Successful farm management is based upon excellent decision making by
the farm owner. In practice, most decisions are made intuitively rather
than the result of careful data collection and analysis, or analyzing
others' views and associated factors. Thus, the farmer's intuitive
decisions have a major impact on the business practices, efficiency,
profitability, and success of the farm. In the form of a
character-driven novel, this book guides the reader through a series of
lessons for farmers to improve their intuitive decision making. The
story follows Ben, a New Zealand farmer, as an important member of a
discussion group. The experimental program is set up by a management
researcher, Tom, to explore the best way to improve farmers' intuition.
The farmer group has different characters in different situations, each
one of which leads to interesting dilemmas and lessons. Each chapter
addresses a different issue affecting farmers, such as risk management,
benchmarking, budgeting and planning, negotiation skills, active
listening, and farm ownership. By the end of the novel, the reader will
have absorbed important farm management principles and practices through
the activities and findings of the group. The Intuitive Farmer follows
on from successful business management books, such as The Goal, which
communicate business ideas and strategies in novel form. This is the
first such book applied to agricultural management practices, providing
a dependable source for farmers, agricultural and farm management
students, and people involved in agriculture industries. [Subject:
Agriculture, Business, Adult Fiction]
