June 1998
Promote your farm with a good resumeWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Well-maintained farmsteads speak for themselves, but farmers are finding that's not enough when they're trying to impress a potential landlord who lives miles away. Farmers in that position probably need to write resumes, says Purdue University agricultural economist Craig Dobbins."Farmers have always promoted themselves, but they did it by making the fields look good and mowing the roadsides," Dobbins says. "As agriculture has become more industrialized, and distances between farmers and landlords have gotten bigger, there's more need for them to promote themselves on paper." More than half of Indiana cropland is farmed by renters, and the percentage is rising. That's true across the Midwest. To rent more ground, farmers often must impress either absentee landlords who live hundreds of miles away or the farm management agencies who represent them. Dobbins suggests that farmers start now to prepare resumes for next fall, because it could take a while to do the job right. "Writing a resume may sound easy, but it's not when you have to get information from your head onto a piece of paper," Dobbins says. "Expect to go through several drafts." Your resume might include:
When you've finished writing, have other people look it over. "Local ag lenders, Extension educators, machinery dealers or other people who run ag-related businesses know what to look for and can give you good feedback," Dobbins says. And when you've got that final, polished piece, don't overlook other opportunities to trot it out. "These documents can go in with loan packages or to prospective business partners to show that you approach your work in a professional manner," Dobbins says. "After you leave the room, they still have something that helps them remember you." CONTACT: Dobbins, (765) 494-9041; e-mail, dobbins@agecon.purdue.edu
Compiled by Chris Sigurdson, (765) 494-8415; e-mail, sig@ecn.purdue.edu
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