Why Some Farmers Say No to Cover Crops

Cover crops and soil health are huge issues today. No matter where you turn, experts (and everyone else) are telling farmers how important it is that they plant cover crops.

Cover crops are used to reduce soil erosion. On flat open land, cover crops will protect against wind that can blow away nutrient-rich topsoil. In hilly, wet areas, cover crops will prevent water from washing away topsoil. In the spring, cover crops are tilled under or sprayed down before row crops are planted.

In addition to preventing soil erosion, cover crops benefit farmers and the environment in many other ways, including:

  • Increased soil fertility
  • Nutrient replenishment
  • Increased organic matter
  • Reduced water drainage
  • Weed control

In light of these advantages, some people may wonder why a farmer would ever choose not to plant cover crops. The fact is, however, that some do believe that they have legitimate reasons for deciding against cover crops.

Whether you agree or not, these farmers believe that planting cover crops doesn’t make financial sense. Farmers who are having a difficult time making ends meet simply can’t justify the costs involved in planting cover crops, especially when profit margins are already razor thin. Time is another factor. Depending on the size of the operation, some smaller farmers just don’t feel as if they can get it all done.

A survey by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation showed that in addition to the reasons listed above, there are other challenges farmers say they encounter when planting cover crops. Here are some of the major ones:

  • Cover crops become weeds the following year
  • Cover crops use too much soil moisture
  • There is a potential for yield reduction with cover crops
  • Cover crops increase insect potential
  • There may be a carbon to nitrogen ratio imbalance
  • Cover crops increase disease potential

No one would argue that cover crops are not beneficial to the soil or to the environment but neither is every farmer who doesn’t plant cover crops irresponsible. Farmers are concerned about the land and the environment. After all, those things are the source of their livelihood. If some farmers decide to forgo cover corps it is likely because they have decided that cover crops do not work for their particular farm or in their particular region. It does not, as some may say, have anything to do with whether or not they are good stewards of the land.

Marketing Your Small Ag Business

Marketing Your Small Ag Business

If you are a small Ag business owner, it can be difficult to know how to market your product or service most effectively. This is especially true if you aren’t sure who your perfect customer is.

Many small businesses mistakenly try to appear bigger rather than capitalizing on what they do best. In other words, instead of promoting what makes them unique and especially valuable to their niche customers, they try to be a jack of all trades.

Small businesses who excel at one thing need to take that one thing and run with it. So how do you market your Ag business to a niche market? Here are some things you need to ask yourself as you build your marketing plan:

  • Who are my customers? If you try to market to all farmers when your product or service works specifically for cattle farmers, for example, you will have a hard time selling that product or service over the long term. Even if you get customers initially, they will become dissatisfied and word will spread. This can irreparably damage your brand.
  • What do my customers need? If your unique product or service benefits hay producers, you need a marketing strategy that gets the word out to hay producers. These prospects need to know that your product will solve a problem they have, make their job easier or allow their operation to become more profitable.
  • Why should people buy from me? Make sure your niche market knows exactly why they should look to you instead of a larger competitor. What makes your business special? Outstanding customer service? A better-made product? Emphasize why it is worth the time and effort for customers to patronize your business.

While it may seem risky to concentrate on only one or a few products or services, this will pay off in the long run by helping you to establish a loyal customer base. Finally, once you have found your niche, that doesn’t mean you can sit back and relax. The most successful small business owners understand that they must always be looking for ways to improve their business. By doing so, they will not only keep their current customers happy, those customers will provide invaluable referrals, as well.

Keeping Kids Safe on the Farm

Keeping Kids Safe on the Farm

Any farmer will tell you that kids raised on a farm end up being dependable, hardworking adults. After all, while the farm life isn’t all work and no play, children who grow up on a farm know the importance of getting a job done and getting it done right.

More than a million individuals age 20 or younger live on a farm in the United States. With school out, farm children are likely spending longer hours working on these farms. While injuries are not common, they do happen, and some of them can be extremely serious. In fact, more than 100 children and young adults are killed each year on the farm and thousands more are injured. Statistics show that children from 10 to 13 years old are involved in the most accidents.

While most farm kids believe that they are tough enough to handle any task, it is important to make sure that safety always comes first. Therefore, more than just a child’s age must be taken into account when chores are assigned. The size of child and his or her maturity must also be taken into consideration. It is also important that no matter how capable or well-trained even the most mature young adults are, they need to be checked on regularly to make sure they are doing their chores correctly.

The most common accidents occur near barn hay-drop openings, grain bins, manure pits, ponds and silos so make sure those working in those areas are aware of the potential dangers. Children also need to make sure that they are extra careful around animals—no matter how tame and friendly an animal may seem!

What follows are some appropriate chores for children working on the farm, keeping in mind that every child and situation is unique:

  • Children age 5 to 9: Collect eggs, feed small animals, water plants, work with hand tools while supervised
  • Children age 10 to 13: Assist with and handle animals, dig, push-mow while supervised, rake, use hand tools, use power tools while supervised
  • Children age 13 to 16: Feed animals, operate and maintain equipment while supervised, operate tractor and implements after the age of 14 and completion of a training course
  • Young adults age 16 to 18: Operate auger, elevator, self-propelled machinery and tractor following appropriate training courses

Many of the children working on farms today will take over those same farms as adults. It’s important that they learn to do their jobs well, and safely, to prevent any accidents now or in the future!

