Articles

Monthly and Annual Spending Plan

The monthly and annual spending plan worksheets located in the Cultivating your Farm’s Future workbook can be used to attribute expenses to the household and farm. In a farm succession, these worksheets can be used by both the owner and successor generation.

Farm Stress & Decision-Making During Challenging Times

Stress is a double-edged sword. A little stress can serve as a constructive motivator, galvanizing us to action. Too much stress, on the other hand, can damage our health compromise safety and sabotage personal relationships. With the arduous and sometimes volatile conditions we see in agriculture, the risk of too much stress is alarming.

Does Your Farm’s Culture Reflect Who You Want to Be as An Employer?

Sound employment practices geared toward attracting, training, retaining, and rewarding employees must reflect a clear understanding of employee views and experiences. The farm culture represents “the way things get done around here,” and it can be positive or present a challenge for employees. The culture on a farm may not be obvious or visible, but it is there.

Stress Management

The stress management practices outlined in this article are tailored for farmers and supported by research in human health, psychology, and public health.

Communicating in Times of Stress

It can be difficult to effectively communicate with others in times of stress, because your ability to organize thoughts and feelings and listen carefully is impacted by your body’s physical reaction to stress.

Your Farm Future

During times of stress, it can be difficult to focus and make decisions. To “take stock” is to think carefully and clearly understand a situation, so that you can decide what to do.

Wisconsin Cash Farm Land Lease Example

It is critical that landlords and renters spend time addressing the terms of the rental agreement before finalizing the agreement to prevent problems over the duration of the contract. Maintaining positive working relationships between landlords and renters is vital for long-term success. Learn what to include in a fair and equitable farm land lease.

Creating a Robust, Authentic Agriculture Land Lease

Rental rates and lease agreement questions often arise in the fall. Landowners or renters are looking for a lease agreement template that they can plug their values into. Learn what’s important to include in lease agreements and how to create a robust, authentic lease agreement.

Video Series: Agricultural Chemical Safety

We use agricultural chemicals for many different purposes around the farm and in the field. Every chemical has the potential to be harmful to humans, but each varies significantly in the risk they present to us. Learn more about the risks and potential effects of chemical exposure.

Part 2: Dermal Exposure to Chemicals

Exposure to your skin, or dermal exposure, is the most common way for chemicals to enter your body. Oral exposure most commonly occurs when you eat without first washing your hands or share beverage containers. Different chemicals will have different effects.

Part 3: Inhalation Exposure to Chemicals

Inhalation exposure (breathing in) is the most dangerous type of chemical exposure because vapors, gases, smoke, or dusts are absorbed rapidly into your bloodstream or cause injury to the the tissues of your lungs, and/or loss of consciousness.

Ivermectin products for animals are not intended for COVID-19 treatment

In humans, ivermectin tablets are FDA-approved for treatment of some parasitic worms. Some topical formulations are FDA-approved for the treatment of external parasites; for example, headlice and skin conditions such as rosacea.

The Farm Business Culture

Culture—whether of an individual or an organization—is an important but often challenging concept to grasp. Farm business culture relates to the values, goals, beliefs, and way things are done on the farm – communication, how work is accomplished, how achievements are celebrated.

Can You Motivate Employees?

Many employers think people are motivated to work for reasons of pay. Research on self-determination theory and work motivation tells us that humans are motivated not simply by material possession, but also by enjoyment and meaning that our actions bring us.

Working With Your Lender

A lender’s primary interest is in whether you’re likely to fulfill the requirements of a credit agreement. When a creditor lends you money, he or she does it with the expectation of earning a profit, which is unlikely to happen if there’s a good possibility that you’ll default on the loan. The lender will be […]

Is It Time To Exit?

A statement often made with professional athletes is that they stayed in the game beyond the years of their peak performance. Of course, the couple million they made for their time, helped ease the transition! However, we may ask the same question of a farm business, when is it time to gracefully exit, when are we trying to stay in the business too long beyond peak performance?

Stressed? Take Stock, Take Care, and Gain Control

Stress is common in farming. The long hours can sometimes lead to fatigue, especially if there is not enough help. A feeling of a lack of control during changing times and conditions can compound the feeling of uncertainty. Other things that can cause stress are issues related to your kids, relationships, markets, the weather, and […]

How to Avoid the Risks of Heat Stress

Each summer, farm employees work through days of extreme heat and humidity – often starting in May or June and continuing into September.