Sustainable Food Center’s Post

“I hate it. I HATE it. I HATE IT!!” I wrote this in my journal, almost pressing my hatred through from one page to the next, nearly 20 years ago. I HATED my job. I hated the stress of my job. Hated the weight I was carrying. Hated that it was all stuck inside me. But I was stuck. And worse I didn’t know I was stuck. And even worse I didn’t know how to ask for help. Here are 3 (of many) reasons I got stuck because I didn’t know to ask for help: - - - 1. Farm living had taught me to ‘figure stuff out’. That’s how you kept tractors and trucks running, and livestock and crops living. I didn’t know asking for help was important. What was important was sticking with it. Clearing weeds from fields with a machete in the summer heat, or grinding hundreds of tons of feed for the livestock in the freezing cold, dusty dirty, asthma inducing feed mill. Sticking with it and figuring it out was valuable. - - - 2. I once heard my mom talk about self-sufficiency. Really she was talking about having a nice garden and not having to rely on ‘the system’ and what I got from hearing her talk about it was ‘if you want something done right, do it yourself’. I didn’t know asking for help was important. Figuring it out and being self-sufficient was valuable. - - - 3. When I started leading at an international charter airline in sunny Miami, Florida, I was 25 and leading 25 people across 3 teams. I believed they’d promoted me because I ‘knew what I was doing’. Leveraging what I’d learned early in life, I thought my job was to figure it out to keep things moving and do it myself. - - - The problem was I’d never led people at an international charter airline before. I’d never held people accountable before. I’d never delegated before. I’d never cast a vision. I needed help, but hadn’t learned to ask for it. I was stuck and didn’t know it. The only way out was learning something new from someone else. - - - If this feels like you, ASK FOR HELP! Find someone who you trust. Share and ASK FOR HELP! Maybe you need a therapist. I did. Maybe you need a mentor. I did. Maybe you need a coach. I did. Maybe you need a friend. I did. P.S. Get vulnerable with someone who can take it. Ask for help. P.P.S. 📷 is me growing some Christmas trees on my farm as I continue to learn to surrender and get freedom.

Mike Howerton always shares meaningful words that cause me to reflect! A couple of things came to mind as I read his thoughtful words in this post: The "we don't quit" soundtrack runs pretty loud with our career clients who feel stuck in their jobs. But to what end? No career is worth your mental and emotional health. What if quitting the wrong job to pursue your genuine purpose in life is actually NOT quitting, but choosing your unique path of success? Same goes for organizations who get clear on their priorities. Saying no to something good, so you can do what matters is success. Too many teams and individuals don't name their shared vision of success and then wonder why they are so unfocused and scattered. Bottom line: don't be afraid to ask for help figuring out your next best steps for your team, your career, your life!

Meet Molly Phipps: Putting Her Passions to Work “When determining a new strategic direction, we’ll need to try something new and perhaps be uncomfortable. I help co-ops figure out how to internalize that and turn it into an opportunity.” Molly Phipps, welcomed to the Columinate consultant team in 2023, has centered her career around three key passions: food, people, and the natural environment. As a result, this warm and analytical cooperator’s resume exhibits an eye-catching variety of job titles, including evaluation and research associate, farmer’s market manager, board member, and lab manager. The breadth of Phipps’ experience and her leadership in planning/evaluating strategy are sure to generate a positive impact for co-ops in the grocery industry as well as for resident-owned communities in manufactured home parks. Rooted in the West Side of St. Paul, Minnesota, Phipps came to co-ops via a path familiar to many—a love of food and cooking, and close relationships with food producers. “We have such opportunity to build back local food economies, and co-ops are a clear part of that. My work with the West Side Farmers Market made clear how important the smaller links in the food system are. We’re here, farmers and growers are here, and food doesn’t need to be transported on a train,” Phipps asserts. Her background in small-scale food distribution partially motivated Phipps to work to improve food co-ops. “There is a big difference between the haves and the have-nots, and the co-op model shows that one person doesn’t need to become obscenely rich for a successful business to exist.” She sees her work for co-ops as “a lever I can press and have some impact.” Read the full article here: https://co-op.link/ipd

