printStock Journal Article - November 2024
Author: Ken Solly, Solly Business Services
Production wise much of the outcome of this year is known well before the harvester is taken out of the shed and the lambs are sold. Farmers now are dealing with reality, not hope, and the rewards for this year’s work for many will be rather dismal. My mother would say to me forget the loss and learn the lesson, harsh comments but there is an element of wisdom in the phrase.
The key question farmers need to ask themselves now is, what is the best possible way forward from here. Firstly, they must remind themselves that the season was not of their doing and it is not so much the cards that you are dealt in life but the way you play they cards you have received. With climate, markets and inflation out of one’s control it is to move your mindset and decision making to the factors that are within your control.
In all situations the outcomes are usually only as good as the plan on which the decision was made. So, it is time to develop a forward plan until the end of 2025. Having done your cash flow budget for this period you then have time to keep reworking and refining it and gain confidence that it is the best you can possibly do. If the bank has signed off on increased borrowings, then that is a big weight off your shoulders.
Most grain growers will have a short harvest and thought should be channelled into how you will use the extra time. Spending money can be an essential part of utilising time when building or improving something, but that need not be the case if money is scare. There are still many farm jobs that can be done that require little funding. When things are going against you, continuing to achieve things is one of the best antidotes for a bad season. Feeling in control as much as possible is another.
Earlier in the year when the season was going “pear shaped” I witnessed so many farmers underfeeding sheep. It was not until I was able to show them that the cost of underfeeding was greater that their attitude changed. Sometimes you have to take one step backwards to take two steps forward and the farming game needs to be viewed as a long term one.
Quite often your success is determined by your mental attitude, positive thinking creates more positive thinking and the reverse is the case with negative thinking. That being the case it is important to reflect on what keeps you in a positive frame of mind. This year you may not have spare money for a holiday but you will have the time and freshening yourself is more important now than ever before. If you have a holiday house, caravan or camper trailer you may consider offering it to a family that are doing it tough. I can assure you, you will be repaid in many different ways. We need to remind ourselves that life is first and foremost about people not money.
Staying on top of things can be improved by you and your partner having an informal weekly meeting, where you reflect on the good things of the past seven days and discuss the next weeks, must do, should do and could do events. Doing more things with your kids is a must, they will energise you and put life in its true perspective. Giving each other recognition and praise where due should be ongoing. Sitting around wasting time and not keeping your mind challenged is a no-go zone.
Maybe now is the time to reorganise the workshop, clean out under the shearing shed or build a fence with the material on hand. Turn a negative into a positive. The key to this season is to learn all the lessons that are on offer and write them down for next time. It is not a matter of if, but when, history tells us that.