Shropshire Farming Talk: Change shouldn’t be an event, it should be a process

Not just on my own pathway, but also in farming.

The firm I worked for went into receivership leaving me redundant from my dream job and choosing my next move became a huge event.

I asked too many peoples’ opinions and focused on the negatives rather than the positives.

I think that can also be a common occurrence amongst farmers too, because even positive changes in agriculture normally come with a catch!

So when it comes to change within farming families, where do you begin? Firstly, you must try to remove the emotion from the situation.

This is easier said than done because farms are not just places of work they are homes too.

But embracing future opportunities allows you to focus on the next steps and begin the journey of change.

Whether it’s due to retirement, death, family disputes or simply a desire to make a fresh start, the key to starting the process is understanding what assets your business has, what they are worth and what the desired outcome is.

I have recently been involved with a farm partnership split where the parties were struggling to agree on a fair and reasonable settlement.

A portfolio valuation which included the farm, adjacent cottage, livestock and machinery provided the family with an idea of the value of the entire business.

Once these figures were laid out in front of them, the split was agreed in a matter of weeks.

Even more recently I’ve worked for a dairy farming family who had desires to move into the beef and sheep sector.

They couldn’t visualise the transition because they didn’t know the value of their business assets and what cash was at their disposal.

A valuation was completed, a plan was made and not long after the surplus assets were sold and new ones purchased.

From my own experience, change shouldn’t be an event, it should be a process. The secret is to focus all of your energy on creating the next chapter.

Jonty Cliffe is an Associate Partner of Barbers Rural