In order to help farm families stay on the farm, FamilyFarms focuses on these objectives:
- Improve producer’s ability to compete: To compete successfully in today’s rapidly-changing ag industry, we believe farm families must enhance their business skills and processes. FamilyFarms offers access to training, implementation assistance, expert consultant help and other resources so that family farms can survive and thrive long-term. Those farm families who rely upon their expertise in operations will find themselves struggling; business and management skills are also essential to compete successfully.
- Enhance producer profitability: FamilyFarms offers valuable economic benefits and competitive advantages which increase farm profitability: lowered input costs, enhanced revenue grain sales, specialty contracts, vendor discounts on equipment purchases and leasing, and other benefits that come from economies of size.
- Share best practices: Producers who share a vision for what the row crop industry is becoming and how they can position themselves to successfully compete into the future will share best practices with others in their peer group through both structured and unstructured interaction. FamilyFarms also offers valuable benchmarking and shared intellectual property.
- Encourage legacy: Too many farm families see their young people grow up and leave the farm. In order for a family farm to support the next generation, and to encourage those young people to choose farming as a lifestyle and career, today’s producer must plan and prepare carefully. This includes not only growing and strategically structuring the farming operation, but also determining where family members best fit and then developing a capable work force to effectively accomplish the farm’s goals of profit, value and legacy.
FamilyFarms offers producers:
- Increased profit through lower prices, specialty sales contracts, vendor discounts, and other benefits of economies of size
- Enhanced consistency which leads to increased efficiency and lower costs
- Improved environmental practices to protect soil, water, wildlife and other natural resources
- Reduced risk through strategic use of risk management tools such as insurance, entity structure, procedures and processes, etc.
- Increased value of the farm beyond what you’ve invested in equipment and land
FamilyFarms offers consumers and society:
- Preservation of land and protection of natural resources: FamilyFarms recognizes and embraces its responsibility to this and future generations as its member producers interact with and care for our land, water and wildlife. Environmental stewardship includes, for FamilyFarms, not only protecting and caring for the resources we now have, but also improving them, leaving them in better condition than when producers began farming. We take pride in producing high-quality, safe crops which help feed the world.
- Improved consistency in crops grown: FamilyFarms is committed to consistently producing high-quality, safe crops. To accomplish this, standard operating procedures and processes are developed and implemented.
- Enhanced security of food sources: In these days of security threats and potential danger, ensuring the safety of our nation’s food supply is extremely important. FamilyFarms is stepping up to ensure security of our crops by voluntarily initiating procedures to keep crops safe throughout the production and delivery processes.
- Exceptional worker care: FamilyFarms works hard to ensure fair employment practices, safety and proper training for employees, and provision of opportunities to learn and advance. We understand the value of farm employees and are committed to treating them with respect and honesty.
- Local community involvement and support: FamilyFarms promotes active involvement in and support of local communities as a way of giving back. Members of FamilyFarms provide leadership, time and resources to support their local civic groups, schools, churches and other organizations.
- Charities work in the U.S. and overseas: FamilyFarms Charities is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping those in need both at home and abroad. We provide relief to meet urgent needs as well as investing in the lives of individuals, and through them reaching their families and communities through ag-related projects providing training and tools.
