“Whole Farm” Planning Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching Developing Your “Whole Farm” Goals.

“Whole Farm” Planning

Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching

Developing Your “Whole Farm”

Goals


“I was just wondering if you could help me find my way?”

-Alice



“Well, that depends onwhere you want to get to.”

Cheshire Cat responds…


Where do YOU want to go?

? ?


Goals

Provide direction and vision to help guide your decisions



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?


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.


Goals help you achieveyour vision of the future

…like a map, they will help you get where you’re going


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


Things to think about…

Farm operation (type, enterprise, etc.)

Financial

Quality of Life

Resource base

Family


Farm Operation

What size and type of farm?

What type of enterprises? (Animals, crops, integrated)

Product or service?


Financial -

What is your definition of financial success????

+ +


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


Resource Base Land, water and air

People involved with the farm

Potential of the landscape base

Purchasing power

Your skills and knowledge


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


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?


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


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?


Ron Macher, Ron Macher, Editor:Editor:

“ Clarify and prioritize your goals”

“Keep them uppermost in your mind”

“Plan enterprises with your goals in mind”


The Minnesota ProjectWhole Farm Planning at Work:

Success Stories of Ten Farms

www.mnproject.org/wfp



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

“Whole Farm” Planning Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching Developing Your “Whole Farm” Goals.

Documents

farming transition

knowledge slide

farm goals

type of farm

farm potential

farm operation type

list of goals

long term long term