Roosevelt Custer, a partner in the North Central Regional Food Business Centers Program, created a regional Action Plan to guide efforts within the local food systems for the next five years. Here's a glimpse into our vision for growth and success: 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲: Provide coordination, technical assistance, and capacity building to empower farmers, ranchers, and food businesses in accessing new markets and navigating resources for success. 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: Resource Development: Making resources accessible for all! We're launching a quarterly newsletter, collaborating with like-minded organizations, and establishing a lending pool for local food producers and businesses. Technical Assistance: Empowering growth through knowledge by promoting the farm-to-school program, offering business and growth plan assistance, and sharing user-friendly video tutorials. Regional Sustainability: We will explore the feasibility of a local foods coordinator, craft a model for farmers markets in our communities, and enhance stakeholder engagement through key relationships, We will actively review and update the regional action plan to ensure it continuously serves the region. Join Us on this Journey! We're committed to bridging gaps and fostering success for local foods in North Dakota region seven and eight. Let's grow together, support local, and create a sustainable future! For more information, please contact our office at 701.483.1241 or email shannon@rooseveltcuster.com or laura@bowmannd.com

Serving missions such as “using space to help life on earth”, “preserv[ing] resources for future generations”, and “building community through environmental stewardship”, I’m delighted to share I’ll be joining Alt Protein Partners in parallel work.  Alongside Emily Ten Eyck and Noga Golan, we’re on a mission to recruit top-notch teams for companies leading the charge in food innovation. Our goal? Less animal products, less mess on the climate front. I'm honored to help make your job hunt smoother. We're all about storytelling, connecting dots, and making sure your truth shines. Drop me a line if you're keen on switching gears or need a specialty team for your executive search. #climateimpact, #altprotein, #futurefood, #sustainability, #foodscientists, #missiondriven, #hiring, #innovation

I’m not sure who else does this, but I tend to double, triple and quadruple up on my efforts when traveling. For example, with this trip: - worked on personal and professional development by reading interesting books about modeling programs and creative thinking on the airplane. The self-investment effort. - attended the National No Till Conference to connect with others on my team at Syngenta and in industry, program builders and farmers. The public-facing, networking effort. - had a full day meeting with project partners around program evaluation and outlining our next steps. The team project, action item effort. - met with an Indiana farmer for a slice of pie to accompany great conversation at a Bob Evans restaurant. The personal connection effort. - then stayed through the weekend for additonal time with one of our program evaluators in a less formal setting. Meaning ideas can flow without pressure of formal meeting times. The creative thinking, relationship bulding effort. Each effort will significantly advance our work in #soilhealth. Each connection is meaningful whether it’s now or later. I feel productive, efficient, on the go, like this was an important week, but most of all, I feel human.

Today marks my final day at ForFarmers after an incredible 4 and ½ years that have seemingly flown by. When I initially joined, I had minimal insight into the farm feed industry. Little did I know about the intricacies and challenges it entailed—dealing with everything from raw material procurement, milling, to delivery. The industry presented a spectrum of hurdles: Retail intricacies, fluctuating Milk/Meat pricing, industry overcapacity, raw material availability, global conflicts, the onset of COVID, weather-induced impacts, an aging workforce both on the farm and within the industry, Brexit implications, and even Avian flu, to name a few. However, despite these challenges, I'm immensely proud of the strides my team and I made in adapting to change. We worked tirelessly, implementing robust S&OP processes that enabled data-driven decision-making, not just for the day-to-day but also in planning 18 months ahead and beyond, which was the foundation in delivering a much improved and consistent level of service to our entire customer base. None of this would have been possible without the dedication and collaboration of the incredible individuals I had the privilege to work with. Looking ahead, it's time for a new chapter. For those who know me well, my longstanding passion for the funeral industry has driven me to pursue training as a 'Celebrant'. It's a dream I've nurtured for years, and now I'm fortunate to embark on this journey. The opportunity to help people celebrate the lives of their departed loved ones and support them through their grieving process is a profound privilege. During my 18-month training as a Celebrant, I remain open to interim/consultancy opportunities. If you need support or wish to connect, please don't hesitate to reach out. #Enhancing Relationships with Challenging Customers or Suppliers #Auditing Customer Service for a Customer-First Approach #Navigating Supply Chain Challenges and Adapting to New Routes to Market #Optimizing Order-to-Cash Processes #Adopting New Technology to Facilitate Digitalization #Forecasting and Collaborating with Customers #Developing & Mentoring Talent #Business Transformation Projects

