Discussion Groups

So what is a discussion group? It is composed of local farmers plus a facilitator who may be a Department of Agriculture advisor or a paid consultant. They meet regularly on each other's farms, a condition of membership is that you have to allow the group to visit you. Ideally the group should have 12 members, one for each month. At each meeting topical issues are discussed. It provides an essential support network between like minded people and as with all creative groups you find that the "whole is greater than the sum of the parts" and that by co-operating and sharing knowledge we are all able to achieve more than what we could ever do on our own.

For a discussion group to succeed the members of the group must have a common objective: Maximising profit is the aim of our group Members of the group will go about achieving this goal in slightly different ways depending on their own particular circumstances. The members of the group must openly share ideas, problems and solutions. Honesty is vital. To stay focused the members should compare their financial performance at least once a year. A good facilitator is also essential as well as a positive "can do" attitude from group members.