Articles
Farm Management Articles
Research-based information and tools to help with your farm business management decisions
Looking for an expert to advise you on your ag and farm questions? We can help with that.
Prepare your farm for the next cyclical low during the good times
Cyclical lows tend to be a time of greater anxiety for many and include increased exit from the industry. However, even in cyclical lows, some farms are making profits. For these farms, it is also a time of opportunity as capital asset prices for machinery, land, and cows are often lower as well. The question is: What do these successful farms look like at the end of cyclical highs that enable them to continue that success during cyclical lows?
Is your dairy ready for disaster?
Whether it’s fire, flood, wind, or injury- a disaster on your farm can cause devastating loss and requires pre-planning to minimize the disruption.
Can farmers match airlines’ safety record?
As the harvest season approaches, put on your pilot’s cap. Get your team together. Pull out your manuals, checklists, and protocols. Be purposeful. Make the changes that need to be made, and make sure all of your team members have their wings! It’s a lot of work, I realize. But as we see from our friends in the airline industry, it does make a difference!
Using the lean canvas to refine your farm business idea (old for redirect)
Redirects to https://farms.extension.wisc.edu/articles/using-the-business-model-canvas-to-refine-your-farm-business-idea/
How to Stay on Track to Reach Your Farm Business Goals
Part II of this article series discusses how to clear obstacles that litter the path to implementing important decisions on the farm through the use of Fishbone Diagram and Forcefield Analysis.
Identifying strategies to maximize potential and minimize risk
Business strategies are practical actions that communicate how a business plans to reach its goals. Thinking strategically about the farm business as a whole helps determine emerging themes, issues, patterns, and opportunities. Learn how to complete a SWOT Analysis for your farm.
How to Find the Next Creative Idea for Your Farm
Part I of this article series introduces “The Memory Jogger” booklet and how brainstorming and nominal group technique can help generate your farm’s next great idea.
AgriVision Episode 34 – Alternatives to Renting Land
Host Katie Wantoch and Bill Halfman, Professor and Extension Agriculture agent in Monroe County, discuss an alternative to renting more farmland – buying high quality forages from their neighbor.
AgriVision Episode 33 – Breeding to beef bull semen on bottom half of dairy herd
Host Katie Wantoch and Lyssa Seefeldt, Agriculture Extension educator in Eau Claire County, discuss the trend of breeding with beef bulls to the lower bottom half of a farmer’s dairy herd.
Develop an organizational chart for your farm business
Organizational (org) charts are a visual depiction of your farm’s staffing structure. They define roles and clearly illustrate “who reports to whom,” with connecting lines showing accountability and reporting relationships. An org chart for your farm can help keep things running smoothly and efficiently by providing several benefits.
AgriVision Episode 32 – Minimizing feed costs
Host Katie Wantoch and Bill Halfman, Professor and Extension Agriculture Agent in Monroe County, discuss solutions for a farmer that is looking to avoid purchasing higher priced feeds.
AgriVision Episode 31 – Direct marketing beef can add value to farm operation
Host Katie Wantoch and Lyssa Seefeldt, Agriculture Extension educator in Eau Claire County, discuss some of the points to consider for a farmer who is interested in direct marketing their meat to consumers.
Anhydrous Ammonia-It’s time to review employee safety
Used extensively as a source of nitrogen fertilizer due to its relative ease of application and wide availability, the obvious downside of anhydrous ammonia use is the serious hazard it presents to workers during transfer and application. The word “anhydrous” comes from the Greek, meaning “without water.” Because of the chemical’s strong affinity for water, […]
Creating A Value-Added Business Model That Works
Many commodity farms face a fork in the road at some point. The status of their physical infrastructure, labor availability, size, age, or other factors create a time where they must decide to invest in economies of scale or use their resources they have in a more value-added way. Those who invest in economies of scale are […]
AgriVision Episode 30 – Pooling forage resources
Host Katie Wantoch and Jerry Clark, Associate Professor and Agriculture Agent with Extension in Chippewa County, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of neighboring farmers buying forage equipment together.
AgriVision Episode 29 – Take one step at a time in farm transition
Host Katie Wantoch and Ben Jenkins, Agriculture Extension educator in Green Lake County, discuss considerations for a farmer to consider with a future land purchase from his uncle.
