Scheduled Activities To Maintain Natural Resources

One-Year Plan of Activities

Activities to coincide with other farm activities Although the different farming enterprises complement each other, different actions are required at different times as some activities will be the peak in summer while other activities may peak during winter - depending on the enterprise.

Some farms may again have continuous production enterprises such as dairy, egg supply, feedlots, etc.

Then of course there is Sop’s - specific operational procedures or practices - things that must happen at a specific time e.g., calves must get colostrums within the first 12 hours.

Delegation of Tasks

Delegate: To assign a component of your power or a section of your work to subordinates (someone in a lower position) to assist you with the work that needs to be done, but the responsibility will still remain with you. When you delegate work it is your responsibility to ensure that the work is done.

Components of delegation: - trust, guidance and supervision.

When should you delegate a task?

• When you have more work than you can handle effectively.
• When you cannot allocate sufficient time to prioritize tasks.
• When you want to train and upgrade subordinates
• When a subordinate can adequately perform the work

How do you delegate tasks to subordinates?

You need to decide on the following:

• What must be delegated?
• To whom must I delegate the work?
• How to inform (brief) the subordinate
• How-to guide subordinates
• The monitoring process

What can be delegated?

• A task that you do not normally do yourself.
• Recurring or routine tasks can easily be delegated.
• A specialist task that you cannot do yourself or when you do not have the skills to do the task.
• A task that comforts a subordinate.

Tasks are delegated to staff who have the skills, knowledge, time and motivation for it. The outcome of delegating a task to a person that does not have the knowledge or skills may be fatal (economically spoken), so rather use an individual with intelligence, natural ability and the willingness to assist you.

When a task is delegated, ensure that the subordinates understand:

• The necessity of the task
• What is expected from them
• Dates for the report back and completion - deadlines
• The authority that is given for decision making
• How to deal with problems they encounter
• How they will be guided and monitored
• The resources and facilities to be used for the completion of the work.

Monitoring of the Performance or Progress

Set target dates for sections of the task and the eventual deadline for the task as a whole – no tolerance – but act humanly as something unforeseen may happen.

Important - feedback must also be given at the agreed time or date.

Subordinates must know the reach of authority given to them.

A Delegation can only succeed if there is an understanding and acceptance of the strengths and weaknesses of the staff and the situation they work in.

The responsibility remains with the person who delegates, but the decision-making lies with the person to whom a task was delegated.