Better Decisions: What business skills does the farmer need to succeed?

Many of the skills or tools a farmer needs are the same as a business owner in an industrial park, among them an effective marketing plan

by DORENE COLLINS

This past September, while working at the Outdoor Farm Show in Woodstock, I was faced with reality by what I saw upon entering the grounds. There, against a beautiful September sky, was a towering piece of farm equipment with a six-figure price tag.
I found this to be a wake-up call about the financial reality of farming in today’s highly technological and competitive marketplace. Besides the capital investment in land and buildings, the investment in machinery on the scale I saw says volumes about the financial and business management skills required by today’s farmer. 

Better Farming - November 2008