What is the difference between a good farmer and a great farmer?
Many people only focus on being a successful farmer – that is to be able to pay the bills and wages, make investments for the future and manage to keep a profit.
But what about the farmer that can tick all of these boxes, and
still wants to expand from being a good farmer to becoming a great farmer.
After years of speaking to some of the greatest farmers in the industry
there are certain common traits that we can identify among all of them.
Apart from the fact that they all read ProAgri, there are other factors that make them extraordinary:
- Farmers are leaders.
Being a leader means that others can depend on you. Great farmers
provide direction, not only for their employees but also for the industry.
They become involved in corporate agriculture where they are able to
provide a practical perspective for the decision makers - Never sell a raw product.
Some of the wealthiest farmers believe that no product can leave their
farm before value is added to that product. Processing raw materials
into refined products might increase your initial capital investment and
operational costs, but it also increases profitability significantly. - Management.
Record keeping, operational management and risk management are
some of the most important features on any farm. A farm is an economical engine that works constantly. The moment that you allow things to get out of control on your farm is the moment that you will start
losing money. - Location, location, location.
Always be aware of your surroundings. If you can address a need in your immediate vicinity, you can make a profit and not have the trouble of long-distance transport. It might be a good idea if you want to start a new division on your farm to see what your community needs most.
- Farmers are trend-setters.
It has been proven that farmers are very quick to adapt to new technology or techniques in order to get the work done faster, more effectively, and more profitably. Farmers are under increasing pressure to produce as much as possible with as little as possible. Therefore, they are quick to adapt to new solutions for their businesses. The best way to stay up to date on the latest developments in agriculture
without paying any subscription fees is to keep reading ProAgri. We are the leaders in African agricultural media and provide the informative articles that are easy to access. Don’t settle for being a good farmer.
Be a great farmer!
Farm smartly!
Jaco Cilliers- jaco@proagri.co.za