Growing crops and livestock is one thing.
Growing your operation is another.
Even the most successful farmers find it challenging to manage a complex operation.
That’s because farming and ranching require one set of skills, while managing a successful business takes a completely different set.
At Encore, we’re passionate about helping farmers improve their operations by developing management skills, gaining new perspectives and planning for change.
Hundreds of farmers have worked with us—and they’ve grown, changed and prospered.
Are you ready to begin?
Insights
What makes a successful Partnership?
Partnerships are a great idea. You pool together talents and money to go farther than each party could by themselves. Written for MILK Magazine/DairyHerd and originally published at https://www.dairyherd.com/news/business/what-makes-partnership-successful on 5/23/2022. Some partnerships are large endeavors, and others are smaller. But no matter their size, some flourish, and others don't. So here are the basic principles to have a flourishing partnership. Principle #1 - Run it like a business Run multiple "what if" scenarios of sales, expenses, debt levels, and startup costs. Assume that not everything will go smooth and build in a fudge factor. This will cover the unknowns that are sure to pop up. The projections will not be spot on, but they will show you where your assumptions were right or wrong. Imperfect projections are better than...
Dealing with Discomfort
There is more than one way to handle conflict Written for Farm Futures and originally published in their May/June 2022 print issue. The Father and son sat across from each other, building tension. The topic was compensation within their family farm as part of their transition plan. This meeting occurred almost a decade ago, so the exact details around the disagreement are foggy. Back to the story. Father leaned forward in his chair and declared that the issue of compensation during his retirement needed to be resolved, and it was "time to get it all out on the table and hash it out." His son avoided eye contact, slowly pushed himself away from the table, and checked his phone. He completely ignored Father's declaration. The silence hung heavy in the...
Better Communication, Less Confusion
Hold quarterly team meetings to keep goals moving forward and communication flowing. Written for PROGRESSIVE DAIRY and originally published in the March 2022 issue. Are you sometimes left wondering if your employees understand the farm's priorities and goals? Do your employees ever feel they get conflicting messages and wonder, "What does the boss want?" You are not alone; communication is always a challenge. When we survey farms, we find that improving communication is almost always one of the top three priorities. The truth is, people power your business. The more engaged and inspired your employees are, the more productivity and value they deliver. It's rare to find a thriving farm that doesn't have great communication. Communication and engaged employees are the secret sauce that allows farms to do great things....
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