Integrated risk management is a comprehensive approach that addresses business, financial, and strategic risks collectively, safeguarding your organization against potential threats. This article analyzes the importance of integrated risk management for production agriculture, an industry which is highly susceptible to external shocks.

Developing a business plan for your farm helps align day-to-day operations with overarching business goals. In this article, we explore the importance of assessing current business resources and exposure to risk while creating a business plan. We provide discussion on risks to your business’s key resources, a framework to evaluate the strength of your farm’s resource base, and an outline of how to craft an effective business plan.

Changes in production agriculture have altered the level and type of risk faced by farmers. Farm managers face a variety of challenges including shifts in decision making processes (data driven insights), changing metrics for farm performance (sustainability), different day-to-day practices, new technologies, increased global competition in commodity markets, and novel strategies to manage risk at the farmgate. These challenges present significant risks which permeate through targeted risk management strategies and prompt the need for an integrated risk management approach.