It’s how you face change

SUCCESS IN dairying was about managing change, said Nick Holt-Martyn, director of The Dairy Group.

Milk producers may not realise it, but Mr Holt-Martyn believed they were used to coping with change. He said it was part of being a producer. “It is what you make of change that matters.”

There was little point in producers worrying about things they could not control. Instead, they should be setting goals for their personal lives and their businesses.

“Always set personal goals first, as they will still be relevant even when you are no longer dairy farming. Then set business goals that deliver the personal goals,” he advised.

Producers should list the barriers that prevent them fulfilling their plans, then establish how to overcome them. “Weigh up the cost and benefit of any solution. Just because you can do something, it doesn’t mean you should,” he said. “When the farm can’t deliver personal goals, consider the alternatives.”