Progress, growth, improvement, development, these are all words that we positively associate with business. I think most people would agree that they want to improve, progress and grow. The big question is, are you actually improving? Are the practices you currently implement contributing to the continuous improvement of your farm?
Ensure continuous improvement by measuring, assessing and adapting
In order to know this, you have to be measuring something. Do you have indicators which you measure that can tell you whether what you are doing is helping or hurting your farm and business? If not, then how would you know whether those practices are actually good or not?
We believe in using sustainability indicators (e.g. soil carbon levels, water use efficiency and carbon footprint) in to constantly measure and assess progress. This is where the SWAN system is great. It uses comprehensive measures of sustainability to track progress over time of the whole farm’s sustainability. The first time that you measure provides you with a baseline. This baseline is what you then compare your future indicators to in order to assess improvement or not.
What indicators are you hoping to improve on your farm this year? If you have never had specific indicators that you assess your progress against, don’t miss the opportunity to measure your baseline as soon as possible.
Craig loves travelling and tries to go on an overseas adventure to new and interesting places every opportunity he gets. He loves an engaging conversation or a good book. He is a bit of a coffee snob and foodie, so be sure to let him know about any new and interesting coffee shops or restaurants he should try out. He is also a big sports fan, most notably of the New England Patriots.
You can e-mail Craig at craig@traceandsave.com,
- A carbon footprint assessment for pasture-based dairy farming systems in South Africa - 2024-02-07
- What progress have farms participating with Trace & Save made over the past 10 years? - 2023-09-06
- Carbon footprint reduction over time: Lessons from pasture-based dairy farms in South Africa - 2023-09-04
