A transition plan starts with a full list of labour, management and control tasks involved in owning, managing and running the farm.

Assignment

Brainstorm a complete list of labour, management and control tasks for the farm. Don’t worry about keeping them in the three categories – that’s too much to think about all at once. Just focus on developing the list of all the tasks done on and for the farm. We’ll categorize them next.

Tip: Be as specific as you can. For instance, ‘Evaluate employees and coordinate employee development plans’ is much more useful as a task than ‘Employee management’.

Categorize your tasks

Now that you have an exhaustive list of tasks associated with owning, managing and running the farm, you need to categorize the tasks as Labour or Management tasks.

Labour tasks are those tasks that are associated with the basic function of the farm day-to-day. They usually include physical work but not always, and they require little decision-making.

Examples:

End of season maintenance of farm machinery
Haying
Put out salt, mineral and face fly bags as needed during pasture grazing seasons

Management tasks are those that involve making decisions that affect farm operations. Management tasks ensure the farm has what it needs to operate smoothly and without interruption. Management tasks also provide the controls to ensure the farm is monitored and managed effectively.

Examples: