Family farms - how do you cope?

[Bill the Bass]

How does everyone else cope running a business with family members?

Don’t get me wrong, I think working in a family business is a very fortunate position to be in particularly when you read about others who have very little in life passed to them. However, I am finding it increasingly challenging and I see the same challenge in other farms I visit.

How do you have grown up discussions about the business with parents, uncles, siblings etc without it descending into arguments? How do you get everyone to buy into a shared vision for the business?

We have had a few challenging situations here over the years and few recently mainly to do with peoples views on what is ‘priority’ and how things should be tackled.

What is your approach and strategy for such things?

 

[teslacoils]

He who has the gold makes the rules.

 

[Pebd99]

How does everyone else cope running a business with family members?

Don’t get me wrong, I think working in a family business is a very fortunate position to be in particularly when you read about others who have very little in life passed to them. However, I am finding it increasingly challenging and I see the same challenge in other farms I visit.

How do you have grown up discussions about the business with parents, uncles, siblings etc without it descending into arguments? How do you get everyone to buy into a shared vision for the business?

We have had a few challenging situations here over the years and few recently mainly to do with peoples views on what is ‘priority’ and how things should be tackled.

What is your approach and strategy for such things?

A barrel of drink helps at times.

 

[Still Farming]

Solicitors, land agents, mediators etc etc love family fueds?

 

[Hfd Cattle]

Wait till someone dies ....... then you see how difficult it is !!

 

[Hfd Cattle]

In answer to your question the only way to sort it was buy the others out . .....or sell out to them and invest into property and sit back and watch them struggle while you just gather in the rent !!!

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Had a,.meating every morning over Breafast . 4 way partnership, cant remember any major disagreements , do the same now with my staff at morning coffee in the office

 

[rob1]

Bought out some family members to stop this issue, we got on perfectly well but its easier to paddle your own canoe rather than have family feuds, I was lucky in that my father was nearly retiring age when I left school and had in some ways lost interest in the farm and my parents left the family partnership when I was 26

 

[Still Farming]

Bought out some family members to stop this issue, we got on perfectly well but its easier to paddle your own canoe rather than have family feuds, I was lucky in that my father was nearly retiring age when I left school and had in some ways lost interest in the farm and my parents left the family partnership when I was 26

Easy if all agree or want to do something?
1 awkward member or their wife/husband partner's "penny worth ",you have had it possibly?

 

[rob1]

Easy if all agree or want to do something?
1 awkward member or their wife/husband partner's "penny worth ",you have had it possibly?

From what I observe it is often the other halves of the farm partners that cause a lot of the strife, yes I was lucky that the other person involved was happy to be bought out

 

[Tarw Coch]

Had a,.meating every morning over Breafast . 4 way partnership, cant remember any major disagreements , do the same now with my staff at morning coffee in the office

I’m sure it’s the best way, the more you talk, the less you disagree, when everyone knows what the others are thinking issues are sorted out early before they become problems.

 

[Still Farming]

I’m sure it’s the best way, the more you talk, the less you disagree, when everyone knows what the others are thinking issues are sorted out early before they become problems.

Do they!

 

[gorgous]

At times badly other times well. Like most things it has good and bad moments having a interest outside of farming helps to give a perspective.

 

[czechmate]

Do they!

Hmm, there's a lot to be said for "least said, soonest mended"

 

[Still Farming]

Hmm, there's a lot to be said for "least said, soonest mended"

Oooh

 

[Zippy768]

Had a,.meating every morning over Breafast . 4 way partnership, cant remember any major disagreements , do the same now with my staff at morning coffee in the office

I imagine most family meetings would go a little like Brian Clough discussions....

 

[Farmer_Joe]

i went to work else where for years, i worked on the farm in dibs and drabs the whole time but never full time on the farm,

as my dad got older i helped him more and more up until the point i had to say either i have to peruse my career else where or you have to step back and give me reins,(he would have never done otherwise and to be fair i was aware of that and did not want to get my self into a position where i had no control) he was happy at that point to create a business where by i had the majority share and it worked well, he then realised he could do much less and began enjoying more free time to faff around with stuff.

To add a complication he owned another farm with his brother, they worked together for years but towards the end they both found it very difficult, my dad wanted out of this business so he rented his share to his brother and they sold half the stock and all the machinery at a sale, anything they wanted back they bought.

Sounds rash but it actually worked really well, as did the renting half the farm, i would get it sorted asap, the longer you leave it the worse it will get, watching my dad and brother at the end was messy, thankfully a decent land agent helped resolve alot of the stuff and get the land rent sorted etc.

 

[Gulli]

Having a clear aim that everyone agrees on is important, how you get there less so. Also being able to listen to other points of view is necessary.

Easy in theory...

Having your own bit to look after helps I think, mainly comes down to communication though

 

[Bill the Bass]

Having a clear aim that everyone agrees on is important, how you get there less so. Also being able to listen to other points of view is necessary.

Easy in theory...

Having your own bit to look after helps I think, mainly comes down to communication though

I think having a clear aim is the hardest to achieve, you can have a shared aim of where you want the business to get to but there is always ‘ah but we need this’ or ‘I think that’ they are very difficult things to challenge in the context of a family relationship, particularly where it’s been a parental relationship for the past 20,30 or even 40 years. It does come down to communication but I think as farmers we are generally terrible communicators.

 

[Bill the Bass]

Hmm, there's a lot to be said for "least said, soonest mended"

I have generally held that view, but if you are not careful you can just become a pushover and before you know it you are middle aged and a million miles away from achieving what you thought was possible in your twenties with all your drive and ambition replaced by bitterness towards those that you hold most dear.