How do YOU define agricultural success?

[BELOWAVERAGE]

fudge the family silver. . . - too many people have felt pressured over the years ( sometimes with tragic results ) to maintain the family silver, when in many cases they would have been better doing something completely different . . .

If success is anything, it is being able to define & achieve YOUR own goals - not someone's else's expectations of what you should do / be

So if you don't achieve your own goals, are you then a failure ?

 

[Yale]

fudge the family silver. . . - too many people have felt pressured over the years ( sometimes with tragic results ) to maintain the family silver, when in many cases they would have been better doing something completely different . . .

If success is anything, it is being able to define & achieve YOUR own goals - not someone's else's expectations of what you should do / be

Your words are ones of common sense and logic and I agree.

I am a perfect example of a farmer given the weighted choice of taking on the farm or spreading my wings and setting out a more diverse life course.

I was lucky,we have currently survived all the bad times farming has had and basically through a lot of hard work I would hope our business would be viewed as a success.

However at the end of the day we are a medium sized upland stock farm and with all our eggs in the farming basket and if markets disappeared for our products and subsidies went we’d be stuffed.

It’s a great place and lifestyle to bring up children but it really troubles me whether I should allow any of our children to take the same course.

It’s a tough life but with benefits,bitter sweet.

 

[Yale]

Sustainable profit and time to enjoy it

Not doing too bad with the profit bit but failing miserably with getting time to enjoy it.

 

[Henarar]

Not doing too bad with the profit bit but failing miserably with getting time to enjoy it.

do you enjoy what your doing to make the profit ? i.e. farming

 

[Yale]

do you enjoy what your doing to make the profit ? i.e. farming

Yes,I enjoy it however at the moment without going into too much detail, my wife suffered an injury 3 1/2 years ago so my workload increased significantly.

We seem to be heading in the right direction with her recovery so hopefully we will be able to spread the load between us again.

That and aging parents just takes up a lot of the free time that should have been at my disposal.

We will get there.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

This thread is getting quite interesting now! Thanks to all who have posted. I'll add my thoughts later on

 

[Henarar]

Yes,I enjoy it however at the moment without going into too much detail, my wife suffered an injury 3 1/2 years ago so my workload increased significantly.

We seem to be heading in the right direction with her recovery so hopefully we will be able to spread the load between us again.

That and aging parents just takes up a lot of the free time that should have been at my disposal.

We will get there.

Some have to go of on holiday or whatever to enjoy the money they make one thing with farming at times you can take the misses. Kids. Lover. Dog. Whatever with you and enjoy the job together
Hope she gets better soon

 

[ski]

fudge the family silver. . . - too many people have felt pressured over the years ( sometimes with tragic results ) to maintain the family silver, when in many cases they would have been better doing something completely different . . .

If success is anything, it is being able to define & achieve YOUR own goals - not someone's else's expectations of what you should do / be

Your observation about agriculture having 'successfully' destroyed our environment will split opinion. That is has had an impact is without doubt. But surely it is because we do 'define and achieve our own goals' has led to to the very problem you lament. It seems to me, that, we live in a world increasingly dominated by a 'accept no limits, just do it, live the dream' culture. Now bear with me here, if you believe in that premise or rationale, then you are destined to live an unfulfilled life as you will see any imposition or restraint upon you as limiting your potential.

Surely success is more of a defined goal where as contentment is or can be an ongoing state. For example, success in getting the exam grades, Contentment in knowing you did your best in them. Achieving the grades will not increase your contentment, but conversely contentment in knowing you did you best will help with the failure of not getting the grades.

We do think about this stuff enough and yet it underpins us, it is our foundations upon which we build our lives. Mostly learnt at a young age, but, as we age we can choose to let it be or modify it but only if we think about it.

So for me, agricultural success is setting a goal, but also accepting the limits that I have, (age, capital, family, climate etc,) and doing my best to achieve my goal without damaging others. If I hit the goal, the success will be in my conduct not of the goal itself.

Now watch the bubble burst!

 

[graham99]

What about effectiveness, also?
The one that isn't mentioned is usually the biggie!

