The prophets of new agriculture have offered some signposts for those who venture down the new road.
- Change your perspective.
Become the chief executive officer of a resource-based enterprise, exploiting your land, machinery, capital and knowledge to get the best return on time and equity.
To get out of the rut of looking at things the same way, “you’ve got to say, ‘what if I wasn’t a farmer?'” said Brent VanKoughnet.
- Make a two-year commitment to change.
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Commit yourself to unearthing new information once a week for two years, except during seeding and harvest. You’ll be amazed by how much you learn, said Brian Kelly.
- Look outside agriculture.
Borrow from successful businesses in other sectors, said Erna Van Duren of the University of Guelph’s electronic MBA in agriculture program.
VanKoughnet reads magazines like Fast Company and Inc. to get inspired by innovation elsewhere.
- Research your consumers.
There’s plenty of research out there about what consumers want, said Van Duren. Read it at libraries, on the internet, or work your phone.
- Great minds think alike.
Develop relationships by asking questions. Talk to provincial agriculture marketing specialists, processors, buyers, sellers and other farmers. “Spend time with positive people who are doing things,” said Kelly.
Contact people who you think could be future allies. Buy them a cup of coffee at a trade show. Chat about mutual interests and you might uncover future business opportunities, said VanKoughnet.
Adds Dave Sparling: “If you’re seen as someone interested and capable, you’ll become part of their plans for new markets.”
- Become friends with your computer.
Get comfortable surfing the internet. Check out e-commerce sites. Try on-line banking or trade a load of feed grain to gain some experience.
- Invest in expertise.
Go to seminars or courses. On-line and distance courses make it easy to work from home. Use consulting expertise when you don’t have the skills, knowledge or smarts you think you need.
- Brand your farm.
Determine what sets you apart from others and promote the difference.
- If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.
This is the mantra of a successful potato grower
VanKoughnet knows. Farmers can get ready for growing new products by documenting how they produce now and why they make those management decisions.
- Prepare for quality control.
There’s a market for farmers who invest in process. Understand systems like HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) and ISO, the international series of standards for quality management systems, said Sparling. Get ready for identity-preserved contracts by ensuring you have the storage you’ll need. Shop around and try out an IP contract.
Farmers will get practice with identity-preserved systems because of consumer furore over genetically modified crops, he noted.
- See the value in your data.
Become your own field-tester and add intelligence to your product Ð for a price.
- Find the devil in the details.
The most profitable farmers set themselves apart by making a bit more on each product and saving a bit on each cost, said Lowell Catlett. “Little bitty things all add up to the big difference,” said the economist.
Adds MacFarquhar, who in his consulting sideline business helps farmers find ways to increase profitability: “There’s very few operations we see that with a few tweaks we can’t make a difference in the bottom line.”
