Monday, 20 October 2014 12:33

Upskill to cope with less

Written by 

FARMERS’ PROBLEMS  caused by the drop in Fonterra’s forecast milk solid payout are best tackled head-on with agribusiness management training, says Primary ITO, which offers courses in this discipline.

The need is urgent to review and revise budgets and monitor cashflow to ensure debt levels don’t rise unnecessarily.  Spending cuts, increasing milk production and generally improving onfarm performance are among the options.

 

Primary ITO’s Diploma in Agribusiness Management supports farmers in honing their business management skills to manage risks like a volatile payout and take control of their business.  

Key subjects include business and finance, where students learn to develop and monitor financial plans, monitor on-farm performance against objectives, and develop a budget to share with their bank manager or accountant, are all directly applicable to the farmer’s own business.  

Cath Blake, manager of Dairy Training Ltd, says cashflow budget development and implementation are vital. “The skills farmers gain by completing the Diploma in Agribusiness assist in managing financial risk…. This financial capability helps farmers to look to the goals of the business and gives long term confidence in the dairy industry.”

Staff costs can also be a point of contention when budgets are tightened.  Staff may be let go or professional development and training costs cut.

Mark Paine, DairyNZ strategy and investment leader (people and business) says recruiting the right staff and keeping staff motivated can mean staff turnover is reduced.  

“The cost of staff turnover to the dairy industry is about $300 million per year. If we can hold onto our good staff, this can lead to better business performance.”

The Diploma in Agribusiness Management includes human resource management as a key subject, and supports farmers’ staff development.  Farmers learn how better to recruit, select and induct staff, and build good working relationships and assess performance.  

The Agribusiness Diploma is a collaborative project between Primary ITO, DairyNZ, Beef and Lamb New Zealand and HortNZ. Studies are open to farmers, growers and agribusiness operators.  

www.primaryito.ac.nz/diploma

More like this

All eyes on NZ milk supply

All eyes are on milk production in New Zealand and its impact on global dairy prices in the coming months.

"Our" business?

OPINION: One particular bone the Hound has been gnawing on for years now is how the chattering classes want it both ways when it comes to the success of NZ's dairy industry.

Farmers' call

OPINION: Fonterra's $4.22 billion consumer business sale to Lactalis is ruffling a few feathers outside the dairy industry.

Wasted energy

OPINION: Finance Minister Nicola Willis could have saved her staff and MBIE time and effort over ‘buttergate’ recently by not playing politics with butter prices in the first place.

Featured

NZ household food waste falls again

Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.

Editorial: No joking matter

OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.

DairyNZ plantain trials cut nitrate leaching by 26%

DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.

National

Machinery & Products

Tech might take time

Agritech Unleashed – a one-day event held recently at Mystery Creek, near Hamilton – focused on technology as an ‘enabler’…

John Deere acquires GUSS Automation

John Deere has announced the full acquisition of GUSS Automation, LLC, a globally recognised leader in supervised high-value crop autonomy,…

Fencing excellence celebrated

The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards,…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

A step too far

OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…

Save us from SAFE

OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter