasonable returns lately, and rightly so! They produce great products (mainly meat and wool) that consumers need to stay healthy and well clothed. It is in fact very challenging for the average consumer to find good healthy food (such as meat) produced by nature and without additives of some kind these days. Fibre from the sheep's back (natural) is also very hard to beat in terms of it's attributes for warmth, durability, good looks and fire retardant properties, among others.
The focus for many sheep and beef farmers at the moment is on lifting returns "to provide a decent reward for their efforts and make farming actually worthwhile." This is mainly due to the sentiment around lack of profitability in sheep and beef farming - a lack of spare cash and the lack of options people perceive around that.
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