How to Market Your Small Farm in the Community

How to Market Your Small Farm in the Community

If you want to create a buzz about your small farming operation, it is important that you garner it some local online visibility. This can be achieved through things like a responsive website or being active on social media.

However, as every business owner knows, you never know where your sales leads may come from. That’s why if you are looking to promote your local produce business, it is important to market yourself out in the community, as well as online.

While it would be wonderful if you could afford print and broadcast ads, this is probably not financially feasible. So how can you get your business noticed in the community without spending a lot of money? Here are three simple ideas that will help you to get the word out about your business:

  1. Join a cooperative. A cooperative offers larger clients the convenience of buying from a single source. When you work as part of a cooperative, your produce can be sold to larger institutions, such as schools, whose needs you would not be able to meet on your own. Further, many cooperatives have a spokesperson that helps to market its members.
  2. Make a stand. While it may seem like small potatoes, a roadside stand can really help to increase your visibility in the community. Such a stand also will allow you to avoid fees that come with most farmers markets. You may be surprised at the number of visitors your stand attracts and, if your produce is outstanding and your service top-notch, how quickly word of your business spreads throughout the community.
  3. Go restaurant-hopping. Many local restaurants are searching for local produce to use when preparing their menu items. Visiting local chefs and restaurants and providing them with a list of produce you can provide is a great way to sell your homegrown items. Many restaurants will even list your farm on their menu, which gets your name out in the community and allows people to sample your produce.

While your agricultural operation may be small, it doesn’t need to stay that way. By promoting your business online and offline, you may be surprised at how quickly word spreads about your homegrown merchandise.

Why Long Content Trumps Short Content

We all remember a time—years ago—when the experts told us that no one reads anything on the internet. To the contrary, we were told, people just scan a page and move on.

In 2016, this is no longer the case. In fact, as mobile devices have become more and more prevalent, people are reading more content than ever. And that content is getting longer. While short content clearly has its place, long content is the way to go when it comes to content marketing

Long content is a great way to engage your target audience and tell them a story. Further, long content allows you to get your point across to readers without having to worry that their attention span will give out before you are done getting your point across.

Long content works especially well when connecting with farmers and ranchers. Farmers and ranchers are not easily swayed by short, attention-grabbing blurbs about a company’s products or services. Instead, they want to know the facts about anyone they are considering doing business with or a product they are considering purchasing.

There are other important reasons why using long content works so well for content marketing. What follows are what experts cite as the most compelling reasons to invest in long content:

  • Greater Number of Leads: More than seven times more sales leads are generated with the use of long content versus short content.
  • Higher SEO: Research shows that longer posts almost always appear higher on search engine result pages than shorter posts, provided it is quality content.
  • Increased Engagement: Again, if you are posting quality content, people will stick around to read longer content. Studies also show that long content can keep visitors on your website up to three times longer than short content. This allows them to explore other aspects of your brand.
  • Increased Reach: Long copy can reach a greater number of people because it can be repurposed in many different ways. Webinars, content series and eBooks are just a few examples.

If your current marketing strategy does not include long content, it needs to—and soon! Without long content your customers are less likely to find you online and even if they do, they are less likely to engage with you. Writing long content may take more time but it is definitely worth the effort!

Hiring Seasonal Farm Workers

Hiring Seasonal Farm Workers

Running a farm often involves hiring seasonal labor. While these type of employees can be a lifesaver on the farm, the wrong hire can cause tremendous headaches.

If you are looking to hire some extra help, you will likely place an ad in the local newspaper or online or may place signs around town. Word-of-mouth also is a popular method of finding seasonal labor. No matter how you get the word out, you can be sure that you will get a variety of applicants—from college students to retirees and from the very experienced to the very inexperienced.

Even the most seasoned human resources professionals don’t get it right all of the time, so it is no wonder that you may have a tough time knowing who to hire. To help you in your hiring quest, here are some things to consider before you make any decisions:

  1. Are they experienced? It is important to find out not only if a prospective worker has farming experience, but also what type of experience. Gardening in the backyard, for example, will do little to prepare an individual for the rigors of strenuous farm work. Ask about specific experience—for both your sakes. Inexperienced workers are more likely to quit without notice or get injured on the job.
  2. What is expected? When hiring any worker, it is essential that this person knows what will be expected of him or her. A complete list of job duties and other general expectations will help anyone applying know whether he or she will be able to handle the job. Just talking in generalities is not enough, you need to be clear about what exactly will be expected day in and day out.
  3. How are their references? It’s not enough to ask for references, you need to follow up on those references. While many former employers will—for legal reasons—only give dates of employment, that can still be helpful in determining if a person has a solid work record. If a past employer is willing to give you more information, ask questions such as, “Would you hire this person again?” If a person has no references, this is a huge red flag.
  4. What do you have to offer? While it’s true that you are interviewing this person, it is important that you make it clear that you have something to offer, as well. When farmers list things like a living wage, a friendly atmosphere, etc., the position will be much more attractive to applicants. And it is important to remember, in almost all cases, if a worker feels valued and appreciated, he or she will do the best job possible.

Hiring seasonal workers can take a lot of time and effort for what is a relatively short-term job. However, a hardworking, experienced farm worker can do wonders for your operation so you must be diligent in who you choose.