Irrespective of your views on Brexit it is most likely to result in significant challenges and opportunities for UK agriculture.  At this stage of negotiations any opinion can only be a guess, however, this uncertainly should not stop you from preparing plans for the future on the basis of the best information available.  Having a strategy for the medium term (3-5 years), and identifying areas of strengths and weaknesses of your business, and planning to ensure that your business is able to prosper, irrespective of whatever comes out of Brexit, should be on the top of the list for any business owner.  Whatever sector you are working in there are some key issues that can be focused on, these include:

• Understanding the requirements of your market and ensuring that you produce for it.

• Knowing your costs of production, be it a litre of milk, a kilo of finished beef animals or a tonne of cereals.  Without this knowledge it is difficult to develop robust plans to reduce the costs of production and improve profitability.

• Understanding those factors which have the greatest impact on the performance of your business (Key Performance Indicators) is critical.
o For dairy producers, this is likely to include feed and labour costs and the calving interval.
o For finished beef producers, days to slaughter and percentage in specification are critical factors.
o If you are producing weaned calves, then the number of weaned calves and the calving window are critical factors.
o For cereal producers, the cost of establishment and yield are key KPI’s.
Whatever sector you are working in, ensuring that your business is maximising efficiency in terms of the input costs is critical.

If you would like to discuss developing a strategic plan for your business, please contact William at w.waterfield@fcgagric.com or your local FCG office.