Here Is What Sets Great Farms Apart to Me

There’s more to embracing technology than a deep bank account. The most innovative operations share some common themes. Here are a couple:

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Open-Minded Managers

I visit a lot of farms. Most growers are excited to show off what they can do. Every so often, I’ll visit a farm that has a resigned, defeated atmosphere. When I visit the first group, the managers talk about issues they’re trying to figure out. They’ll lay out all the ideas they’re weighing. And they’ll talk about fresh approaches they have underway.

The second kind of farm manager is more likely to say things like, “Well, here’s our tomato field. We planted that crop in May.”

When you have managers and supervisors who bring energy and creative thinking to their jobs, they spark the same in their crews. And, just as importantly, with consultants and reps who visit the farm.

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No one person has all the answers. But if your key people have passion, they will pull others into their way of thinking. And when the people they talk to have on-farm, practical experience (their crews) and scientific and technical knowledge (sales reps), your creative thinker of a manager will more often than not develop one innovation after another.

Operations Find Ways to Share Risks

I mentioned farms that have a defeated feel to them. Something those farms have in common is that they have a go-it-alone mentality. They are paranoid neighboring farms will lure away their labor and steal their methods.

That paranoia cuts them off from a lot of opportunity. When you collaborate with an equipment company on developing an idea you have, they could eventually develop that new technology to sell to your neighbors. And there’s some risk to that. Yet these companies will also invest money and time, just as you do.

Being too wary can stunt your farm’s potential. You can prevent your neighbors from benefiting from your ideas. You can eliminate the chance a supplier will steal your idea by refusing to work with them.

But you also deprive yourself. Few operations can afford to foot the bill of developing new technology all on their own. Nor do they necessarily have the scientific know-how to pull it off. If you want to see your operation thrive, it takes accepting risks.

Consider this: Babe Ruth is known for his home runs. Along the way to breaking records, though, he had to rack up a ton of strikeouts. Don’t be afraid to swing hard once in a while.

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