Season over

[Farma Parma]

Get a job on an arable farm. They only work 3 weeks a year

5 full months of the year i'll have you know.
Then fiddle away the winter days with them odd jobs or if its too wet to get on with anything just stay in hoose...

 

[CrevisbigX]

Set up brewing ,theres a big rise in craft beer sales

Like the thinking would have to try something a little different thier is at least 6 mirco brewarys in Congleton.

 

[Cowabunga]

Are you a salesman duck?

In a previous life.

 

[Lincs Lass]

Like the thinking would have to try something a little different thier is at least 6 mirco brewarys in Congleton.

Anybody ever tryed stewing maize ,,would it make some sort of gin

 

[michael N123]

5 full months of the year i'll have you know.
Then fiddle away the winter days with them odd jobs or if its too wet to get on with anything just stay in hoose...

Plus skiing and peasant shooting

 

[Sid]

In a previous life.

We would have never of guessed.

 

[Gav]

So glad the season finished well nearly couple of days ploughing lefted. First year I am happy its over worked hard over the years to get where I am at now and the postion, but after this year really thinking of chucking in the towel and finding something else to do 30 plus years in Agriculture from young lad and my dad farming from working for myself and for working for a couple of great family farms(contractors). I have had enough. But the truth is dont where to go or do.

I was in the same position 2 years ago, I spent years gaining experience operating and repairing machinery to get in the position I was in but had grown tired of the hours I was being expected to do at times and also I was getting health problems so was looking at my options. In my case I was in the right place at the right time and went self employed putting my own operating experience to use as a training instructor in pesticides and machinery when an existing instructor wanted to cut back on his workload, 15 months later I undertook the two week course to allow me to cover forklifts as well to fill my time better. The training is seasonal so I also have a couple of farmers I still help out to keep my hand in and the bank manager happy.
It's now nearly two years since I made my choice and while it's not always easy I feel my quality of life has improved, yes there's times I miss the farm but overall I'm a happier and less stressed person. I've built up my training clients and now carry out work for training groups across all of East Anglia and along with the two farmers I'm starting to fill my time nicely and I've got my money back from the initial investment when I set up doing the job. The hardest part now is keeping up with legislation changes and updating material accordingly and dealing with the occasional awkward question.
Whatever you decide to do it's got to be with your head and not your heart when it comes down to it, I had several arguments with myself over making the initial jump.

 

[CrevisbigX]

I was in the same position 2 years ago, I spent years gaining experience operating and repairing machinery to get in the position I was in but had grown tired of the hours I was being expected to do at times and also I was getting health problems so was looking at my options. In my case I was in the right place at the right time and went self employed putting my own operating experience to use as a training instructor in pesticides and machinery when an existing instructor wanted to cut back on his workload, 15 months later I undertook the two week course to allow me to cover forklifts as well to fill my time better. The training is seasonal so I also have a couple of farmers I still help out to keep my hand in and the bank manager happy.
It's now nearly two years since I made my choice and while it's not always easy I feel my quality of life has improved, yes there's times I miss the farm but overall I'm a happier and less stressed person. I've built up my training clients and now carry out work for training groups across all of East Anglia and along with the two farmers I'm starting to fill my time nicely and I've got my money back from the initial investment when I set up doing the job. The hardest part now is keeping up with legislation changes and updating material accordingly and dealing with the occasional awkward question.
Whatever you decide to do it's got to be with your head and not your heart when it comes down to it, I had several arguments with myself over making the initial jump.

I really do wish you the best Gavin if it helping your health as well sound like you made the right choice.

 

[wasted years]

I assume you drive for a contractor rather than run your own outfit?
Driving for a contractor is a young man's sport, it is entirely natural that you will want to see more of family. It is not easy but could you take a step down the rung at work and maybe let someone younger be the man that drives the big stuff and you go back to 'boys' jobs and agree an hours cap with your boss?

 

[RWG Contracts]

I assume you drive for a contractor rather than run your own outfit?
Driving for a contractor is a young man's sport, it is entirely natural that you will want to see more of family. It is not easy but could you take a step down the rung at work and maybe let someone younger be the man that drives the big stuff and you go back to 'boys' jobs and agree an hours cap with your boss?

