Helping Farmers To Make Decisions
Extension workers sometimes try to "push" farmers into accepting recommendations. However, when decisions about what to grow or how to sell are imposed this rarely leads to success. Farmers do not feel that the decisions are theirs, they are not committed to them and they feel a lower sense of responsibility. If things do go wrong it is easy for farmers to blame the person who persuaded them to do the "wrong" thing.
Helping farmers to make their own decisions is a more difficult and slower process but, in the long run, it will be more successful than trying to tell farmers what to do. When groups of farmers take on "ownership" of their plans they are more enthusiastic, show more determination to overcome problems and take greater pride if their plan proves successful. They are much more able to overcome problems in the future and to actively seek solutions for themselves.
To make decisions, farmers must be well informed. They need to know what choices they have. They will have to discuss what they can do to improve their marketing and agree on what to do and on who is responsible for the individual tasks. Your role is to guide this process.
The ways in which you can help farmers to decide on what needs to be done to improve their incomes depends on what stage they have reached in their marketing development. Box 3 sets out a method of categorising farmers. This approach helps to identify their likely needs, and what that might mean in terms of possible next steps.
Top Trending Reads:
- Grain Outlook for 2015
- How To Determine If Commodity Prices Are Too Low To Market Grain
- Using Futures Options In Grain Marketing
- Market Insider from the Farm and Ranch Guide
This data and these comments are provided for information purposes only and are not intended to be used for specific trading strategies. Commodity trading is risky and North Central Farmers Elevator and their affiliates assume no liability for the use of any information contained herein. Although all information is believed to be reliable, we cannot guarantee its accuracy and completeness. Past financial results are not necessarily indicative of future performance. Any examples given are strictly hypothetical and no representation is being made that any person will or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to those examples.
North Central Farmers Elevator - 12 5th Ave. Ipswich, SD - 605-426-6021.
