“whole farm” planning sustainable small acreage farming & ranching developing your “whole...
TRANSCRIPT
“Whole Farm” Planning
Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching
Developing Your “Whole Farm”
Goals
Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching
“I was just wondering if you could help me find my way?”
-Alice
Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching
Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching
“Well, that depends onwhere you want to get to.”
Cheshire Cat responds…
Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching
Where do YOU want to go?
? ?
Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching
Goals
Provide direction and vision to help guide your decisions
Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching
Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching
Ask yourself these questions:
What do I really want in life?
What can I do that will be most productive and worthwhile?
What am I really trying to achieve through my use of time, effort, money, and
management skills?
Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching
Vision, Values and Beliefs
Your values and beliefs shape your vision
What you think is important
They drive your actions
Your vision is what you see in the future…for your farm, your quality of
life and how the landscape should look.
Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching
Goals help you achieveyour vision of the future
…like a map, they will help you get where you’re going
Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching
Without goals…
We react to what happens… leading us wherever the new path might lead
We often spend more time reacting and less time creating
Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching
Things to think about…
Farm operation (type, enterprise, etc.)
Financial
Quality of Life
Resource base
Family
Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching
Farm Operation
What size and type of farm?
What type of enterprises? (Animals, crops, integrated)
Product or service?
Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching
Financial -
What is your definition of financial success????
+ +
Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching
Quality of Life
The measure of shared value and satisfaction you and your family
attach to the various features of
place, the environment and
working
Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching
Resource Base Land, water and air
People involved with the farm
Potential of the landscape base
Purchasing power
Your skills and knowledge
Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching
Family
The importance of family to farming can NOT be overlooked.
Why?
Farming is a lifestyle You don’t leave home to go
off to a job The people who are most
important to you are often directly affected by the decisions you make
Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching
Understanding your goals
Is the goal realistic?
Is it specific enough?
Can you see how to get there?
What are the action steps to achieve the goal?
Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching
Short Term
Gain knowledge aboutand experience
In farming
Transition threeacres to
organic garlic
Break your list of goals down into short term and long term
Long TermOwn and farm
20 acres in the Pacific Northwest
Supplemental farm income from
production and direct marketing of organic
garlic
Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching
Continually Review and Monitor
Evaluate progress on a regular basis
Are these still your
goals?
Steps to revise goals or get back
on track
How are you
doing?
Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching
Ron Macher, Ron Macher, Editor:Editor:
“ Clarify and prioritize your goals”
“Keep them uppermost in your mind”
“Plan enterprises with your goals in mind”
Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching
The Minnesota ProjectWhole Farm Planning at Work:
Success Stories of Ten Farms
www.mnproject.org/wfp
Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching
Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching
Seeing the Big Picture on a Small Farm:Ray and Sharon Johnson’s Goals
Stay on the farm Have more time together Take a vacation
Make a living with dairy Increase profits Manage the land holistically for future
generations Have a pleasant living and working
atmosphere