f you’re a new or struggling farmer, you might be wondering what the key to success is.The truth is, there isn’t just one way to achieve it.But successful farmers do tend to share some attributes.If you learn and emulate these seven traits, you might just find success lurking around the corner.
Patience
Farmers have to be patient.Raising crops takes time.Plus, it might not always turn out the way you expect.Farming comes with lots of surprises, like equipment errors and disease outbreaks.Successful farmers don’t get frustrated by slow or unexpected results.Instead, they take it in stride and plan for how to get it right next time.
Student Mentality
Successful farmers approach the industry with a student mentality.They have to be willing and able to adapt to new technology, environments, and methods.Curiosity comes hand in hand with a student mentality, and farmers need lots of it to find success.They have be willing to ask questions, in order to experiment and learn new things to help their farm.More so, they need to learn everything about their business
It’s engaging. It’s hopeful. It pushes the plot forward.
Only a quarter of young adults are financially literate. You don’t want to overwhelm them with terrible advice. Best to keep them on track.
JOHN MCCARTHY
Knowledgeable
Knowledge and learning pair nicely together.In addition to learning new things, farmers need to be knowledgeable about every aspect of their farm.This includes close familiarity with every crop, what works best for the farm, and how it operates.If a farmer doesn’t already know the answers to basic questions, the outlook isn’t great.To find success, be sure to thoroughly research what goes into running a farm and know everything possible about your crops.
Problem solver
Farmers also need to be adept at problem solving.Successful ones know how to deal with issues on all fronts of the business.They need to be able to identify and solve problems in order of significance.This includes identifying the source of the problem and fixing it, in order to prevent it from reoccurring.Plus, farmers should be able to plan for problems that haven’t happened yet.
Organized
Farmers have to keep track of a lot of factors, to keep their business running.Successful farmers are organized, staying on top of their daily tasks.A lot of farming is driven by time, product, and labor management.In order to manage all of these, farmers need to keep everything in order and prioritize.They also have to carefully track and analyze data, in order to predict future outcomes and circumstances, which also requires organization skills.
Good with numbers
Along with staying organized when it comes to facts and figures, the farmer has to know what to do with them.Numbers play a bigger role in farming than most people realize.Farmers need to have a brain for finance, in order to track inventory, budget, and analyze profits, among others.Being bad with numbers could even lead to deadly miscalculations when it comes to plant growth.For example, miscalculating nutrient amounts or not ordering enough necessary supplies.
Salesman
Successful farmers got where they are by making sales.In order to keep your farm afloat, you have to make a profit.Doing so requires customers.Farmers need to be able to communicate effectively in order to network, market, and sell their product.This may include face-to-face direct sales, like at a farmers’ market, or working with a distributor.Either way, farmers should plan a marketing strategy and sales pitch, to make the most money possible.Now that you’ve learned seven attributes of successful farmers, you can become one yourself!
