Sometimes, we look at neighboring farms that seem to have a “secret sauce” to their success. But just like great barbecue, there are no shortcuts and no single secret sauce recipe. Success on these top-tier farms is a series of repeatable elements that work together.

Sometimes a business owner or manager may be confused by the change in behavior of an employee who is usually productive and pays close attention to details. They could see employees fail to work at their normal pace, make unusual mistakes, do low-quality work or spend too much time talking.

Working with farm family dynamics is a bit of an adventure when you are seeking to uncover what each person on the farm team really wants for their personal life, the farm business and their life beyond the farm gate. Let’s play with some points of common interest which would be helpful to better behaviour and culture on your farm.

Due to the physical nature of farming, it is important to be aware of situations that may cause strains and/or sprains. Sprains and strains of muscles, ligaments or tendons may not seem serious when symptoms first appear. They can start with minor discomfort and may go away after a day or two. But as you continue to complete the same activity, the symptoms may return.

The first three quarters of 2024 saw over 300,000 agricultural workers enter the country through the H-2A program, which provides temporary visas for foreign workers to perform seasonal agricultural jobs. It is an important source of labor in the West, with California and Washington ranking third and fourth in the nation, respectively, for H-2A workers.

Many large corporations have made goals to become carbon neutral. To reach those goals, companies must lessen their emissions, purchase offsets or a combination of the two. This has led to a voluntary market for carbon credits in the U.S. where carbon, verified as sequestered, can be sold, thus providing opportunities for agricultural producers.

Now is the time to identify your current health insurance plan and decide to either stick with the status quo or change benefit plans. If you’re fortunate to be happy with what you have, then a simple reenrollment works. If your operation has changed over the year – budget and payroll – you might need to reevaluate your offerings.

It’s been said that people don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad bosses. But I think there’s more to it than that. In my decades of experience, both in the office and on countless farms, people do leave bad jobs. They also leave bad environments, situations with high expectations and little guidance, and meager growth opportunity. This is true for all types of businesses, including agriculture.

I’ve been blessed to know many successful farmers, entrepreneurs and business leaders who always seemed to be a step ahead of the herd. What are the common threads among these folks? What core set of traits did they share? I came up with three traits and one overarching theme.