Your Farming Dream Team

You’re a farmer, an entrepreneur and a business owner.

You have more work to do than time on this earth, You need help!

Not more help, but a group that can help you reach the big goals of the farm.

We all have dreams that we long to accomplish in life. First dismiss the people that say it can’t be done. Then find those who believe in your dreams, and are willing to support you through the rough times that lie ahead and won’t abandon you when you reach those goals. These are the people that you need to surround yourself with, Your Dream Team.

If you have built anything, you can build a team. Like welding or carpentry, team building is learned. You don’t have to be well-educated, hard-nosed, or even especially intelligent to build a team. You don't have to be anything other than yourself. You can be effective with people using common sense and a few fundamental principles.

Assembling Your Dream Team

1) Have definite goals.

a) Nothing will derail you faster than not having clear goals

b) A useful way of making goals more powerful is to use the SMART mnemonic. SMART stands for:

(1) S Specific

(2) M Measurable

(3) A Attainable

(4) R Relevant

(5) T Time-bound

2) You must identify a small group of likeminded individuals

a) People that are committed to high achievement and will help you reach your goals

b) Keeping the group size small allows you to focus on your goals, here are some ideas for members of your team;

(1) Other Famers

(a) The neighbor may not be your best choice; he wants to farm your ground!

(b) Find 1 or two farmers that share the same goals in life as you and will be happy for you when you reach your goals.

(2) Agronomy Consultant

(a) You want the best you can find, don’t settle for less.

(b) Find a consultant that is willing to teach you what they know. The hall mark of a true agronomy consultant is that they are more concerned with your success than the products they sell.

(3) Financial Consultant

(a) Be it accountant, insurance agent or grain broker, the same rules for finding an agronomist apply to your financial consults.

(b) Don’t blindly follow their recommendations. Nothing is more important than understanding the financial decisions you are making.

(4) Business Person(s) Outside of Farming

(a) In the business of farming and agronomy we sometimes can’t see past the corn rows. Find a friend that works in any other industry and bounce ideas off one another.

(b) Why reinvent, learn from what others have done and apply that knowledge to you situation.

c) Finding Team Members

(a) Don’t declare to the potential candidates that you’re building a “team”. Just simply ask for help and a chance to learn.

(b) Start by calling them and simply asking them for help. Try this; “My name is Bob, I’m a famer and I saw that you grew 300 bu/a corn in Farming Daily Magazine. Would you have a moment to talk with me about your experience and what it took to do that?’ They will either say, Yes, Yes, but not right know, or No. In which case you continue the conversation, call back, or call the next potential dream team candidate.

3) Have regular meetings/calls with Your Dream Team

a) Meetings are to be upbeat, positive, and should be beneficial

b) Share something positive that has happened since the last time you met

c) Share opportunities and ideas, and ask for feedback and help on your toughest projects.

Remember, changing how you do things is the only way things will improve! So start today and plan out your success for 2010.

Yield Starts Here is a blog for farmers, focusing on increasing yield and profitability by focusing on the soil. It is managed by Craig Dick, a Blogronomist and Sales and Marketing Manager at Calcium Products. Find other articles by Craig and guest writers at http://blog.calciumproducts.com/ .