With the new year beginning now’s a great time to take stock and evaluate your goals for the year ahead:
Embrace New Technology
With advancements in technology occurring all the time it could be time to embrace the latest innovations and incorporate them into your practices. Whether that’s using farming apps or adapting and using drones in your farming practices – technology could give you and your farm the boost you are looking for to stay ahead of the curve.
Evaluate your goals and outlooks
The new year is always a time where people look at goals for their lives, such as losing weight, getting fit or doing that thing they’ve never done before. But, what are your goals for your farm? How long do you want to keep your farming practices going? Is there a new section of the market you want to diversify into? Do you have any unused land you’d like to make usable again through better land drainage?
Look at your work/life balance
Farming can be a very time consuming job – and no one’s saying you have to give up doing what you love. But how about making sure you have the right balance of work life on the farm and family life at home? Why not create a work schedule which balances both for this year? Giving yourself and your family time to relax together.
Farm Shows/Events
Could this year be the year you chose to exhibit at farm shows? These shows can be a great way to network and build connections with other farmers, as well as in other sectors of the agricultural market.
Promote your compliance to environmental initiatives
The importance of complying with environmental initiatives is increasing for farmers. Especially as some of the UK’s biggest supermarkets now base their selection criteria upon this. Initiatives include harvesting rainwater, ensuring sewage is treated correctly or maintaining high standards of animal welfare.
Increase your Commitment to Safety
The safety of your workers and people is just as important as the crop, machinery and livestock. Use this new year to have a rethink of your safety procedures and if there are any ways you can improve them to give your workers the best work environment possible. Even small changes can go a long way in making people feel safe!
Engage with the General Public
At a time where an emphasis on safe and fresh produce is at its height, it’s important to share with the public, through channels such as social media, why your produce is as safe as it can be. This can help consumers know where their food is coming from, whilst encouraging them to buy your ethical, environmentally friendly products!
Try Something New
The new year could be the perfect time for you to try that thing you’ve always wanted to do. Whether it be a new variation of seed you plant to diversifying you’re unused farmland. (Check out our blog on ways to diversify your farmland to make your land usable again). Let this year be the year where you try things to see if they work and it could be the perfect thing your business is looking for.
Be Active on Social Media
If you do nothing else this year – do this. Social media is an ever growing platform that doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Being active on social media involves engaging with current customers whilst trying to gain new ones. This engagement takes time and if it’s reciprocated can help grow your business. They can all be accessed on a mobile device, and even taking pictures of your livestock or produce and posting them can boost your sales and popularity.
Being a farmer can be a stressful job, however it can also be so rewarding. So this year focus on you and your business and we hope some of our resolution ideas resonate with you!
If you would like to talk to someone and gain expert advice on any of our products, we’d be more than happy to help, give us a call on 0121 351 3230.