Sustainable Farming magazine V5 I2 -- Summer 2020

A BRAVE
NEW
WORLD
DIEPHOSI
No one can
predict what
will happen
next. But
the COVID
pandemic
means we
must all
plan for an
uncertain
future
Following the global outbreak of COVID-19, we
know that many farmers (particularly those who
supply the hospitality sector) lost the majority
of their markets almost overnight. We also know
some farmers with established home delivery
services, online sales or farm shops have been
inundated by desperate customers. At the same
time, many of the services and supply chains that
farmers rely on—think animal feed or veterinary
services, slaughter facilities and outlets like
farmers’ markets—are at risk of disruption.
Survival mode
Regardless of your business model, many farmers
are now in ‘survival mode,’ forced to make rapid
decisions that will impact the future of their farms.
So how do you decide what to do when faced
with a total market collapse or unprecedented
demand that is sudden, unexpected, unavoidable
and unplanned for?
At A Greener World, we’re proud of our
reputation for being a practical, common-sense
program that’s grounded in the realities of everyday
farm and ranch life. Indeed, most of our auditors
and Compliance staff have many years of practical
experience in farming. And we know from personal
experience that when markets collapse suddenly—
or demand unexpectedly explodes—it is important
for farmers to take time out to look objectively
at their own unique situation in order to make
realistic and honest decisions for the future.
This takes a lot of discipline: it can be very hard
to remain objective when you have so much
of your identity and life invested in your farm
business. But it is an absolute necessity.
What is your market?
Farmers who are selling daily or weekly will have
very different options compared to those who are
selling monthly, quarterly or even once a year (for
example, those who raise turkey or geese for the
Holiday seasons).
In the case of market collapse, is it possible
to delay marketing an animal? Producers who are
raising pigs and poultry have very limited options
once these animals are in a growth system due to
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