R&R Bronec Grain and Cattle

 

Farm Overview 

 

R & R Bronec Grain and Cattle is a 3rd generation mixed farm operating across three locations anchored near Great Falls, Montana and two ranches near the Canadian border. It comprises 14,000 acres of crops, 1,000 head of cattle and 45,000 acres of grassland. Rich and Stacy Bronec co-own the farm with his sister and brother-in-law and parents. The two enterprises operate under one entity, with his sister and brother-in-law running the cattle business and Rich, a former accountant, overseeing the grain side and assuming the roles of CEO and CFO of the entity. His parents are gradually becoming less involved in the farm’s day-to-day operations. 

 

The Challenge

 

As an ex-CPA, Rich was drawn to the numbers side of the business and knew his farm could leverage data to improve employee and operational management, as well as benchmarking. He valued financial data but sometimes struggled to convince others in the business why these issues mattered. He knew that as a mixed farm with family members involved, it was more important than ever for the farm to start acting like one cohesive business with shared vision, mission and values.

 

The Solution

 

Rich heard about Farmer Coach through a podcast and was immediately drawn to this type of executive management program. He enrolled in the very first Farmer Coach program in 2022 and explored topics about mindset expansion, improving financial performance and benchmarking, farm branding and entrepreneurship. He benefited greatly from the shared discussions with his fellow program participants. The team decided Rich should attend and return the information he learned at Farmer Coach. He continues to attend follow-up sessions to ensure he stays accountable to his goals for himself and the business. 

 

Results

 

  • Farmer Coach helped R&R Bronec Grain and Cattle find strategic and operational alignment 
    • They adopted the Farmer Coach Scorecard and continue making progress on improving their metrics 
    • Joined a US farm management peer group and consulting company to help them implement the strategy across their three locations
  • The farm established a shared Vision, Mission and Values statement and implemented it across the team
  • Rich gained confidence in his ability to use data to drive decisions for the operation
  • Farmer Coach helped Rich improve “buy-in” from the rest of his team
  • Rich shifted his mindset and became open to new ideas and ways of doing things
  • Improved communication with team and staff
  • Took on more acres and feels ready to 2X his business 
  • Developed an HR plan for when he is ready to hire more team members 
  • Hiring an administrative assistant for the office
  • Exploring a “flexible” work environment with work-from-home days and/or an office in the city

 

Quote:

 

“Farmer Coach helped us professionalize our business. If we, as producers, don’t start treating our operations as a business, they won’t be around for our children, and they won’t be worth having. When you have a successful business, those emotional discussions with family members fall into place much more easily. You’re not fighting over crumbs.”

 

Rich Bronec, CEO and CFO R & R Bronec Grain and Cattle