Simplifying work

How much money you make from your farm depends on how profitable it is, and this is often the result of efficiency and productivity. In short, you need to get more out of every hour, says Roelof Bezuidenhout.

- Roelof Bezuidenhout

As discussed in Part 1 of this series (see FW, 26 November), simplifying day-to-day farming procedures is one of the keys to achieving greater efficiency and productivity. How this is done can vary widely, as no two farms are exactly alike. Nonetheless, there are opportunities on every farm for improving even the more efficient methods if creative thinking is applied. With the same workers, the same equipment and the same crop yield, weekly output can be increased significantly, as can savings on equipment, time and travel.

To increase their output by, say, 20%, workers do not necessarily have to work harder; an improved method could merely show them how to expend less energy on doing the same job. If the method is truly effective, production per hour of labour should increase.