Is your operation ready for planting season yet? When I ask this question, you might think about whether all relevant pieces of equipment are ready to go, if inputs are delivered and stored properly or if seasonal help has been found and trained.

You may be thinking about field plans – and what type of crop will be planted in each. Logistics are high on the list, of course, plus a close eye to the ground temperature and conditions in your fields and how the weather forecast is trending. Maybe you’re looking at the calendar, wondering when it will be “go time” for the 2019 planting season.

The playbook

Spring is a busy time on the farm. You only get one chance to put the crop in the ground and make sure it’s done right. There are lots of moving pieces and equipment – and people – to coordinate when you’re the one in charge.

Having plans in place for your operation’s fields, employees and machinery are key pieces for the busy season to run as smoothly as possible. I’ve even heard of farmers putting together a spring “playbook” of sorts for their operation – detailing instructions for each field, including what must be done and how. This manual might even include directions on how to get to each field if there are new employee who wouldn’t know field locations. This is vital information, for sure.

When it comes to the business side of your farm operation, some aspects might not seem quite as urgent compared with critical fieldwork and operations that must happen within a tight timeframe. But there are often important moving pieces here, too – so it’s key to also have a plan for how you’ll handle your farm’s business when spring is in full swing.

Five key pieces

Here are five major elements to consider as part of your spring business game plan.

 The opinions of the author are not necessarily those of Farm Futures or Farm Progress.