Using weekly farm team meeting for maximum effect on your small scale vegetable farm.

Communication is key… we all know it. And yet it can be so easy to blow off weekly meetings as a waste of time once the farm gets too busy.

Here are 3 reasons to have a weekly meeting:

  • Gets everyone on the same page in terms of what needs to get done. This is particularly useful for helping employees see how each little task they are doing actually fits into the big picture.
  • Brings tensions out into the open. Nothing’s worse than frustrations or conflicts that fester just below the surface and poisons the whole team atmosphere. Communicate early and often… it’s the key!
  • Benefit from the observational skills and creativity of your whole team. Don’t forget, one of your roles as a leader is to bring out the best in your team! Quite often, the crew actually spends more time with the crops than you do!

The point is… that do not subconciously write off your meeting time a as idle time. It is not.  Rather, the time you spend in this meetings is a key tool to leverage the rest of your week for maximum impact.

How to run effective and efficient farm crew meetings:

  1. Make it a habit. Hold the meeting at the same time each week and have a clear time duration for the meeting (keep it short, 30-50 minutes depending on the size of your team);
  2. Write it down! Take notes, ideally on a big white board that everyone can see. Also;
  3. Track it. Use a meeting template to keep everyone on track. This can be a great place to note down who is taking responsability for certain actions..

Here is a sample weekly meeting template you can use or adapt to suit your needs.

Questions for you:

  • What would become possible if the entire farm team was on the same page?
  • What tools, materials, or systems would
  • When in the week would be the best time for your team meeting?

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