The best entrepreneurs don't! They are constantly working on improvements. They do that because they know that there are always more improvements to be made. They know that new developments will keep appearing that will enable them to do work better or faster in a different way.
When they look at colleagues who are doing work the way they have always done it, they know they have a competitive advantage just because they are open to change.
The current times are spectacular. There have never been such drastic changes in such a short time in my life. The prices of fossil fuel-related products are rising sharply. The milk price of conventional milk has risen to roughly the organic level in a short period of time. – But is that enough?
We also see that the government wants to take steps to adapt the production method because the current way of working causes too many emissions.
But how are we going to change? The government is "advised" by lobbyists connected to the periphery, with the result that changes are fine as long as they do not affect the turnover of the periphery and the BV Netherlands. As a result, sustainability degenerates into a revenue model without any real improvements being implemented. – As long as we spend money, because money has to roll!
The challenge in agriculture is that current farm systems do not provide enough income. The average dairy farm had an annual turnover of slightly under € 200,000 in 2001, with an income comparable to today's, except that the turnover has now more than doubled.
The farmer must therefore convert twice as much within the chosen farm system in order to earn a living.
The solution for the farmer is a business strategy focussed on long-term, which eliminates the causes of the challenge outlined above, the dependence on fossil fuels and external input. Something that gets attention grows. By focusing our energy on increasing income by reducing or eliminating costs, income increases and footprint decreases.
The two are inextricably linked. Sustainability is a very good revenue model, especially for the farmer, when the right business system is chosen.
The results of Pure Grazers prove this; They earn money with less turnover but much lower costs, resulting in a much higher return with a high Own Value Added. They have a low workload because they let the cows work for them. They have a good work-life balance, with time for their friends, family and family.
Enrich yourself with the right knowledge from our courses on cost price, grazing and nature inclusive agriculture. These have been developed and tested in practice, ready to be applied by you!
Happy Easter!
Ado Bloemendal
Pure Graze