Farm Scoop – July 2020

Small Bites – Talking about Stress

Authored by Coach Polly Shkya

Small Bites are short, informational articles with practical ideas about stress reduction, improved communication, and farmer well-being. They are written by coaches from UMaine Extension’s Farm Coaching team. Farm Coaches are available at no cost to work remotely with farmers and farm teams. 

Talking about stress is generally not a favorite subject. Stress can be uncomfortable, annoying, potentially embarrassing, and rarely energizing or creative. It is important to be able to ask your team and partners (and yourself!) about stress and stress patterns. How are people doing? Are there work-related stresses that people are holding? What is happening off the farm or in the larger community that contributes to the stressload of individuals?

How does each person on your team show their stress? Cope with stress? One person might get flustered and forgetful, another might work through lunch 3 days in a row, another might get testy and irritable. You can note how stress shows up in different people who are important to you and your business. You can also just ask: “When you are stressed, what does that look like?” You can ask: “is there anything you need right now?” That kind of caring, observation and memory is helpful to you as a leader because it can help you be supportive and help navigate or assist people out of tight spots. 

A little bit of stress can be a good thing and can lead to creativity and inspiration; mild stress can be motivating and clarifying, but chronic and heavy stress can be unhealthy and weigh individuals down. When we expand our awareness of stress patterns in the people we care about, our conversations broaden, we become better leaders and collaborators, and our businesses can be stronger. 

How are you coping with the stresses on the farm and in your world?

Looking for a place to talk about your own stresses? Send an email to schedule a time to chat with a farm coach.


Small Bites – Practical Tips for Farm Resiliency – Leadership

Small Bites are short, informational articles with practical ideas about stress reduction, improved communication, and family well-being. They are written by coaches from UMaine Extension’s Farm Coaching team. Farm Coaches are available at no cost to work remotely with farmers and farm families.

Each farm’s leadership team is different. Leadership doesn’t only mean “I am the boss.” Sometimes it’s a “What do we want this to be?” In the best cases, leadership means guiding, tending, caring for the whole system by seeing the individual parts with clear eyes. Leaders hear and see the people, place, plants, animals, equipment and work individually in some cases, and collectively in others.

There are many different types of leadership, and many different leaders work to build successful farm teams and strong community connections.

Are you a servant leader? A servant-leader focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong. While traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power by one at the “top of the pyramid,” servant leadership is different. The servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible. (Read more at Greenleaf.org)

Are you a transformational leader?  Researchers and authors Bass and Riggio explain: “Transformational leaders…are those who stimulate and inspire followers to both achieve extraordinary outcomes and, in the process, develop their own leadership capacity. Transformational leaders help followers grow and develop into leaders by responding to individual followers’ needs by empowering them and by aligning the objectives and goals of the individual followers, the leader, the group, and the larger organization.” (Read more at Verywellmind.com)

Sometimes we find ourselves default  toward a controlling style when in fact we want to include our whole team in decision making. Examine these leanings and learn about other ways if it’s not working for you.

Leadership is a skillset that requires humility and honesty,  growth and self-reflection. In other words, great leaders are emotionally intelligent. Leadership is a great privilege. And leadership can be learned. Find out more about your style and other types of styles. Examine cultural, historical, and societal aspects to leadership. Are you collaborative? Are you able to lead the way you want to? Have you had good experiences in the past with being led? More on culture and leadership here.

If it’s something you want space to reflect upon, sign up with a farm coach to do some thinking about what kind of leader you want to be.


Customer Service and Covid

Wednesday, July 15, 2020
11:00a.m.-12:00p.m.
Facilitated by Maine SBDC
Topic: Customer Relations
Fee:  No Cost
Register Online
In this session, we’ll discuss customer service best practices as you implement new safety policies and procedures for your business. We’ll talk about on-the-spot conflict resolution and how you and your employees can keep calm during confrontations with customers. You’ll learn communication strategies that will help you handle situations as they arise.

This session will be taught by Business Advisor Susan Desgrosseilliers


Start Selling Online with WordPress

Thursday, July 9, 2020
2:00-3:00p.m.
Facilitated by Maine SBDC
Topic: Marketing and Sales
Fee:  No Cost
Register Online

With restrictions on in-person sales affecting small businesses worldwide, e-commerce has become even more important to the survival of a small business. Whether you need a single buy-now button or an entire shopping cart, learn how to start selling online and what you need to know before–and after–you make a sale.

This webinar will cover e-commerce concepts that are fundamental for selling using any website platform, but is geared toward small business owners that either already have a WordPress website or want to create one.


Small Bites – Practical Tips for Farm Resiliency – Why Saying “Thank You” Matters

Small Bites are short, informational articles with practical ideas about stress reduction, improved communication, and family well-being. They are written by coaches from UMaine Extension’s Farm Coaching team. Farm Coaches are available at no cost to work remotely with farmers and farm families.

Over the years I’ve learned how to show gratitude in small ways, every day to deepen my relationships with those around me. Saying “thank you” to  family members, fellow farmers or your partner may feel unnecessary, but it provides positive feedback and ensures they know you’re really seeing their contributions. As humans we thrive on a sense of connection and right now is an excellent time to consider how you’re offering appreciation to those that support you and your farm.

Curious about how to integrate appreciation into your day-to-day? Check out this resource from University of Maine Cooperative Extension for tips and prompts.

Reach out to the coaches to make a gratitude plan.