Once you start managing people on the farm, the whole dynamic changes and you have to communicate more.  Especially if people are new to your operation (as in "not your family") it's important to lay out expectations.  In another segment on the CEO farmer, Mike Gustafson, Chief Operating Officer with Water Street Solutions talks with Ken Rahjes from KRVN about setting and communicating standard procedures.  CEO Farmers Set Procedures - Gustafson AUDIO

You can't do it all in farming today.  You need help with some of it and sometimes that means hiring a trusted advisor.  Darren Frye, President and CEO of Water Street Solutions discusses how to go about that selection process.  You can find the post on www.farmfutures.com or read it by clicking here.

If you're going to run a farm these days, you have to be a business person, a CEO.  Today Mike Gustafson, Chief Operating Officer of Water Street Solutions, continues his conversation with Ken Rahjes from KRVN about what it takes to be a CEO on the farm.

The CEO Farmer - Gustafson AUDIO

Brigitte Franzen, a Certified Financial Planner with Water Street Solutions' Legacy Department is one of the speakers at an upcoming conference.  The Agri-Legacy Conference will be held on February 23rd at the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel in Decatur, IL.  Attendees will learn how to address a variety of legal and financial challenges, as well as bringing the family together for goal setting and thorough communication.  For more information and registration, click here.

Many farmers have a lot of work ahead of them when it comes to putting together an estate plan that outlines their legacy.  For a moment today, let's think about legacy from another perspective - not your bank account, but what you instill in your kids.  That's the focus of Darren Frye's Finance First this week on www.farmfutures.com.  Read the post here.

Are you farming, or are you managing a multi-million dollar business?  It's likely that the way you answer that question is a good predictor of your success in the future.  Mike Gustafson, Chief Operating Officer of Water Street Solutions talks here with Ken Rahjes from KRVN about what it takes to differentiate yourself as a CEO.  Be the CEO of Your Farm - Gustafson AUDIO

Human resource issues on the farm bring their own set of challenges.  As farm owners, we can feel like we don't have a lot of options.  Dean Heffta, Director of Development with Water Street Solutions talks with Ken Rahjes of KRVN about the kinds of employees you want to avoid.  Who Not to Employ on the Farm - Heffta AUDIO

It's a blessing we in agriculture have during this economy....money at the end of the year.  Profit.  So what did you do with it?  From a strategic perspective, some choices are better than others.  This week Darren Frye, President and CEO of Water Street Solutions talks about these choices - including some feedback from farmers - in his Finance First post on www.farmfutures.com.  Read it here.

Whenever you're building a relationship with someone new, trust is a factor - especially if that new person on the farm is a financial or marketing advisor who is going to have access to your financial information.  It's important to pay attention to why an advisor wants your business and their motivations for that, according to Dean Heffta, Director of Development at Water Street Solutions.  Here he visits with Ken Rahjes from KRVN about the issue.  It All Comes Down to Intent - Heffta AUDIO

It's important to trust the people you're working with....employees, advisors, suppliers, partners.  To do that quickly and well, you need to understand the intent of the relationship from both sides.  Darren Frye, President and CEO of Water Street Solutions covers that in this week's Finance First post on www.farmfutures.com.  Read it here.