Planning assists in investment decisions in agricultural activities

At this moment, producers are implementing the summer harvest. The expectation once again, according to the numbers from the various bodies, is for a record harvest. However, even with this scenario, the farmer must keep an eye on the management of the property and the results of economic activities.

To achieve this, according to management and governance consultant for results, Márcio Gonçalves, the most important thing is to focus and separate planning in an organized and prioritized manner. “We suggest that you start with planning economic activity. If we are in an agro-industry, agro-pastoral, livestock or farming activity, the important thing is to always plan the activity that will generate financial resources to carry out other initiatives. Another highlighted aspect is not limiting yourself to thinking about an operational cycle, but rather thinking about the coming years and always making the necessary revisions”, he highlights.

In parallel, according to the expert, it is necessary to think about the property business and asset planning, that is, what investments and alternatives can be envisaged, such as leasing or acquiring a new area. “Based on property planning, it is necessary to focus on financial planning to generate resources to protect assets, whether by renegotiating or bringing forward commitments made”, he observes.

Gonçalves explains that it is also time to think about the longevity of the business (family or not), as planning is important as a stage in the process to see if what is being put into practice is aligned with what was planned. “This period from planting to harvesting is one of the most important phases. We create value in the operation. Thinking about this post-planting phase and harvest expectations, it is time to compare the results obtained with what we planned”, he highlights.

The consultant emphasizes that this process in livestock farming is easier, as there is a time to handle the hose with weight measurement where it is possible to carry out surveys with data and information for business projection. “But in farming we have no way of measuring the plant’s development, we can only project expectations. This is a time for control, verification, conversation, and taking corrective actions to guarantee the planned result. We cannot forget that everything impacts the operational result. We cannot separate what is planned from what is happening on a daily basis”, he emphasizes.

After all the purchasing and production processes, according to Gonçalves, comes the moment of truth, which is post-harvest or post-sales of animals. At this point, for the specialist, it is time to check, in fact, whether what was planned was executed and whether there are good conditions where the surplus will occur in light of market issues. “We have to look internally at the company's costs and processes, in addition to looking outside to see if the value of our production is capable of honoring the commitments made. With this we can see if we can take the actions that were planned in terms of business”, he concludes.