Farmer’s Perspective on Discussion Groups

First big benefits seen:

• Winter period shortened indoors from 5 months to 3.5 months.
• Main emphasis changed from quality silage, 3 cuts and 10 ton per livestock unit to quality grass management, 8 grazings and 5.5 tons silage.
• The greatest gain only happened when there was sharp focus on whys:
• Why you should understand total farm cover.
• Why you were or were not achieving target intake.
• Why your costs were rising or lowering.
• Why you were spending so much time doing so little (time management).
• Why you didn’t have a map plan for 1 year—5 years, long term.
• Progress only could be made on answers when members knew where they were, and where they were going. Having accounts and understanding them is crucial.

Social aspect:

Meeting a group of farmers like yourself and at least having your ideas bounced off them. Working together, not in competition.

Best progress is made if there is a program for each year. Getting to understand growth rate, grass measurement, matching supply and demand. Host farmers should be prepared to make accounts available and members should help trash out why certain costs are high or output is low and put a plan into place. Are veterinary costs high because of bad roadways, congested housing, stress at milking because of cow flow, etc.?

It is only when farmers get something worthwhile from a group visit that they become committed and are anxious to continue participation. Improvement in profit, efficiency or life style will cover what most farmers want. I would have benefited from all (well I don’t know about life style).

I would not see any specific system as a passport to riches, let it be low input, elite breeding or whatever. What I believe important when a group meet on a farm they identify the strength, weakness, opportunity and threat to the farm, (and farmer) and help put a plan together to exploit the strength and overcome the weakness.

Less positive observation:

Groups can become a talking shop if not kept focused. It’s easy talking about the common market, white-collar workers, the American election, what’s going to happen in 2015? I believe facilitators need special training. Farmers for whatever reasons don’t take easily to figures, cm., kg, dry matter intake, growth rate, demand, fixed cost, variable cost, % retained. To exploit the new era everyone will need to become familiar. It won’t happen with a continuation of the old system. Facilitators, (instructors I presume) will need training to get the best from groups and keep them motivated.

There are a couple of foreign areas discussion groups could become involved in if there was enough interest: Investments, alternative enterprise and farm business outside the farm gate are what I have in mind here.

There are not enough young people involved in farm politics or in farm owned agri business. Inefficient farming survived for many years after joining the common market because of rising prices. Milk has dropped 30 cent from it’s peak in the mid 90’s wouldn’t it be a shame if inefficiency in our processing industry caused it to drop every time a few cents were needed. I don’t think it’s in the best interest of young farmers to have older men retiring to co-op boards or farming politics.

Discussion groups could be a good training ground for likely candidates.

We are very lucky in having a terrific independent research institute. It isn’t enough to have a group of masters, doctors and professors indulging in all their knowledge; it must have a better avenue out to farms through extension services, discussion groups, etc. If there is an acute problem on farms, a commercial interest will probably always get involved with a product to be promoted. However, most of the best advice that companies will give will have reference to Teagasc research. There is a need for a fairer divide between research and farm services.

I believe discussion groups can be a great tool but like all good tools they need care and attention.