On our recent study tour to Denmark we looked at farms that are practicing Lean Farming as their style of management.  One of the tools they use is called Value Stream Mapping, (VSM).  This involves looking at a process from the end point back to the start point and accessing areas of bottle neck and waste.  There are many processes that are carried out on farm but there are some key areas to look at:

• Feeding Cows.
• Milking Cows.
• Managing Cows.
• Forage Production.

Take forage production as an example.  To VSM this process you start at the end result, i.e. a clamp full of good quality silage, and work back through each process to identify if there are any issues that can be improved and any areas of waste.  This could go right back to ensure the soil index is correct and good quality grass varieties are being grown.  Examples of issues identified could be:

• Insufficient staff available to sheet down properly once clamp is rolled down.• Is the silage clamp cleaned and ready to go?
• Have you ordered your silage sheets to arrive on time?
• Have you got the contractor lined up to come in and pick up the silage at the right time to get the correct dry matter?
• Do you test your soils regularly to ensure the P, K and pH is correct?

Once you have been through the process and identified the areas of waste or bottle neck, a set of Standard Operating Procedures can be drawn up so that all members of staff know what the process is and what best practice is.  The SOP can then be used at the start of each season to go through the process and make sure everyone is ready to go leaving nothing to chance.
The same principle can be applied to any process on farm and are particularly useful if you have a large number of staff that may carry out different jobs on the farm and/or you have a regular turnover of staff to ensure new members know how you want the job done.
Identifying waste and streamlining your operation does not sound particularly exciting, but if done correctly can lead to a reduction in costs and happier, motivated staff.

To discuss VSM and SOP’s further, contact Phil at pcooper@fcgagric.com to see how they could benefit your business.