For Release December 15, 1998

Who Are Your Partners?

AGRI-VIEWS
by Chuck Otte, County Extension Agent

When the American farmers and ranchers are interviewed about why they do what they do, one of the most frequent answers heard is that they enjoy being their own boss. No one tells them when to go to work, what to do next and when to go home. Now, while no one is directly telling them what to do, they all know what needs to be done today, tomorrow, next week and next month. Because if they don't work hard and work smart they won't get a paycheck.

As independent as these folks are they absolutely can not ignore the fact that they are not in this alone. If you have a livestock operation then there is a heavy reliance on feed suppliers, veterinarians, the livestock buyer and the landlord you rent the pasture from. The grain farmer knows every seed sales representative, the elevator manager, the employee that drives the chemical applicator and the machinery dealer. And most everybody probably has a pretty close working relationship with some sort of financial institution.

These independent operators may be independent, but when you get right down to it they've got a lot of partners. Sometimes it becomes real easy to think of your own operation as 66 us" versus "them". But if you take the time to analyze it, it really becomes "all of us together." If you were in a true partnership how would you act differently? Would you be willing to spend that extra little bit with the local business? If that business closes their doors you have one less option. You need them and they need you. You have a responsibility to treat that business fairly and pay your bills on time, and that business has a responsibility to provide you with a fair product at a fair price: partners.

I had the opportunity to hear two livestock producers/marketers from Texas speak about their operation. They are in a cooperative with about a half dozen other producers that are raising, processing and selling organic beef In the one hour that they were speaking they never talked about this business or that business, it was always their partners. They viewed everyone along the line right up to their customers as partners of theirs. These were real producers facing tough times just like most cattle producers in America are today. But they have an outlook on their operation that I feel gives them an advantage.

They have a written plan for their farm. This plan talks about financial goals, family goals, environmental goals, community/social goals and personal goals. It took them three years and lots of discussions to write it. They discuss every decision that they make on their ranch in regards to who it affects their written goals and objectives. And a big part of that all is their partners. They've surveyed customers and potential customers and have found out that many of them are under the age of 50, lead busy lives like the rest of us and have never really had the time to learn how to cook much more than hamburgers or steaks. These ranchers are in the process of setting up a teaching kitchen where they can bring in customers or potential customers and teach them the basics of cooking beef beyond grilling burgers and steaks.

The end of the year is busy, but it's a good time to start thinking about your own farm or ranch. Have you taken the time to think about your partners and your goals. Has your entire family ever talked about farm goals, the role that the family plays in those goals and the roles of the many different partners that you do have? Or are you just out there every day looking at the next bill that needs to be paid? The bills have to be paid, but if that's your only goal how will you know if you've been successful. Take some time in the coming weeks to think about your partners and the role they can, or should, play in helping your farm reach its goal.

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