A multi-actor investment support team and an online blog helped the Finnish farmer Merja Keisala at Keisala farm through the process of building an economically viable barn. The Investment Support Team is an example of how an advisory service can help a farm run a large investment.

A farmer builds a barn only a couple times in his or her life. The project management of such an investment is most challenging. External consultancy is therefore often needed. An investment support team can help the farmer with making choices. The team consists of experts with different backgrounds: design, economics, plant production, dairy production, etc. according to the needs of the project.

The Team Was Interdisciplinary

The Keisala farm, a dairy farm in Töysä, Western Finland, wanted to build a new barn. ProAgria, the Finnish expert organization that provides a wide range of services to rural entrepreneurs, suggested that Merja Keisala should make use of an Investment Support Team. The team consisted of experts in design, economics and production. Experts from both dairy and plant production were involved.

Thanks to the flexibility of the support team, it was possible to have a systemic approach to the investment process so that different aspects of the solution were discussed. The construction phase itself went rapidly because of the extensive planning phase.

“The success was based on the fact that we got so much help from experts from different professions” (Merja Keisala, the farmer)

The Blog As a Source of Mental Support

ProAgria also suggested that Merja Keisala start with an online blog. The farmer used the blog daily throughout the process to share the progress of the constructions, the challenges and the pitfalls. He received a lot of mental support from other farmers through this blog.

The Blog As an Advertisement

As an additional result of the blog a large number of farmers, who were planning to build a new barn, ended up visiting the Keisala Farm. Thus, the blog gave publicity to the ProAgria advisory and others involved in the Investment Support Team. A blog could be useful in similar situations where a large investment is being made.

Read more about the Finnish Cross Visit.

Watch Video From Keisala Farm
Investment Support Team Building Blog at Keisala Farm in Finland.