Saturday, March 30, 2024

Deep breathing

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New Year is often a time to regroup, time to put your head up and if you’re lucky your feet too as the hectic first half of the season winds down.
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This January it’s probably more important than ever to do just that.

December’s payout drop will start to be felt in February but its full force won’t be evident for a few more months.

That’s why it’s important now to take a deep breath, recharge the batteries and then start planning what your strategy will be.

As David J Schwartz says in his book The Magic of Thinking Big, “action cures fear” and it’s positive actions, such as talking with trusted advisors, that will make the difference – trite as it might sound.

Bringing your rural professionals into the huddle and coming up with a plan makes for a positive way forward.

Remember you have no control over the payout so it’s important to concentrate on the things you can control.

Over the past four months we’ve made changes to the magazine and this month you’ll see another. Our special report has moved further into the magazine and, with its own front and back covers, will be easy for you to find when you’re taking some time out and are in search of gems to help you onfarm.

The special reports are planned in advance but this one is particularly timely given the fortunes of our company payouts.

We’ve taken a closer look at farmers whose businesses are humming along, people who are in top gear – performance-and profit-focused.

They all have a strong grip on the numbers – their costs, their economic farm surplus or operating profit, their, their return on assets and their equity, their production and their herd reproductive performance.

They also have a destination in mind and a route to get there but they’re prepared to take a detour if a roadblock gets thrown up or they see a quicker way.

They benchmark too, which tells them where they are and how they’re placed.

Our Systems section this month is also chocca with stories from people on their way – people progressing in the industry. They’re always inspiring and, no matter what your stage in life, their stories are bound to have something you can be motivated by or learn from.

Our look at what the processors are up to shows while the road is bumpy at the moment the longer term outlook is giving them confidence to commit serious money to the industry in the near future.

On a different note the New Year also heralds a change for me. It’s time for a little more life in the work-life balance scenario – time to put my head up and smell the roses. So while I won’t be spotted at AgriHQ in Feilding quite so often I’ll still be seeking out the best information for you and your farming business and sharing it with you on the pages of the Dairy Exporter.

Erin and I have worked hard over the past five months to refocus the magazine and I’m confident she’ll continue the great job.

All the best for 2015.

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