Are you running a business, or just doing a bunch of things?
Lots of people are becoming great farmers or ranchers, but if we asked those same people if they are great at running a business that farms or ranches, there would likely be a lot more hesitation in their answers. In early April, about 40 producers convened at Chemeketa Community College for a two day workshop to gain skills to help them become better business managers.
The Northwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center provided funding to bring the folks who put on the highly acclaimed Ranching for Profit schools to Oregon for the first time. The Oregon Pasture Network used their expertise to help plan and host the workshop, as Program Director Mike Guebert attended one of their full week-long schools last year in Billings, Montana and is a current member of their ongoing Executive Link program.
While this workshop is not considered a substitute for the full school, it introduced some key concepts that are already helping to improve some of our local farms and ranches. While the school often attracts larger-scale cow/calf operations, this workshop was almost exclusively small-scale direct to consumer businesses. The instructor, Dallas Mount (owner of the company that puts on the schools), was a bit nervous at first, because it was a very different crowd than he was used to. However, the engagement and eagerness to learn from everyone in the room quickly allayed those concerns.
WITB, WOTB, What the?
One of the key concepts from day 1 was understanding the difference between WITB (Working IN The Business, pronounced WHIT-bee) and WOTB (Working ON The Business, WHAT-bee) and how to find the right balance between the two. It’s so easy for owner/operators to spend all their time building fences, making deliveries, washing eggs, etc, that they never have time to analyze if their operations are on the right track to profitability.
Putting it all together
A highlight from day 2 was an opportunity to go over the numbers from a fictional farm with enterprises similar to many of those in attendance. Dallas shared numbers from the farm’s books, showing the operation solidly in the red. He then turned it over to each table to find some solutions. Each table formulated ideas using a creative thinking process that was introduced earlier in the day, to help this farm become profitable. The varied results around the room helped demonstrate there is no one “right way” to do it and helped people challenge their existing paradigms.
More RFP?
The feedback from attendees was so positive that the Oregon Pasture Network is looking into the possibility of bringing the full RFP school to Oregon in 2026. If that does happen, we hope to find a source of funds to provide partial scholarships to OPN members. So if you are not a member, this would be a good time to join the network!