On the farm or ranch, interest, curiosity, and a sense of wonder can be the catalyst for new projects and ideas and can drive us to explore new ways of doing things. A culture of curiosity and open-minded leadership can foster this in the youngest and oldest members of the farm team or family.
I have talked to many farmers who are keen to learn from others and apply their learning to their land and stock management and farm business practices. Successors and founders alike are taking courses, reading, sharing with their peers, going to events and conferences; the types of things that can contribute to farm and farmer success and wellbeing.
Here are some ideas for how to stay curious and maintain a learner’s mindset on the farm.
Engage with New Energy & New Ideas from the next gen.
People on your team, often the next generation, will come to the founders and farm partners expressing that they want to try something new or to ask questions about why things are done a certain way. The motivation might be to gain better understanding and contribute to making some shifts and improvements to human resource management or staffing, increase profitability or adding a new revenue stream, making changes to grazing or crop planning as a means to manage the resource base, working to access new markets, or wanting to apply new learning. Expressing an interest in new ideas or trying new things demonstrates a degree of leadership, enthusiasm, and interest in the work. Coming forward with new ideas can take courage, vulnerability, and trust, especially if new ideas or free thinking have not been given space or have not been received well in the past.
I often talk to the next generation of farmers who feel frustrated that there is not enough room or space to try something new. Note that it can also be the case that folks assume there is not room for new ideas, and the real issue is one of open communication rather than having an open mind. When people are faced with wanting some influence and agency to try something new, and are faced with “this is the way the grandparents always did it,” enthusiasm and creativity can be dampened. I am first generation on my farm, and while the cash flow challenges of running a start-up presented a major hurdle, the independence of getting to try things (and sometimes having them not work out) served to build my entrepreneurial skills, resilience, and creativity from a young adult age. Of course, some things have been tried before, and it can be wise to seek advice and wisdom from others via mentorship rather than having to make the same mistakes over again. It is a balance. Open communication and a culture of learning, curiosity, and leaning into wisdom, mentorship, and traditional knowledge are all very important.
Join (or Organize) a Peer Group
Over the years, I have been a part of a number of farmer-to-farmer peer support and learning groups. These have been great spaces to hear about what others are doing on the operations side of their business, and also to create space for community. Some of the peer groups I have been in have been very family-friendly, while others have been more focused on finances and production. Years ago, we hosted a series of peer group meetings in our local hall, and people would drive from hundreds of km away to join. It was a great space to come together and often share a meal. We would present topics to one another and discuss some of the finer details of managing our cattle, grain, and vegetable operations, and share and discuss other aspects of working and living where we do in Manitoba. We could ask questions, explore ideas, and redefine measures of success for our farms. Our peer groups have changed and morphed over the years, and have contributed to building a web of connections across Canada and the US.
Embrace Change
Farmers can feel significant amounts of stress when faced with change, especially when the change was not planned or foreseen. Faced with financial difficulty and uncertainty, high debt load, overwork, labour shortages, and climate variability, making small changes to a system that seems to be working relatively well can be daunting and unappetizing. Years of experience in a particular way of doing something moves us towards the “right way” and the “wrong way.” Negative emotions that come with unforeseen changes or hardship related to change can cause us to miss opportunities for positive change. On the other hand, embracing positive emotions around change, like hope, curiosity, creativity, and optimism, can create a lot of possible options that we might not otherwise see. Exploring change can foster cooperative working relationships with employees, spouses, team members, and within farm transitions, and allows us to move from zero-sum to mutually beneficial outcomes as we shift and move.
Calculate your Risk & Keep an Open Mind.
When new ideas are brought to the table, or members of the farm team go out seeking new learnings and other ways of doing and seeing things, this may be embraced or lead to tension at home. Sometimes a desire for change by one party can be interpreted as an identity issue for the other party, i.e, maybe the next generation thinks the founder was ‘incorrect’ or ‘wrong’. The culture of your farm will create the space for learners and change makers to feel comfortable, and knowing that past contributions and future learning are complementary, not adversarial, can lead you towards better outcomes in communication and team building.
Often I hear from founders that successors have not been working on the farm for 30+ years; they don’t have the experience to understand the potential outcomes and risks of specific decisions, or sometimes it is a spouse saying they do not want to start a new project or engage in major systems changes at this age and stage of life. It is important to know the “why” or interests behind our desires for change and to keep learning from one another as we adapt, shift, and transition.
Did you enjoy New Ideas on the Farm? You might want to check these articles out too:
Encouraging Farm Fathers
Mother in the Middle
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