PR - FARMER PERSONALITY AND FARM PROFITABILITY

Abstract:
Personality has been shown to predict performance in many fields but in agriculture, the relationship has not been studied in detail. In the current study, 59 dairy farm managers in England and Wales completed psychological assessments. On 40 of 53 measures, farmers were found to be distinct from a general working population norm. Significant correlations to profitability for four measures are reported. Almost 40% of variation in farm profitability was predicted by a simple linear model with just three personality measures. 'Detail Conscious' and 'Leadership' measures positively and 'Relaxed' negatively predicted profitability. Improvements to farm profitability may be attainable by measuring and managing these three measures in farm managers' and staff.
Keywords: Profitability, Personality, Management, Talent, Performance, Psychology