All through business school I learned about “Job Descriptions” and how important they were. I also learned that in order to fill out any type of application you had to be able to put down your job description. It was very important and something that we learned about, wrote about, studied on…then I started work for the farm. There are many things that change once the reality of the real working world hits. You realize that your job description that you applied for, can be changed, re-defined, or just one of those jobs where no one actually knows what you do while you’re busy at work all day. But then you come to work for your family’s farm, looking for direction and realizing that there aren’t job descriptions on a farm, there is just work!
So with the many constant projects on a farm, who does what, who is in charge of that and who checks to make sure it was done right?? I gotta tell you, it’s still quite a cluster this time of year, looking like chickens with our heads cut off running around to this job and that. Between changing equipment over for different crops, shipping crops out the door, and receiving crops at the same time! Trying to keep crews busy in the down hours of the day, while also making sure that you’re check on them or wake them up from their naps! And of course along comes all the unexpected, the broken shafts or sheer bolts, that weird sound that has started on the combine header or the squeaky driveline that has decided today is the day it will give out. The list goes on and on of what can be worked on. And when that moment comes that you think there just might not be one project left to work on, unfortunately that is the day that you get to clean the dreaded shop bathroom! It’s amazing the kinds of things you will find to keep yourself busy when you know that is the last project on the list!
This may look like chaos…but it’s really quite organized!
I don’t have a clue how other small businesses work, and I’m sure it’s a bit more streamlined than us. But here is one way that we here at Kirsch Family Farms keep ourselves somewhat organized. It may seem a bit archaic with computers and smart phones on all of our hips, but this is our own version of Google Cloud you could say. “The Board” it’s referred to. If something is not written on “The Board” I’ll be honest and say odds are about 1 in 100 that it will get accomplished in any kind of speedy fashion. But at the same time we have a few items up there that have been on “The Board” so long I don’t think any amount of cleaner will get them off. We keep track of equipment to fix, parts to pick up, parts to order, moles dad has killed (this is my favorite), meetings to attend, field work to be done, spraying to finish up, the list goes on and on!
Way to go Dad!
So with my description-less job of farming, I just keep chugging away and wiping things clean off “The Board”, all the while adding every day the next project to hopefully keep me out of the toilet cleaning job!
NuttyGrass 