Management research has shown successful farmers have quite distinct
personal characteristics which most farmers have seldom thought about.
Farmers who are less successful tend to have processes and systems which
are likely to be biased. The aim of this book is to help all farmers
discover more about these personal attributes that impinge on the
success of their management, and to show how their attitudes and
personal resources can be improved.
This book is not a straightforward textbook. Rather, it tells the story
of a group of farmers who take part in an expert-guided experiment
designed to test approaches to improving management skill. The group
meet at each other's farms to learn about their issues and develop
solutions to improving what is called their "management style" with the
aim of removing any identified decision system biases. The book covers
issues like optimal decision rule systems and how they can become second
nature.
Each chapter is devoted to one of the common issues defining management
approaches. One chapter, for example, has the farmers sorting out issues
around succession planning, another covers the vexed problem of farmer
anxiety, and still another has the farmers learning skills on
self-critiquing. Overall, there are fifteen chapters covering both
general and specific issues.
The book is designed for all farmers but is also a valuable resource for
students of farm management and agribusiness. A strong learning feature
of the book are the references to formal theories and explanations
provided in addenda to each chapter. These cover and list the main
teaching points highlighted in each farmer meeting giving details of
where the detailed methods of solving each situation can be found.
Exercises and case studies can also be accessed both on line and in
other CABI books.
