b'TRANSITION PLANNINGFarmers Need to Find Time for FamilyTHE DANCE BETWEEN work and family time onPlan educational days where you combine your love for farms is a polarity. Polarities are never solved, but mustag and do crop tours with the kids, go to a farm show, or be managed, demanding an intentional decision. Are youlet them ride along with you in the field. Asking for help going to work on Sunday afternoon, or are you going tofrom your mother-in-law or bartering time with a friend take the kids skating? Help your spouse or do farm calls? may help you.Everyone needs rest and renewal time. We take oursUse cameras and robots on your farm. Emily Reuschel, on Sundays and choose not to work on our grain farm.from the Gather in Growth podcast, and her family took a Livestock owners need labour help or relief workers tofamily road trip away from their farm, but kept an eye on block out four or five hours in the day for family. things using technology. One young dairy farmer shared ELAINE FROESE,The farm comes first. This belief isnt workable if theresabout how he was having a bbq party while the robots author, speaker,never any time for family in the busy season. When aremilked, delighting in how the investment that gives him coach, farm partner. Life isyou going to take intentional time with family? Themore time to be a present dad.precious. Death isconflict with this mindset is you have a need to complete not to be feared. Visit elainefroese. farm tasks and you dont have a need your spouse and com/shop/ forkids needs. This is just how it is is your way of thinking. communication resources toConflict on your farm about the pull between work needs get the toughand family desires is continuing because you havent conversationsUltimately, we choose how to started.stopped to be creative with solutions to the polarity.After harvest we will do this. Pushing family timehave measured persistence in into the future isnt a workable solution, especially forgetting things done, yet if your folks whose love language is quality time. How canvalue is intimacy, relationship you prioritize or block a couple of hours throughout your farming week to be present to your family? Having aand friendship, you need to pay calendar can be your friend to block time.attention to whats filling your We dont have any help. Many of us have been raised to be strong independent folks who can make thingsemotional bank account. work on our own. Its time to challenge this mindset and enlist help where you need it. One of my coaches, LydiaELAINE FROESECarpenter, uses European workers for a season in their direct farm marketing operation. If you say you dont have money to hire help, can you barter your time with friends to exchange time for farm work relief?Use better math. You need to practice subtraction. What is enough? Your family needs time andWhen farm life seems overwhelming, what do you need attention. The farm needs consistent management and weto let go of? This summer I let other women use my garden understand all hands-on deck busy times. Ultimately,space. Where is it written that to be a good (fill in the we choose how to have measured persistence in gettingblank) you have to do a certain thing on your farm. Can things done, yet if your value is intimacy, relationship andyou say no?friendship, you need to pay attention to whats filling yourFigure out your personal style and needs. Managing emotional bank account. Talk to your spouse about whatyour needs and the need of your spouse is the dance of fills your tank. Working to be heard and understandingwork/life balance. Use the one to 10 scale to prioritize requires focused listening. When the need for connection,family time. Ask on a scale of one to 10 how ready are you family support and play is pushed away time and timeto block two hours on Sunday for the family to have fun? again, then people lose hope things will be different.If you answer 10 and your spouse answers two, then you Have family days or afternoons where you focus onhave some negotiating to do.family fun and time together with friends. My grandkidsThe dance of the work/life balance on farms never have a book called Dadurday where the kids make a liststops. Can you embrace deep listening to your spouses of things they would love to do with dad on a Saturday.needs?46SPUDSMART.COMWinter 2024'