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Unit 2: The Agricultural Professional's Role

Agricultural professionals and landowner discuss management intensive grazing rotations at a farm in Benton County, Georgia. (USDA NRCS)

Putting it all together, working with farmers to promote sustainability on a whole-farm basis is a lot like being a general practitioner in medicine. In addition to developing sufficient technical skills to correctly identify problems and understand possible solutions, you also need to build a relationship based on trust and mutual respect. It’s from this foundation that you can learn the whole story, identify (accurately diagnose) problems, develop solutions, and offer advice about how best to move forward.

Like a general practitioner, your work also must be based on having accurate and reliable information about the farm and the farmer. Information about the farm might be obtained through discussions with the farmer, from historical records, or by collecting your own data. But before you make recommendations you have to consider the farmer’s personality, his/her family and social context, and the resources available to them as you attempt to find solutions that fit their circumstances. Your goal is to optimize their receptivity and the likelihood of their taking action, while being as helpful as possible.