Farming is more than a job; it’s a way of life. You know the land like the back of your hand, and your days are spent ensuring your crops and livestock thrive. But let’s face it: the business side of farming can be a maze of financial, legal and strategic decisions. You need a team that understands these challenges and knows how to navigate them. Choosing the right advisory team can make all the difference, allowing you to focus on what you do best—farming.

Building and developing a professional-services team requires careful planning and execution. In the world of agriculture, few teams have as much impact on your success as your advisory support team. But how much time and effort do we spend selecting them and striving for maximum impact?

One of my prerequisites in working with farm families is getting a list of key advisors and their years of service right from the start. Harmonizing and strategizing with them as a team is important. Here are the roles you should fill:

  • Accountant
  • Attorney
  • Wealth/investment advisor
  • Advisory board
  • Banker

This team is critical to your success. And if it is not, you have the wrong team!

Setting Expectations for your Team

Setting clear expectations for your team ensures they deliver the support you need. Here are some key questions to consider:

  • Are they competent? Do they do good work for similar organizations?
  • Do they know your industry specifically?
  • Do they initiate communication and bring ideas to you?
  • Do they collaborate well with your other advisors?
  • Do they have other resources in their firm or office? (succession)
  • Do they acknowledge when they don’t know the answer? Are they willing to research or find others who do know the answer?
  • Are they clearly compensated? How?

Recruitment & Hiring

Understand that firms are evaluating you as a prospective client just as you are considering them. There should be some structured effort to hire among a few choices in each service category. Great tools and criteria are available to help make the best decision. Don’t take for granted that just because dad or grandpa used “Firm X” or “Accountant Z” that those should be the only choices to consider.

Regular Communication & Strategic Planning

Communication, with examples and frank, routine sharing of goals and expectations, is beneficial for everyone involved. Take time at least once a year with each provider, not just to deliver work product but to shape improvement opportunities and overall expectations.

Structured strategic planning (every 5-7 years) is a great time to get more engagement from advisors. Consider bringing some of these folks into strategic planning efforts. Why not?

Synergy & Coaching

Each team member brings different strengths and value, and the expectation should be that they work together synergistically to best serve the farm. An effective team delivers together more than the sum of their parts individually. Coaching the team for deeper impact is important. Sometimes, an individual team member may make the most sense to lead and harmonize the others. But the ultimate responsibility lies with you, the farm owner.

Building Lasting Relationships

True professionals want lasting, long-term relationships that are valuable. Nobody wants to be treated as a number. There is a balance between strictly using RFPs (request for proposals) based on price and assuming a provider will always be the provider.

Adams Brown can help shape this balance, process, roles, and expectations for the advisory team. Contact us today to start a discussion.

Choosing the right advisory team is not just about filling roles but about building a synergistic and proactive support system that will help the farm thrive. Make the effort, set high expectations and watch the farm reach new heights.

Also published in Farm Progress