The Four Surprising Lessons Farmers Can Learn from Warren Buffett

May 28, 2024

The owner of a farm business can learn from the wisdom of famed investor Warren Buffett, not just because of the incredible wealth he has amassed, but also because of his unique perspective on things.

Each year, it's valuable to devote some time to check Berkshire Hathaway’s Annual Report and read Chairman Buffett’s remarks. Many have also enjoyed reading anything his late colleague Charlie Munger (whom Buffett referred to as his business partner) wrote. Munger passed away early in 2024, but his wisdom remains influential.

After reading through the past year’s annual report and reflecting on what has been read from Buffett and Munger over the years, a few lessons have been compiled from their wisdom. These particular lessons are not about the markets or investing. Everyone knows Buffett is a shrewd value investor and business builder with a knack for finding business bargains and amassing great wealth. But he’s more than that, and this article focuses on some of his other principles and traits that may change how one thinks about their business.

1. Know Your Track Record

Berkshire Hathaway’s annual report regularly features a table summarizing the performance of the company for almost 60 years since the current management, led by Buffett, took over. The returns are impressive, to say the least. But what’s even more remarkable is the consistency throughout the decades.

There were ups and downs, of course. But in general, there is consistent, steady progress through the years.

As a farmer, it might be interesting to lay out your track record on an annual basis. While Berkshire Hathaway expresses its two key figures as per-share book value and per-share market value, you can determine what you want to measure. That might include gross and/or net income, net assets, or something else that you find relevant. How you measure the financial success of your business is up to you.

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Video: Turning Plant Defense Into a Management Strategy

Turning Plant Defense Into a Management Strategy

Understanding how a plant responds to stress is one thing.

Using that knowledge to make better management decisions is another.

Systemic acquired resistance, or SAR, is the plant's more direct defense response. When stress or infection occurs, the plant begins signaling throughout its system and preparing defensive compounds.

But if we know that response exists, can we help prepare the plant before the stress arrives?

The answer starts with understanding what triggers the response and what the plant needs to carry it out.

The Trigger and the Fuel

Salicylic acid plays an important role in triggering the SAR pathway.

Think of it as turning the truck on.

The engine may be running, but it still needs fuel to do the work.

In this case, manganese plays an important role in supporting the enzyme systems involved in the plant's defensive response.

This makes manganese status an important part of the conversation. Whether a producer is using tissue testing, sap analysis, or simply scouting for visible deficiency symptoms, the goal is to make sure the plant has adequate manganese available.

Manganese is required in relatively small amounts, but that does not make its role small.

If the plant receives a signal to defend itself but lacks the nutrition needed to support that response, it may struggle to carry out the process efficiently.

The trigger matters.

The fuel matters too.

Prepare Before the Stress Arrives

The best time to think about stress management is before the plant is overwhelmed.

Once a crop is already struggling, management can quickly turn into a game of catch-up.

This is similar to nitrogen management. Once a plant becomes severely deficient, correcting the problem does not necessarily erase the time and yield potential already lost.

Plant defense can work the same way.

Low-rate, targeted approaches designed to support the SAR pathway may fit best ahead of an expected stress event rather than after significant damage has already occurred.

That requires producers to think about predictable stress.

We may not know exactly what the weather will do tomorrow, but we generally know summer heat is coming. We know certain field conditions increase disease pressure. We know a herbicide application can temporarily stress a crop as the plant processes the chemistry.

Even a properly timed and labeled herbicide application can create a temporary response in the plant.

That does not mean the herbicide is bad.

Weeds can create significantly more yield loss than the temporary stress caused by controlling them.

The question is not whether we should eliminate every stressor.

The question is whether we can better prepare the plant to manage necessary and predictable stress.

Not All Stress Is Bad

Stress is a normal part of plant growth.

A perfectly stress-free environment does not exist in the field.

In fact, some stress is necessary for normal plant development. A plant responds to wind, temperature, moisture, sunlight, and countless other environmental signals throughout the season.

The environment is stress.

The plant's job is to manage it.

Problems begin when the stress load becomes greater than the plant's ability to respond.

Extreme heat, drought, high salt concentrations, disease pressure, and even certain management practices can add to that load.

This is where understanding SAR becomes useful.

Instead of waiting until the plant is visibly struggling, producers can begin identifying periods when stress is likely and make management decisions around those windows.

ISR Starts With the Soil

While SAR is a more direct defense response, induced systemic resistance, or ISR, brings the conversation back to soil health.

The longevity of a farm is closely connected to the health of its soil.

Carbon plays a major role because it supports biological life within the soil. Bacteria, fungi, and other organisms interact with plant roots and influence how the plant grows, accesses nutrients, and prepares for stress.

This is why soil health cannot be reduced to one product or one application.

It is a system.

Keeping living plants in the field longer can support biological activity. Cover crops may fit some operations. Better water management can improve soil conditions.