What’s your farm’s off-season plan this winter?

With the 2023 crop year wrapped up, it’s a season with some clear shifts going on. There’s less time-sensitive production work to do, and everyone’s attention moves toward the many other tasks that need to get done in the operation.

Since the next couple months are available for much of this “off-season” work, the biggest question can be knowing what to do, and in what order.

Sometimes it’s true that work expands to fit the time frame that’s available for it to get done. This can happen in any business, including farms, making things less efficient.

The farm leader has an important role in changing this and possibly even turning it into an advantage.

The farm’s off-season is actually one of the greatest opportunities that an operation has to become more efficient and set themselves apart from the competition.

But to take full advantage of that, it requires some intentional planning from the farm’s leaders.

Planning It Out

This doesn’t mean that nobody takes any time off or goes on any type of vacation this winter. What it does mean is that there is a careful plan in place for what’s going to happen, and when, during the off-season to set the farm up for the best possible success in 2024.

In fact, part of the plan should probably include some intentional time off for each person involved in the operation.

Everyone on the farm works hard during harvest, and the winter season can be a great time to reward employees and others with some time to “recharge” their personal batteries.

Each person will return to the farm with greater energy, perspective and passion after some time away. Their capacity for creative solutions and efficiency can also increase greatly after taking some time away from the farm operation.

Get It Together

Other than planned time away from the farm, what else might the farm’s off-season plan involve? Here are a few suggestions you may want to include in your plans.

• Reviewing 2023 and planning for 2024. Setting aside time for both a review of the past year and starting plans for the next year is one of the best things you and your leadership team can do this winter. Learning from any challenges that happened in 2023 and using that information to get going on 2024 will bring momentum to your plans.

• Take time for training. Consider using some of the off-season time to get your employees and family members — especially anyone who may be taking more of a leadership role in the future — to involve them in training that’s specific to their role or will be beneficial for the operation in general. You can send them to a winter class or seminar, get them reading specific books, or use other training methods.

• Consider how to become more efficient. One of the best ways you can use the farm’s off-season is to review the farm’s current processes and procedures and determine how they can be made more efficient. Consider doing your own internal audit of your current processes and procedures or if your farm doesn’t have those in place yet, get some in place for a couple of the more repetitive or reoccurring tasks that must happen regularly to get things done.

• Work on forward-looking financial plans. These plans involve more in-depth planning for the business side of your farm and might include things like a five-year capital plan to help direct spending for major purchases such as equipment and buildings, or even an overarching business plans and goals for your operation for the next 10 to 20 years.