Don’t tell me what, teach me how!

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Posted by Brendon Walsh on 24 February 2017

farmer banker meeting 2

There comes a time in many sheep and beef farmer’s lives when they realise that they have been working hard for years but continue to lack decent consistent spare cash for them and their family. Some will do just fine in any year, but they tend to be a small minority. Excuses easily explain it away to others (and ourselves!) using words like “lifestyle” and “they don’t make any more land.” The trouble is that people can easily feel unfulfilled and get a touch despondent about the future. Why does this happen? It’s a good question because farmers own or control the lion’s share of the asset in our industry yet most are nowhere near where they really want to be!

It has become clear to me that many farmers will allow others to do their thinking and major decision making for them. This has always puzzled me because here you have multi-million dollar business owners not in control of their own businesses. What’s with that? Now, I know that times have changed and many were not brought up with the fact that they have a business and therefore must make it profitable and work well every year. Or, profit may not have been a focus because of the belief that “there isn’t much money in farming.”

Let me speak now directly to product and service suppliers who work with farmers. It doesn’t help that many see farmers as a way to keep a steady income flowing in for themselves, regardless of the outcomes for the farmer and their family. Don’t get me wrong - farmers do need help on various fronts because no-one knows everything and farmers have a lot to deal with. But the key here is for farmers to learn how to think for themselves and make great decisions under any circumstance or condition at the time.

Telling the farmer what they should be doing (the other person doing the thinking for them) does farmers a great disservice. When circumstances or conditions change, the farmer has to come back asking for the next answer, and the next answer, and so on. For those who support farmers, how about helping them to learn how to make great decisions FOR THEMSELVES? This is about helping the farmer take responsibility for their own business. All good business owners must do that. In the end though it does come down to what the farm business owner values the most - freedom or security.

Taking that responsibility means they have more control over their decisions and lives and they are more clear and definite in their own minds. This can only be a good thing, giving better results for a business owner and a feeling that they can handle the inevitable hits that life throws at them.

“But won’t helping farmers to think for themselves do me out of a job?” I can hear the chorus now! Perhaps, yes, sometimes! However, those who help farmers to get clear and make great decisions for themselves often end up contributing a ton of value to the farmer. They may keep you on as a key team member because of it. So, whatever you do don’t take from farmers and forget to give value.

Sometimes specific technical knowledge or service is required e.g. a change of business structure, the facilitation of certain deals or building a new specialist system on farm. Great! Get it done! But overall for the farmer it’s about learning how to drive their own business forward using daily and strategic decisions to achieve what is most important to them. Do that and the value in your personal brand skyrockets!

How to help farmers in this way? You could start by asking them to clearly state what they want from any interaction they have with you. You could also get familiar with where they are heading in general. Once you both have that clear, the rest is a lot easier. Be wary of rushing in with your ideal solution without understanding them. Present perhaps the top 2-3 options that could help them achieve their goals and state the risks and pluses/minuses. Then work through scenarios around these to help the farmer come to the best decision for THEIR situation.

It’s your call whether you follow these suggestions but they may be a smidgen useful. After all, I wouldn’t want to tell you what to do, would I?

If you are curious about how the GrowFARM® System can help sheep and beef farmers generate the profits they really want, contact me here.

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Comments

  • I'm even hearing at Feds Exec meetings now that farmers should be thinking of themselves as running businesses. But so many of the supposed 'advisors' are so entrenched in their own thinking, and not open to new ideas, that what gets handed out is 'same old, same old', particularly round fert. In my now many years of studying farming and writing about it I seem to have seen more and more firms/people endeavouring to glean a living from supplying or advising farmers, many of whom just keep on listening and forking out! Do what Brendon says, and start realising what you know as farmers, and don't take as gospel everything you are told because the one telling it has a shirt with a badge on it!

    Posted by Sue Edmonds, 24/02/2017 10:47am (7 years ago)