Gary A. Thome Riverland Community College

Publish Date: April 17, 2012

Today’s swine ration formulations are being made up of various new and different feed stuffs to grow our pigs. Corn is still the main energy source for most producers feed rations today in the U.S. With more uses for corn today it is important for the swine producer to have their corn needs sourced well in advance.

Publish Date: April 17, 2012

The operations current ratio is obtained by dividing total current assets by the total current liabilities and expressed as that result to one. Current ratio measures the extent to which current assets if sold would pay off current liabilities. A ratio greater than 1.60 is considered good. A ratio less than 1.10 is considered poor.

Publish Date: April 17, 2012

The use of futures to establish hedges for inputs and pork sales can be a very valuable tool for a producer to use to stay competitive in today’s swine industry. The use of futures and options contracts will allow producers to establish input purchases and pork sales well ahead of when actual physical products are used or sold.

Publish Date: April 17, 2012

The state of any business can be measured at any point in time by completing a balance sheet. The balance sheet has all the business assets and liabilities listed by category.

Publish Date: July 31, 2007

Strategic planning is a process that managers must do to keep a business going long term. Why is strategic planning important for farming businesses? Strategic planning looks outward and inward at the business, considers all available resources, and evaluates past performances. It focuses on managing interactions with competitors, neighbors, government agencies, suppliers, customers, special interest groups, and others. The primary purpose of strategic planning is to keep the business in step with a changing environment. It anticipates the future and considers the future but does not attempt to predict it.

Publish Date: March 10, 2014

Human resource management is of increasing importance for today’s livestock operations. Several aspects of employee supervision can challenge managers and owners, including the increasingly complex federal and state regulations surrounding employee management. Farm businesses, and in particular livestock operations, which operate year-round and require employee presence on holidays and evenings, offer unique challenges for the prevention of sexual harassment.

Publish Date: April 25, 2013

What is the governance structure of your farm? Do you have your operation’s governance structure clearly outlined for yourself – and – those involved in the management of your business? What comes to many producers’ minds when they hear the word “structure” is their legal, or tax, structure. Much effort is spent emphasizing the importance of the farm’s legal structure, including discussions around tax implications of various business structures and the impact on ease of transitioning the farm to future generations. But, what is often forgotten how critical the farm governance structure, including a clear articulation of who is responsible for what aspects of the business and how reporting takes place, can be for the efficient and effective operation of the farm business.

Publish Date: August 1, 2012

If you are like other producers, there are rarely, if ever, enough hours in the day. Between feeding, sorting, loading, human resource management, and dropping the kids off at school, you might find yourself bouncing to and fro at breakneck speeds. But, do you know where you are going – and are you focused on what you are doing - when you are moving that fast? Time management is an important skill to develop and consciously allocating your time to various activities can make you more efficient, effective, and ensure that you are spending your time on the activities that are moving you in the direction you want to go.

Publish Date: April 26, 2012

The job interview is the crucial point to employment where potential employees can succeed in convincing prospective employers that they are indeed the ideal candidate for the position. Producers are making an investment in the potential of the employee and how they will fit into the existing employee structure. Managers are often called upon to interview job candidates who will potentially become their assistants. Therefore interviews are a two-way process in which interviewers evaluate applicants and applicants also evaluate interviewers.

Publish Date: April 26, 2012

There are a variety of strategies available for coping with conflict. Some of us are more comfortable with some of these strategies than with others, but we all can be better conflict managers if we develop skills to implement several strategies and adapt resolution strategies to suit the particular conflict situation. Johnson & Johnson (1994) describe five possible approaches to conflict management: avoidance, accommodation, compromise, competition, and collaboration.