The Farmers Club Newsletter

The “Club Notes” for Tuesday, the 10th of October 2023

By Dwain Duxson

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Designing a Farming business with less labour

Labour in Agriculture has been an issue for some time. Some would say it's getting worse and will keep doing so. So we need to adapt what we do on the Farm to become more labour-efficient. Easier said than done, I know. But it's something we need to think about. It might be a case of looking at what we produce, making a list of each step, and working out which ones we can eliminate. It might be a case of pairing back something, simplifying an operation or looking at making incremental changes where the outcome will bear fruit in 5 years. With the cost of Farming on the rise, these decisions might coincide with some cost savings as well. It would be a great planning and thinking exercise for your Farm team. Reply to [email protected]

A New Uncontrollable in Farming

We see the weather, frosts, commodity prices and markets as uncontrollable in our Farm businesses. But we have a new uncontrollable to add to the list. Farm costs. Perhaps it’s only a semi-uncontrollable, but they are something I know alot of Farmers are battling with right now. The cost of Farming has risen, and just when you have paid one lot of bills, another lot seems to pile up. And this is where it starts to get a bit out of control. You might budget to pay out "x" in bills for the month, but these days, it always seems to me more, and that's where the loss of control starts to hit us. Are you finding it harder to control expenses? Reply to [email protected]

The wrong way round

Why do we only discuss or take action about drought when we are in the grip of one? Why do we tighten up our business strategy when Livestock prices are low and not when we are in the midst of record-high prices and a ripping season? I guess it's human nature to relax a little when things are going well. The mindset would be when things are good, don't mess with too much. As for the drought one, I'm probably a bit harsh there as I think we are ready like we have never been before. That doesn't make it any easier though... Reply to [email protected]

Unwavering focus

I have been talking and dealing with a Farmer for the last month who I've been impressed with. He has an unwavering focus on what he does and knows exactly where he's at. He doesn't seem to succumb to the outside noises and is not concerned by the economic ups and downs. He is confident in what he does but not complacent. He seems to know his numbers, so I'd say he is mathematically minded. His business is not complicated, and he only has one enterprise, so he can focus. I think he's pretty good at the caper, and when you get impressed by someone, you watch a bit harder. Reply to [email protected]

End of message.

Dwain Duxson

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