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When you’re running a complex, fast-paced farm operation with a lot of moving pieces, there are always many decisions being made.
With the 2023 crop year wrapped up, it’s a season with some clear shifts going on. There’s less time-sensitive production work to do, and everyone’s attention moves toward the many other tasks that need to get done in the operation.
An important part of your role as the CEO of your farm is to consider and then plan for what the farm is going to need in order to thrive in the future. The best time to start making 2024 plans is right now.
Dealing with problems and challenges on the farm: No one really likes to handle them, but it’s certainly part of the job when you’re the farm’s leader.
When you think about your farm’s team, you might first think of your employees and the other people who work directly within the operation, such as other family members who are involved. These people are key to your farm’s mission and success, in the trenches with you every day.
What are top farm operators doing to move ahead of the curve? The operations might look different from the outside, but there tends to be one thing in common.
Many farmers have questions about when is the right time to grow or expand their operation. These questions might be focused around good timing for growth in terms of both internal and external conditions.
There’s always a lot happening on the farm in the summer. It’s growing season, after all. And right now, there’s also a lot happening in terms of the farm’s financial outlook as weather forecasts and markets continue to shift.
Farm leaders are typically the ones who must make the biggest decisions for the operation. That’s not to say that others in the operation don’t make a lot of important decisions every day that impact the bottom line.
What first comes to your mind when you hear the word change? Different people can have very different reactions when even just thinking about change or the idea of something changing.
When you think about your farm operation and why you want to work to make it successful, what first comes to mind? You might think about how you want to create a successful operation to perhaps one day bring in the next generation.
When you think of the word “professional,” what comes to mind? You might think about something looking a certain way, perhaps very sharp or put-together.
Do you personally know any farmers who are very resourceful? If you grew up on a farm, maybe you watched your Dad or Grandpa fix almost anything, seemingly without needing to buy anything that wasn’t already available on the farm.
We’ve started into a brand-new year. At this time, many people begin to think about new plans, goals and intentions for the upcoming months.
As 2022 wraps up, there’s a lot that farm leaders can use to move forward into 2023 plans. It can be helpful to start out on the “strengths” side for your operation in 2022. What were some of the things that went really well? What did your team do well? What were the high points?