One of the biggest mistakes you can ever make as a farmer is being far away from your animals or produce for too long.
It is not just for sentimental reasons that you need to visit your farming activities now and then, but it is also crucial for the survival of your farming enterprise.
Often, we fall into a slumber and ignore certain vital needs of our farming operation, delegating such responsibility to our committed assistants or workers on the ground.
When a worker calls and informs you of certain problems or shortcomings at the farming enterprise and you order him to deal with them without giving much direction, you are planting a dangerous seed into your business.
By asking a worker or assistant who might not be necessarily skilled or experienced to handle the task at hand without caring much, you are laying a foundation of mediocrity in your business.
You are indirectly saying it is acceptable for things to be done halfway, and approving substandard work – and this will stick with your employees.
It is good to empower your employees to be more hands-on and take on tasks beyond what is initially expected from them.
It builds confidence in them and surely grows them.
But there is a thin line between doing this and throwing your employee in too deep. Remember, you are running a business that needs to grow and sustain itself; there is no room for risky experiential learning that may cost you dearly.
Unfortunately, many farmers do this, and it is a grave mistake, as we end up being disconnected from our agribusiness.
Imagine having to consult your employees on the number of livestock you have or how many of them had successful lambing seasons all the time. That would mean that you are completely detached from your business. In fact, you are the employee in this regard, as you have to be schooled about your business every time. Frequent visits to your agribusiness are not just an option; they are a vital requirement.
This will help you better understand certain things your employees either forgot to tell you or are unable to explain in spoken terms.
By being there yourself, you will also be able to pick up on any possible shortcomings of either your employees or the agribusiness itself.
Running an agribusiness requires constant nurturing. Whether you are in small-scale poultry production, agronomy or large-scale commercial livestock farming, you need to feed the business constantly until it can stand on all four legs comfortably.
Also, there are no shortcuts; it must be done by the book, or else your business will fail.
Always remember that while your employees and all you work with will do their best to make sure the business succeeds, you are in the driver’s seat and cannot afford to fall asleep on the wheel.
You need to keep the business on the road as planned – even when it becomes unfashionable to do so. Most importantly, take comfort in the adage: ‘The eye of the master fattens the sheep’, for it is indeed true.
The Afrikaners will tell you “Ver van jou goed, naby jou skade”, which loosely translates to ‘If you don’t take care of matters yourself, expect losses’.