Increasing Production working
Work smarter, not harder, to increase productivity
Why should you work to improve productivity?
The productivity of our farms affects our competitiveness, income and savings, and quality of life.
Farm productivity is defined as the ratio of agricultural outputs to inputs. We are all aiming for the greatest volume of quality output for our inputs, whilst maintaining standards.
It is important to compare our farm business performance to that of other similar farms. By doing so, we can be sure that the view we hold of our farms performance and productivity is accurate (or not). It will also allow us to identity what we are doing well, along with identifying which areas may need some improvement.
more... Changes do not need to be expensive and/or time consuming to improve productivity. Small changes in a single area can have a large impact on the bottom line. It may be as simple as increasing efficiency by purchasing the correct product for our land, crop or stock or even cutting back on products we are over using. more... show less Having a plan in place to work towards a goal, alongside record keeping, will help us to work out if our changes are having the desired impacts. A productive farm is efficient and resilient. show less
Where do I stand?
Answer the following 5 questions. Are you happy with your answers? All these topics are something in your control. So if you would like to improve your answer, then you can.
| Red | Amber | Green | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Do you have an animal health plan? E.g. Plans for vaccinations, bio security and outbreaks. | No | I have one, but don’t always stick to it | I have one that I stick to and I regularly review it |
| OR | ||||
| Do you have a crop rotation? | No | I have a vague one | I have thought thought through crop rotation and adapt it to the conditions | |
| B | Approximately what % of your youngstock survive from scanning to weaning? | 85% | I compare my costs across different years | I compare my costs across different years and fields and adjust them accordingly |
| OR | ||||
| Approximately what % of your youngstock survive from scanning to weaning? | 85% | 90% | 95% | |
| C | Do you research new methods of increasing production? | No | I research by asking people or looking on the internet | I trial new methods on my farm by comparing the new and old at the same time |
| D | Do you know the most productive area of your business? | No | Yes | Yes, I specialise in it |
| E | Do you consider the cost of labour in cost of production? | No | I have a rough idea | Yes, and I work to optimise it |
If you want a bit of a helping hand then have a look at our resources below.
If you have any comments on there questions that you would like to share. Then please email:
Would you like to do a full assessment of your farm? Then try out our self-assessment tool here.
How can I improve production on my farm?
Farm Business Survey
The Farm Business Survey provides information on the physical and economic performance of farm businesses in England.
Farmbench
Farmbench is an easy to use online benchmarking tool that helps to identify where strengths and weaknesses lie within a farm business.
Better Returns Programme
The AHDB Beef & Lamb Better Returns Programme (BRP) encourages producers to evaluate their businesses and identify areas of improvement. For the most part, the programme focuses on cost reduction, environmental impact and animal performance.
This page is currently under construction. If you would like more details, or to contribute, please contact us here.