The performance psychology of elite Canterbury sheep and beef farmers

Background

Throughout rural New Zealand there are farmers who tend to be recognised by both peers and professionals as being better at their chosen field than others. This is the primal competitive nature of humans.

In high performance sports, where the elite athlete competes, the margin between success and failure can be very small, and the slightest advantage is often the difference. This critical difference is referred to as the “one percent”, and assumes core fundamentals are already done well, as with farming.

Aims & Objectives

The use of sports psychology to derive that one percent advantage over the competition has become widely accepted and implemented by professional athletes competing at the highest level.

For a farmer, who is already recognised as operating at a high level, what is the one percent advantage that could take them to ‘elite’?

This paper investigates whether the use of SP tools could be that one percent advantage, what the most applicable tools are and how they might be implemented.

Methodology

The methodology incorporates both a literature review and semi-structured interviews. The latter proving most valuable for qualitative insight and findings given the lack of specific validated research on the use of sports psychology by top farmers. By interviewing three distinct groups of ‘experts’ across sports and farming conclusions were able to be drawn by contrasting the themes in their responses.

Key Findings

As with the use of sports psychology by elite athletes, the tools identified could potentially have some positive impact for a top farmer seeking a little extra edge to get ahead.

None are new, but with more conscious and regular application of those tools that best suit the individual, better outcomes are possible. Given that farming is not a competitive sport as such the use of sports psychology tools will be more subtle and likely have a greater intrinsic personal benefit then an immediate overt, physical outcome.

Consistency is essential for sustained improvement.

Recommendations for Farmers

• When completing normal daily diary entries, consider adding notes relating to mental preparation and execution, as well as a rating for the day in reflecting on the wins and ‘work-on’s’.
• As part of a business goal setting process include improvement of key mental skills too.
• Continue developing strengths, not just weaknesses, as these strengths have contributed to the current level of success. Neglecting the strengths will result in mediocre outcomes.
• The use of a performance coach, or mental skills expert (even if only occasional) will provide fresh perspective and a more holistic view.

Recommendations for Stakeholders

By giving greater consideration to why and how decisions and actions occur on farm, based on the performance psychology of the farmer concerned, better insight is gained enabling more accurate and informed judgement calls in a subjective area.