A few weeks ago I wrote in Rayner Reckons the most common question I'd been asked was "so how was the show?" That question has definitely been overtaken by another genuine question, "so hows RaynerAg going?"
The short answer to that question is simply, its going well!
I know I have shared some of the highlights for the past 12 months, so in many ways I've had a chance to reflect on how RaynerAg has been developing.
Taking time to review progress is important for any business. Its one of the things I do with the RaynerAg clients. However, the review is only part of a business plan. I think knowing your goals and working towards them are also important.
Having business goals is essential. I also think you should review your goals occasionally and see if they are still relevant, or appropriate for you, your business and for your clients.
How we measure things is also important. Just recently I read an article discussing issues surrounding Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). It seems like every organisations has KPIs these days. As a tool they can be pretty useful to help keep things on track. But like any tool they can also be misued used and the source of problems!
I occasionally see people who are very caught up in achieving their KPIs, for example meeting their pasture growth targets. The problem occasionally is, they are so focussed on the KPI, they forget the whole point of growing that pasture was to produce more kilograms of beef per hectare!
Setting goals, and using KPIs to monitor how you are going is good business practice. Equally important is taking time to review if it is actually working and still suited to your own personal goals.
So whats ahead for RaynerAg? I haven't actually set any KPIs! However, I do have some plans which I'd like to achieve in the next 7 months.
I'm delivering two 1 day courses for show stewards. These will focus on the skills needed to run judging rings. Skills such as arranging a schedule, marshalling cattle, scoring classes, presenting ribbons, ring craft & public speaking.
I'd love to have all 40 places in these courses taken up, and requests for three more before the end of the year!
This August I will be arranging a Field Day designed to update producers on the best techniques to manage their cows through calving and provide latest industry research. Its been a while since I've held a large field day and I'm looking forward to planning and holding this one
I also want to establish a beef producers group, focussed on livestock assessment and monitoring compliance with target markets.
And most importantly, I want to keep working closely with producers to find the most effective ways to improve their business operations and help them make a little but more money!
Next time I'm asked how's RaynerAg going, I'm going to say not just that its going well, but the next few months look pretty exciting!