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Meet ag challenges with a plan

An ag consultant says farmers with a plan have a better chance of withstanding challenging times in agriculture.   

Kevin Ochsner, president of Agcellerate and host of NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen, says proposed tariffs have the potential to disrupt all sectors of the industry.

“Ten to twenty percent of beef gets exported, and certainly 30-some percent of pork gets exported, and the importance of exports to the soybean business.”  He says, “I’m all in favor of a more level playing field, but there may be some bumpy roads between now and then that we in agriculture have to deal with.”

He tells Brownfield the best way to safeguard a farming operation is to plan ahead.

“I think it’s about identifying what that core strength of your business is, and then building a business plan that positions yourself to leverage that strength to create more profits than the next guy,” he says.

Ochsner says those strengths could be things like marketing, or relationship building.  He says an operation with a strategic plan is more adaptable to quickly changing market dynamics.

AUDIO: Kevin Ochsner – Agcellerate