Time spent on Management

[york1]

I have been asked if there are any studies done which have determined how much time a producer spends on management activities versus production activities. I realize that this could vary depending on farm size and type, but does anyone have any concrete information on this subject?

[tdarling]

A good question! I haven't seen any studies (recently anyway). The only thought I had was that when a business has a hired manager (who only manages), the management takes 40 to 60 hours per week. Managers such as this spend most of their time managing people. Bottom line, my guess is an average of 10 hours per week. Anyone else care to venture an opinion?

[emunro]

I don't know of any direct studies on that question. However there are a couple of sources that I have used in the past. AAFRD publishes cost of production tables. I know that individual tasks are set out for the beef tables. You can pick out the tasks that constitute management. Brenda Munro (UofA Professor) was completing a study on the changes in management (inter-generational transfer) a may have some ideas the amount of time spent on managment. I have used 20-35% of total time for a sole operator.

[purdy]

That is a difficult question, and to my knowledge, there have been no studies.From my experience,the more complex the operation, the more time. A 15,000 feedlot operator who has daily money transactions would probably spend all their time on management. A 1000 head hog unit would do some manual labour but, would also have many hours on human resource and financail mangement. Bottom line how large is the unit, and how complex the business dealings. P.S. Hutterite Ministers spend the majority of their time on management. Ross

[lunden]

I would consider myself more of a 'middleager' than and 'oldtimer'. From my point of view I know the older I get and the older my parents get the more interested I am in their stories. I realize that they aren't going to be around forever to tell these stories and there's alot I would like to know before it is lost. The Heritage Fairs that have been held in our schools the last few years have also done alot to raise young people's interest in and appreciation of their family and community history.

[tmckinno]

As a small to medium sized custom feedlot with 3 employees we spend a lot of time on administration type chores (payroll, accounting, invoicing, feedlot records, office paperwork, etc.) Is this management? To me, this is production work no different than feeding cows. Management consists of things that improve your bottom line and I figure we do WAY LESS of it that we should. Enterprize analysis, risk management, marketing, budgeting, cash flow, etc are mangement tasks that usually are left undone. I would guess we spend less than 5% of our time on these issues, 20 - 30% of our time on administration, and the rest doing 'real' work outside.

[sasse]

A wonderful energy is created when I invite young children to visit the Sr's Home with me. Sometimes they take teddy bears, and kids and adults tell stories about what their bear, or doll, or favorite stuffed animal means to them. Seniors reach deep for memories they have to share that the children will understand.

[monner]

I think you are right on your definition of manaement. Bookwork, is not considered important enough to be considered management. One farmer I know decided he was going to spend 2 half days a month in his office doing 'office work'. His window in the office faced the driveway into the farm. He found that when he was in his office and someone drove in the yard he would rush out the back door and meet them outside so they wouldn't consider him doing nothing! we have this tendance in farming to think of real work as outdoor work!!!

[monner]

My father in law also tells a lot of stories about his younger years as did his father. Every child, grand child and great grand child in the family who doesn't want to eat their supper has heard about the time my father in laws dad forgot his lunch at the bottom of Bricks hill on the Peace River and he had to go hungry as he sat there watching the horses eat. My father in Law will start out by saying 'Dad sure would have enjoyed that at the top of Brick's Hill' and would then go on with the story. I think that will be one of the stories that will be passed down for many generations because it was repeated so much. Keep telling the stories and ignore their attempts to escape. The more often you tell the stories the more likely the younger generations are to repeat them to their children. I never did listen to my fathers tales too much but I find that I am now the one who seems to be remembering them. Remember that your kids and grand kids are learning what it was like back then and learn things like you having to walk 5 miles to school every day, up hill both ways, through a blinding snow storm! They will remember and will pass it on!

[hawt]

But on the other hand Reno, they have heard all about the time you roped the Brontosaurus at least a hundred time.