Since the dawn of time mankind has used agronomy to sustain himself and his family. Over time our methods of cultivating and harvesting plants for food and raising animals as livestock became more sophisticated leading to an agrarian revolution that could be argued to have forever changed the face of business. Suddenly we as a species were no longer farming to feed ourselves or our families, we were farming for profit. Centuries later, everything has changed yet everything is exactly the same. But the times, they are a-changing. As the population grows, the increased demand on agriculture is leading to some serious issues of sustainability. We will need to invest in extensive research and development in order to keep feeding a growing world population with a finite amount of land, water and resources. In order to do this, the agricultural industry must maximise profits in order to fund this R&D to pre-empt the agricultural crises of tomorrow while still ensuring that farmers and all who work in the agricultural industry are able to live comfortably.
Fortunately, since we’ve been farming for centuries, we’ve come up with a range of ways in which we can boost our profits in the agriculture industry…
Invest in the best equipment
There are many areas in any kind of project management where costs can be cut and overheads can be managed or even eliminated. But the buying and / or leasing of quality equipment is never one of them. Agriculture is absolutely no exception. Invest in good quality agronomy solutions from River Country CoOp and you’ll find that you enjoy increased, sustainable yields and a product upon which you can hang your reputation. Cutting costs on equipment could lead to lower yields or damaged crops which will eat into your profit margins or worse still, leave you with broken or faulty equipment which will need to be repaired or replaced at the expense of your profits.
Sell what you’re worth
You know that farming is a competitive market and that retailers and distributors have a choice of suppliers. But racing your competitors to the bottom is never a sustainable business model. Remember that these businesses have reputations of their own to maintain and it’s far more valuable and profitable to be the best than it is to be the cheapest. Even little things like presentation can help to build value in your product and command a higher price tag than your low cost, low quality competitors.
Play your suppliers off against one another
Sure, you enjoy a good relationship with your suppliers, but all’s fair in love and business. If someone can get you the same quality seeds or animal feed for a lower price, your current supplier is not going to reward your loyalty unless you make them work for it. At least tell them that you’re considering changing suppliers and give them an opportunity to keep you. They’re as reliant upon your custom as you are on your customers’ so there’s a good chance that they’ll capitulate to a better price.
If not, simply take your business elsewhere.