Podcast Episode

00:49:10

Farm Couples and Managing Stress through Paperwork

In this episode, we discuss the powerful role of paperwork in managing business and personal stress when farming with a spouse or romantic partner. Episode 40.

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Find a specific spot in this episode:

0:00 – Managing Stress in Farming Couples

4:40 – The Role of Paperwork in Stress Management

9:00 – Regular Farm Business Meetings

19:10 – Compensation Paperwork

34:19 – Job Descriptions and Task Manuals

 

Many romantic relationships and marriages are founded on a mutual admiration and desire for a farming lifestyle. Spouses farming together can live out shared values and goals through their work. Even where one person is the primary farmer, spouses often get pulled in to help out. Farming with a spouse, whether a true co-ownership or the occasional help, can make things more fun while navigating learning experiences and celebrating successes together. Of course, there’s two sides to every coin. Farming together can introduce new challenges, as people have different work ethics, communication styles, and expectations, as well as different appetites for legal risk. These differences can cause abundant stress, and managing stress for farming couples is essential. When not addressed, stress can destroy not just the couple/marriage, but the farm business too. In this episode, we discuss the powerful role of paperwork in managing farm stress through 3 key paperwork processes that you can begin implementing right away: (1) creating pre-set agendas for regularly scheduled meetings, (2) compensation paperwork, and (3) job descriptions.

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