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Balanced Approach to Farming Needed by
Everyone
Farmright farm consultant Peter Gaul says farmers need to take a
balanced approach to farming in order to meet all objectives and
everyone needs time out - no exceptions.
By Sandra Taylor and published in the February 2005 issue of
Country-Wide southern edition.
How balanced is your life?
This is the question Farmright farm consultant Peter Gaul asks
farmers to ask themselves — and to answer honestly.
Gaul, himself a reformed workaholic, says too often he has
heard farmers bragging about how many years it is since they had a
break or how little time off they need, but at what cost?
He says people often start out farming with workaholic
tendencies jeopardizing their personal relationships, and 20 years on
will still be working just as hard.
Speaking at last year’s holistic management conference, Gaul
advocated taking a balanced approach to farming in order to meet all
objectives and says everyone needs time out — no exceptions
To achieve a sustainable lifestyle, everyone needs a strong
and stable home environment and to take a planned approach to a
balanced lifestyle, this includes taking holidays.
From his work as a farm consultant, Gaul sees many people in
the farming industry who are permanently tired, especially in the dairy
industry, and believes many farmers have poorly-defined social routines
in that every day is treated the same.
“There is more time going into production planning than people
planning.”
The most common excuses or reasons for not taking time off is
that many farmers believe they are indispensable, unable to leave the
farm because no-one else knows what to do, or their business is at a
critical stage and they will take time off later.
But as Gaul says if you are really not indispensable then your
business and your balance is at risk.
Consider your support group, the people around you such as
family, staff, friends, advisors, accountants, lawyers etc and look how
they support you and what you need to do to help them.
He advocates using peer group pressure to help achieve breaks
away from the farm.
Often the hardest thing to do is to put a ring around a day on
the calendar that you plan to do something.
By setting a date with a partner or friend, peer group
pressure can make it happen.
Gaul suggests farmers look at the big picture and try and
maintain a balanced lifestyle. Learn to recognise two key things — what
you are good at and what you enjoy and build upon these strengths.
“You are responsible for your progress, achievements and
lifestyle and the subsequent satisfaction it brings.”
To take the initial steps toward a more balanced lifestyle
Gaul says people need to become planners, planning all aspects of their
life — not just their business, and address personal and character
issues including relationships.
He says he often asks farmers to visualise themselves in
three, five and 10 years time.
“A three year plan is achievable, a five year plan suggests
stability and while the 10 year plan seems a long way off, it comes
around pretty quickly.”
A difficult time for farming couples can be when the business
has undergone the growth period, is in a period of consolidation, and
the children are independent.
Gaul says at this point on-farm roles often change as farm
managers take on the areas of responsibility. Women in particular may
suffer at this point.
Whereas they may have had well defined roles in the business
and acted as a sounding board for their partners, these roles may be
taken on by the farm manager.
Couples who may have been very dependant on each other for the progress
of the business and family are oftenleft looking at each other and
wondering whether their common goals stll exist.
He says people should not be too afriad to seek help for their
relationahips from professionals such as counsellors.
While farming is different to many other businesses, Gaul points out it
is not unique and farmers need to accept farming is irregular and plan
their lifestyle accordingly.
"Agree to achieve lifestyle."
Holistic management is based around balnce including social,
environmental, and financial balance.
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