WORK ALONE OR IN A GROUP?
Some farmers prefer to work alone; others choose to work in groups.
Those who work alone are often successful by keeping information and new ideas to themselves and, in the short-term at least, profit from their ideas or new ways of growing and marketing their produce.
However, because no business can operate independently of the supply chain for its product, sooner or later the success of the individual attracts competitors whose objective is to copy successful systems.
Frequently, once the secrets of the individual have been learned, the system is easy to copy and intense competition between individuals and companies is the result.
The way the Chileans and Italians have entered the world kiwifruit markets on the backs of successful pioneering of the Kiwifruit industry by New Zealand farmers is a good example of this process in action.
However, it does not make economic sense for farmers farming the same landscapes and producing essentially the same products not to work together. It is always frustrating to see wool producers for example, competing against their neighbours at Auction when really the only beneficiaries of the competition tend to be the buyers who can play one farmer off against another and drive the price down as a result.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF WORKING IN GROUPS?
There are real benefits to farmers getting together with their neighbours and forming groups to work on common issues of land management, production and processing of outputs and marketing of produce.
Landcare is a community issue that goes beyond farm boundaries and can also act as a catalyst to bring farming communities together in a common cause. Generally, Government agencies prefer to work with groups of farmers rather than with individual farmers and can be sources of both financial and advisory assistance.
As consultants,Topoclimate Australia has considerable experience in working with groups and can offer considerable cost benefits to groups who are interested in tackling a common issue in their community.
We are happy to talk to you about your ideas and can assist you to get a group established if you need this.
Please contact Topoclimate Australia either at the phone numbers listed on the “Contact Us” page or by filling in the Contact Form on that page.
