**The post is late today ... if you didn't notice. Our pastor has again decided that he needed some time in a hospital bed and so I have been spending time in Des Moines and doing a bit more at the church. He is having internal bleeding in his left leg and it has swollen to almost twice the size of normal. They are going to take him off of the blood thinners, but that also brings up a couple other problems ... we are praying God will continue to work.**Back to the farm... One of the main outcomes of our class that we are currently taking is that we will hopefully end up with a business plan (if we do our work). Part of the plan is a mission statement and vision statement. I thought it would be a good idea to get some more feedback on those, so I'm posting them today for your critique and thought.
Mission Statement:To raise grass-fed livestock outdoors on pasture to provide anti-biotic and hormone-free meats to our customers, while at the same time, building strong relationships between our family and community.
Vision Statement:The three most important areas of focus that directly impact our farm is our:
We strive to raise our animals in a way that reflects how they were created and to manage our land in a way that benefits nature. We desire to work together as a family while cultivating strong family ties and values in our children. Because of this, we plan on remaining a small family farm and do not wish to become a large producer. And finally, we value friendships and building community and hope our customers will come out to our farm and many new friendships will be formed.
2 comments:
"...We desire to work together as a family while cultivating strong family ties and values in our children. Because of this, we plan on remaining a small family farm and do not wish to become a large producer..."
What is your definition of 'small family farm' and 'large producer'?
If your children or extended family had the desire to join or add to the farm's operation and as a result the size and scope of the farm grew, wouldn't that actually build stronger family ties?
Would family ties and values be irreversibly damaged if an opportunity to expand the farm significantly was suddenly possible?
This is a great start! You don't mention it specifically, but you seem to imply that a commitment to health is a big part of your mission- honoring the cycle of the health of the earth, the health of the animals you grow, and how that promotes the health of your family and community.
I think mentioning grass-fed and hormone/antibiotic-free might be too specific. It seems like you will probably learn new methods and change your ideas over time, so it would be better to just have a broad statement that covers all methods of producing good, clean agriculture, so that the mission's umbrella covers everything you might do in the future towards this goal.
You are inspiring me to write my own farm goals, it's a great idea!
Michelle
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