The future farm office

As a 21st century farm manager, you’ve invested in high-tech options. But what about your farm office?

It’s the hub of your operation. Yet the office often gets overlooked when it comes to a farm’s investment. 

Modernizing your farm office is increasingly crucial to managing and expanding your farming operation. Greater reliance on technology, data and record-keeping has upgraded the role of your office. Moreover, HR experts say long-time employees – those who stay with one company for 15 or 20 years – are becoming a rare breed. Having to depend on “short-timers” makes it difficult keep the wheels spinning on everything from job applications to payroll to regulatory compliance. 

So, take time to reimagine your farm office for the not-so-distant future. Is your office management system up to date? Is it integrated with other systems your ag business uses? Is it cloud-based? 

Here are ways to prepare your farm office for tomorrow’s demands:
•    Decide if you believe in the importance of transforming your office. Are you ready to invest in its role or do you want the next generation to do it? It will take effort and time, but the results will be worth it. 

• Make sure your farm’s basic IT needs are addressed. These include hardware, software, cybersecurity and system back-ups.
• Evaluate the skill sets of your office staff. Make sure your employees have the skills to handle a modern office management system. Many office staffers already wear multiple hats and may be overwhelmed by new technology. One solution: outsourcing your HR needs. There are service providers who specialize in things like employee handbooks, regulatory and legal changes, H-2A labor and employee contracts. Working with professionals ensures your farm stays up to date and is protected from lawsuits. Outsourcing also frees up you and your staff to manage the rest of your farm or livestock operation. 
• Standardize your office processes and procedures. In this digitized world, it’s no longer enough to keep your operating methods in your head. Creating, documenting and following how you handle the many tasks of your farm office leads to efficiency. It also removes emotion from important tasks. Easily repeatable processes and procedures not only aid your regular staff but help with onboarding new employees. And setting down how you and your farm do things is especially important as you transition your operation to the next generation.
• Think about scalable processes across the farm. Integrating or tying together your farm’s across-the-board programs allows you to gather granular, timely data to make quick, educated decisions.

In this ever-changing world, your farm office will benefit immeasurably from modern, accurate and cohesive office processes and procedures. Bottom line: If your farm office is set up for success, imagine what new growth you can achieve going forward. 

Kala Jenkins will present on the farm office of the future and more at the 2023 Top Producer Summit. Register now!

Kala’s insights have helped position agribusinesses for both survival and success – from agricultural lending, cash flow strategies and debt optimization to grain marketing, risk management and legacy building. A manager with Pinion (formerly KCoe), she is a proactive catalyst for agribusiness success – enabling their growth, optimization and expansion.