To me, at least, efficiency...outputs from inputs
Productivity maybe more about, well produce, output over time...

The right balance of both is crucial IMO, especially in a farming context - focus on one or the other too much and effectiveness / performance would suffer

Profitability likely suffers from that.

When I am scratching a bullock's head over a gate I am not being productive but when he learns to trust me enough to follow my call then it boosts efficiency as my voice costs nothing - so my stock can be fed without fuel consumption - which then makes us effective and competitive producers of meat, from sunshine

Thus allows us to be successful at running a profitable enterprise and yet doesn't have much costs compared to rounding up stock in a vehicle and the stress is low which means success to me - farming should be child's play (and it is, here)

If a 7 year old can operate a farm, it is a successful one because it likely runs without anyone doing anything much of anything!

To learn to give freely and without expectation is success, because many don't learn it and are miserable because of the imbalance.

or you could say you are a farmer.
to me a farmer works with nature. to make a living

 

[Yale]

Some have to go of on holiday or whatever to enjoy the money they make one thing with farming at times you can take the misses. Kids. Lover. Dog. Whatever with you and enjoy the job together
Hope she gets better soon

Thanks for your kind wishes.

Yes,you’ve hit the nail on the head in that even though we do not travel and mainly stay around the farm we have adapted in that we have a lovely home to enjoy,a large garden along with the fields for the children to adventure and also a hot tub for us to enjoy almost being away but at home.

I can thoroughly recommend a hot tub as that is where most days throughout the year you will find me first thing in the morning with a cup of tea.

 

[awkward]

for me success will be doing less each year to achieve the same outcome to allow me enjoy my family and the world around me

 

[4course]

Survival of the business is agricultural success as there are less and less farmers ,if you are still in business and solvent you are a success in agriculture ,wether you are a success in life is another matter and thats far more important

 

[graham99]

Yes, these companies have all been successful[emoji6]

and they made banks even more successful

 

[roscoe erf]

if the crop grows and the tractor don't break down

 

[Clive]

Not doing too bad with the profit bit but failing miserably with getting time to enjoy it.

Most people I know fall into two categories

Financially rich but time poor

Financially poor but time rich

Very few seem to be able to find balance between those points

 

[graham99]

Err
Haven't read through the thread, but will say there's a big difference between being efficient & being effective
Some people tend to get them confused

its a bit like red and black ink ,on the bank statement

 

[Nearly]

Paying more in tax than you receive in subsidies.

Pocketing more than you receive in subsidies.

Dying with more than you started with

Dying happy, with nothing but leaving the family with more than you started with and the government with nothing.

Improving your net worth and sustainability of your assets. Basically it's a lifetime smile on my face.

I'll go for this one without an edit though.

 

[Seed&Grain]

I liked the beliefs of many of my African colleagues whilst farming in Tanzania ... The decisions you make today are not just for the people here today but for all generations to come, today you are the guardian of their lives! So success has to be measured by the positive impacts you make on all, both in the here and in the future!

 

[Yale]

And I forgot to mention shiny new toys..

 

[graham99]

What is a definition of sustainable ?

To my mind, that is just keeping or sustaining things as they are ?

Which ultimately, is still no different from treading water . . .?

Eventually you have to start swimming again, or you will drown ?
swimming ? regenerating ?
regenerative agriculture - that is my idea of success

To mix metaphors, we have already burnt bridges behind us, we need to find a new way forward

Personally, I believe modern industrial chemical reductionist high input prescription agriculture has already been caught in a rip & being dragged out to deep water & eventual drowning - we just aren't aware of it yet . . .

Not waving, drowning . . .

SUCCESS?

I don't know ?
In the present context I find it hard to come up with anything that describes success, apart from the fact that modern ( 400 years or more ) agriculture has successfully destroyed our environment, our soils, our water, our souls & our health & I believe that within the next generation or two will herald an environmental tipping point from which there is NO return - at least not for the human race anyway.

very well said .
but to me.
the rip you talk,
about is is the country's printing money .
and how long can they print for.