New Post: How to Create a Farm Business Plan - https://lnkd.in/g7N_zsS6 - Crafting a comprehensive farm business plan is a crucial step towards transforming your agricultural visions into tangible realities. This plan serves as a blueprint, enabling you to formally articulate your thoughts, ideas, and aspirations. Engaging in this process can lead to profound insights, illuminating the path to a thriving agricultural enterprise. Even though the term ‘farm business plan’ might evoke a sense of formal rigidity, it’s important to remember that this document is, in fact, a living, evolving entity. Just like a seedling that sprouts, grows, and changes with the seasons, your business plan is not meant to be static. It’s something you nurture, revise, and expand as circumstances dictate and as your farm business matures. Feeling pressure to perfect your business plan from the outset could be paralyzing. Instead, we suggest you view this document as a foundation that can be continuously built upon. To get you started, we offer a detailed farm business plan template. This invaluable resource can be tailored and expanded to suit your unique agricultural venture, whether you’re cultivating a sprawling wheat field or nurturing a boutique organic herb garden. The most effective business plans are those that exhibit flexibility and resilience, characteristics that are at the heart of any successful farm business. Agriculture, by its very nature, is a domain subject to the whims of Mother Nature. From unpredictable weather patterns to seasonal variations, farmers of all kinds grapple with an array of external factors. Therefore, your farm business plan should not only anticipate these challenges but also prescribe adaptive measures to navigate through them. It’s this inherent adaptability that transforms a good farm business plan into a great one. Do I Need a Business Plan for My Farm? Even if you’re knee-deep in the dirt, tending to your crops or livestock, every farming enterprise has the core elements of a business at its heart. These include aspects such as operations, marketing, human resources, and finances. When you embark on developing a farm business plan, it might astonish you to see where the journey takes you. You could end up discovering facets of your farm business that you hadn’t previously considered. One of the many advantages of constructing your business plan is the opportunity it affords to involve others. Employees, family members, even your loyal farm dog might have innovative small farm business ideas that could significantly enhance your farm’s productivity and marketability. A different perspective can often yield solutions for issues you might not have even been aware of. Therefore, encourage an open exchange of thoughts and ideas. Who knows, the next great idea could be lying right under your hay bale! More than just a document outlining your farm’s structure, your farm business plan should serv

At Farmers, our high-performance culture includes How-To's – a guiding set of principles, intended to help employees move forward in situations, solve problems, navigate conflict and make decisions in line with our purpose and values. This quote perfectly demonstrates our "How-to: Seek Solutions" mindset! At Farmers, we prioritize effectively by moving forward in the best interest of the enterprise using data to support our actions. We enable our communication with our employees to be transparent and navigate the competing needs of the business. We recognize that in order to seek solutions, we must figure out what questions to ask. How do you seek solutions in your every day life? 💬 #WeAreFarmers #SeekSolutions #HighPerformanceCulture #LifeAtFarmers #DiscoverFarmers #QOTD #AskQuestions #EnableCommunication #HighPerformance #Quotes #CompanyCulture #WorkCulture #CompanyCultureMatters

🐝💼 Unlocking Insights: Exploring the Symbiosis of Beekeeping and Business Management 🐝💼 As promised I'm duly sharing the second here 👇 2. Adaptability in the Face of Change: There are direct and indirect threats to the equilibrium we seek to achieve in business operations and honey making. Direct threats are;  💼 Dangers posed by aggressive competition, potential take-overs or unfavourable regulations/tariffs 🐝 Dangers faced from predators like hornets, as well as fellow colonies with much stronger hives (my latest Learning!) Just as bees swarm to defend against hornets (which will snatch a bee and bite its head off whilst bees will swarm a hornet 10-1 and ‘cook’ it to death), businesses must strategise to protect their interests and maintain equilibrium and collectively muster its resources to adjust strategies and thrive amid shifting landscapes. In-Direct threats are; 💼  Threats to your supply-chain, resources and changing economic conditions 🐝 Changing resources and food scarcity as affected by the weather and seasonality As a beekeeper, we try to help; Reducing the entrance to the hive so larger predators can not get in; Setting out traps to capture the enemy ‘scouts’; If the spring is cold and wet ( 🌧 yes it is May bank holiday…🌧), we intervene by providing supplementary food during scarcity, and can add a frame of bees from one colony to another to bolster resources. In the business world, outside help can be called in to overcome challenges or seize opportunities. As an interim professional, I've witnessed first-hand the value of swift action and strategic pivots to navigate market changes or embrace new technologies. Even just to bolster resources when needed. In both realms, awareness of impending challenges and timely intervention are crucial. This requires keen observation and awareness, as well as real time data. Adaptability and external support allows bees and businesses alike to flourish in dynamic environments. Stay tuned for more discussion as we delve deeper into Resource Management in both beekeeping and business. And if you're seeking expertise in ERP and Business Process Leadership, or just want to swap beekeeping anecdotes (ask 5 beekeepers one question and you get 10 answers) - reach out! I'm available for fractional or full-time assignments and eager to collaborate. Let's 'hive' off some time to chat… 🐝 #Beekeeping #BusinessManagement #Adaptability