I'm sure @BAC wouldnt mind driving chopper.

 

[Farma Parma]

Plus skiing and peasant shooting

Ive no interest in Neither.
Arable Farming thats it for me & Computer (IT) Fix or Buildem !
No Point in working flatoot for 12months for even less than i current turnover doing 5months.

 

[Selectamatic]

It has always been like this, up's and down's.

Dad gave up the silage work in the early 1990's, has not looked back and is convinced you must be mad to do it these days, but still likes to know whats going on, who's cut, what crops etc etc.

I left a household name company being sick to the back teeth of my so called "wonderful job", this wonderful job that people thought I had as soon as I mentioned the name of this "wonderful company"

I now work for a "ordinary company", and much to the detriment of those who told me it was a mistake and I could not possibly do it, I love it and it's turning out, so far, to be a good decision to make.

What I'm getting at is, are you happy doing what you do, and does it pay the bills? If so, this may be a shitty year, and next year will be better, if you dont see it, you should follow what you think will make you happy and pay the bills.

 

[Grassman]

a memory for faces, names and building a database of important facts, like wife and children's names and birthdays and important personal information that is relevant to the customer. My memory for names and faces has always been appalling and was often a drawback that needed techniques to overcome.

A salesman I know carries a little book with those important "showing an interest" notes about the customer!

 

[Grassman]

Plus skiing and peasant shooting

I bet peasant shooting Ìs quite fun. Bossfarmer would enjoy that!

 

[Cowabunga]

A salesman I know carries a little book with those important "showing an interest" notes about the customer!

The iPad has taken over from the Compac Ipaq pdf, which was the machine of my choice at the turn of the century.

"Book"? What is one of those?

Evernote would be my weapon of choice today, using tags for search purposes consisting of farmer and farm name in a 'personal interest' folder. For easy reference, 'prospects', 'quotes' and 'sales' would have their own folders using the same tags to link all information for the same person and farm. Then if a quote is changed to a sale, the file could be moved from 'quote' to 'sale' with details amended as necessary. This would be in addition to the paper record handed over to the customer of course, because you might want to refer to any file at a later, sometimes much later date and they need to be found in an instant.
The same iPad could hold price lists, price terms, and so on.
Importantly, enquiries [another folder with an aim to move files on to 'quotes' and then to 'sales'] and quotes can be set with reminders to follow them up.

When in busy times, the number of enquiries to follow up, quotes etc can be overwhelming unless there is a very good organisation. The longer it takes to convert an enquiry into a sale, the more tasks there are to do and the greater the risk of some of them falling through the net.

So organisation of data is a key component of sales success. The more disorganised the person, the more important is a good system such as I describe above to organise both the data and the person.
Teamwork and co-operation and communication from the top down are other key components.

Anyone want me to run a course on it?

 

[ollie989898]

Anybody ever tryed stewing maize ,,would it make some sort of gin

Bourbon!

 

[Lincs Lass]

Bourbon!

Thats the stuff
Im sure we could cobble a still together ,,the fixits and bodgit crew would have a field day ,,just need a nice quite shed well of the beaten track to set it up in well away from nosey neighbors,

 

[CrevisbigX]

Thats the stuff
Im sure we could cobble a still together ,,the fixits and bodgit crew would have a field day ,,just need a nice quite shed well of the beaten track to set it up in well away from nosey neighbors,

Bless this house( Sid James) comes to mind.

 

[General-Lee]

I'm sure @BAC wouldnt mind driving chopper.

What Raleigh chopper?

 

[holywell farmer]

So glad the season finished well nearly couple of days ploughing lefted. First year I am happy its over worked hard over the years to get where I am at now and the postion, but after this year really thinking of chucking in the towel and finding something else to do 30 plus years in Agriculture from young lad and my dad farming from working for myself and for working for a couple of great family farms(contractors). I have had enough. But the truth is dont where to go or do.

Get dumper ticket,,, join me on the sites !