Learning to Think

Walterp

Member
Location
Pembrokeshire
Agricultural colleges provide vocational training, but there seems little evidence - either at national level or on an individual one - of provision to train managers how to think and specially how to manage change.

Rapid changes ongoing in modern societies and technologies require a different skill set from the (equally necessary) vocational training that is needed and provided.

If a manager's job is to manage, what basic steps ought he to be taking right now?
 

Dead Rabbits

Member
Location
'Merica
Agricultural colleges provide vocational training, but there seems little evidence - either at national level or on an individual one - of provision to train managers how to think and specially how to manage change.

Rapid changes ongoing in modern societies and technologies require a different skill set from the (equally necessary) vocational training that is needed and provided.

If a manager's job is to manage, what basic steps ought he to be taking right now?

Used to be ( I am told) a person went to college to learn critical thinking. My experience tells me those days are over. Colleges provide outdated information and thinking processes in reguards to agriculture. At a cost that is beyond my capabilities.

College isn't necessarily a poor choice if you are wanting a future in farming, but it certainly ain't the best.

Basic steps they might take? Read, read, read. Challenge yourself by reading opposing views and opinions to yours. Become proficient or well versed in a subject/s or skill outside of agriculture. Read some more. Travel. Join a discussion group. Visit as many farms as you can and talk to the people operating them ( especially the employees). Take a holistic management course. Then read.

As said above accounting, business, finance, biology, ecology and chemistry courses are helpful in gaining a basic understanding of what you are to be managing.

Pretty much everything I have listed involves investing in ones self. The return for time spent doing this is unmeasurable.

@Walterp what do you recommend??
 

Dead Rabbits

Member
Location
'Merica
Also, totally forgot. If anyone is looking beyond a one man band operation, they are no longer just in a farming business, they are in a people management business as well. Lack of people management skills is a worldwide problem in agriculture.

To me people management ties directly in with communication. Learn and identify how to improve in these two areas and you will kick 90% of the industry's ass.
 

Dry Rot

Member
Livestock Farmer
Learning a lot of facts doesn't get you very far, though it does seem to get a lot of people through examinations!

Most people (and animals too) learn from making mistakes and realising how to avoid them in the future. University and college should be about gving people the opportunity to challenge the "facts" without it hurting too much when they get it wrong. Learning from experience really isn't very efficient as none of us will live long enough and we can never experience every eventuality.
 

Treg

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cornwall
I always felt I went to college to learn how not to farm & oddly when I questioned what we were being taught I was quite often told "well we know it's not right but it's what we've been told to teach you " !!!

Interestingly 3 of the top four students that I went to college with have gone Organic so we were obviously taught to question what we were being taught.
 

roscoe erf

Member
Livestock Farmer
Agricultural colleges provide vocational training, but there seems little evidence - either at national level or on an individual one - of provision to train managers how to think and specially how to manage change.

Rapid changes ongoing in modern societies and technologies require a different skill set from the (equally necessary) vocational training that is needed and provided.

If a manager's job is to manage, what basic steps ought he to be taking right now?

itty bitty little ones
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 75 43.6%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 61 35.5%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 27 15.7%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 3 1.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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