The Beginning Farmer ... Goals 2009

Yesterday I reviewed last years goals and how well I did on accomplishing them. All in all I would say that I did a pretty fair job on last years goals, and I know for sure that we are further along the farming path now than we were a year before (buying a farm and all). But, as you look over my goals for this year and compare them with last years goals you will see a bit of a difference ... basically this years goals are bigger! And, I guess they are a bit more physical in nature. I still plan on reading as much as I can and consuming all the information possible, but there is just a lot of physical work that needs to be done on the farm. So, here are my goals.

1. Fence in the Farm: This one has to be done there is no way around it. And, it needs to be done as soon as possible. Once we start moving into spring I'm going to get a jump on the exterior fencing because I know that it will take awhile with soccer coaching going on. But, hopefully with the help of some friends and neighbors we can knock out about 3/4 of a mile of fence in no time.
2. Put up a Shed: I'm about "this" close to getting this one done. Really, we just need to pull the trigger and go ahead with it because I have the plans picked out and the location picked out. If we can just make sure we have the money picked out we are good to go. In case you don't remember, my plan is to put up a 24x32 (or something) building with 10 ft. side walls. It will have clear span trusses and will be open on the front. Off the back we will be a 14-16 foot lean-to in order to have some extra room. Hopefully we can use a building like this for a little bit of everything.
3. Become a Better Mechanic: I can vividly remember my dad encouraging me to sign-up for auto mechanics class in high school. Unfortunetly I can also vividly remember not doing it because none of my friends took that class. Now that I have an old tractor I'm beginning to wish I had those skills! So, this year I would like to learn my way around the tractor a little more and get that girl really working on the farm.
4. Become a Builder: During 2008 (with a LOT of help from friends and family) I became a house builder. And while a bit of the house stuff is spilling over into 2009 I hope to become a builder of many things this year. I would like to build a rolling hen house, a woodshed, a water wagon, and so much more. I'm actually looking forward to this type of building though because their will be a little more tolerance for things that come out crooked.
5. Share Farming With My Family: The greatest thing about our farm is that it isn't just my dream, it is actually something that we have all grown to love and appreciate. This year I want to continue to share the farm with my family (extended family also) and help instill the values and joy that can come with farm life. It is my prayer that our farm is a blessing for all of our family and all that come and check it out.

There you have it, goals for 2009. As I glance back over them I see a lot of work and learning, but really ... I wouldn't have it any other way.

Making Your Small Farm Profitable :: Chapter 6 Book Report

Farm goals and planning were the topics for chapter six of Ron Macher's book, "Making Your Small Farm Profitable". This seems to be a pretty popular topic in the small scale farming periodicals, books, seminars, and even blogs I guess (since I have mentioned it a few times). I think the emphasis on goal setting, building a business plan, and holistic management is one of the things that sets new smaller scale or un-conventional farmers apart from the bigger conventional farmers. Not that they don't have goals or a business plan, but rather that it is more often based on what the neighbors are doing instead of what would work best for the farmer, the family, and the farm.

Mr. Macher takes a little bit different approach than some of the other books or articles I have read on the subject. Carol Ekarius in, "Small-Scale Livestock Farming" takes quite a bit of time explaining planning and management. That book, which I have read and will post some book reports on later, is full of the whys and hows and nuts and bolts of how to go about writing and planning. Mr. Macher gives a brief introduction on planning and goal setting and ends the chapter with some thoughts on achieving your goals and developing a farm plan. Sandwiched in between is a set of sample goals. I found it pretty interesting to read these hypothetical goals and his thoughts on each one. Also, he broke the goals down into groups of ... "Long-Term Goals" ... "Medium or Intermediate-Term Goals" ...and... "Short-Term Goals"

I thought I would choose one from each of the sections that stuck out as I was reading. Remember these are not my goals ... but they do make a lot of sense to me...

• Long-Term Goal: We are from the city, so I will work part time for a farmer, maybe on weekends, to learn basic skills and ask questions, questions, questions, so that I can gather an idea of what I want to do. I will work for free if necessary to achieve this goal.

-I think that is a great goal for the beginning farmer and I do it as often as I can when I go and work for my uncle and other family. That isn't any better learning that doing around someone who does ... or something like that


• Medium or Intermediate-Term Goal: I will purchase breeding stock, machinery, buildings, and such on as low-interest loans with 3- to 5-year terms.

-Debt sort of scares me like the plague ... we have never had any, and I think we would be perfectly happy to live our lives without any. But, with that being said I know that there is a place for debt when managed and accounted for properly. I think one key to handling debt is to have a good set of goals and a great business plan in place. Not just a good enough business plan to convince the banker ... but, something good enough to convince yourself!


• Short-Term Goal: We will figure in time for rest and recreation this fall.

-I think the reason that this one stuck out in my mind is because it is something that I'm not very good at doing. We have not taken a vacation or real break from my job in a long time ... it is just something that has been difficult for me to do for many reasons. But, after writing about the "farmer burnout" article, and looking at my own life I think this is an essential goal for the small scale farmer ... or anyone!

Does your farm have business plan (no matter how big or small)? Does your farm have goals? Were those goals put down as an entire family? All good things to think about, and questions I asked myself after reading the chapter.

The Beginning Farmer ... 2008 Goals

I've never been that much into resolutions. Maybe it is just because they seem so cliche or because most people end up breaking their resolutions, whatever the reason is I've haven't ever been one to make resolutions. Goals on the other hand... I'm all about goals (don't ask what the difference is). I believe it is important to have a vision of where you want to be and how you want to get there. I have goals in my personal life, in my ministry, and now I have a few farming related goals ... of course these goals are subject to change depending on how the year develops.

1. Read six farming related books ... Knowledge is power, or at least I heard that once. I realize that doing is the key, but I also know that learning is important. I already have three books ready to start reading (see this post) and then I would like to pick out a few more that provide various viewpoints. Along with the reading I will continue to blog about each chapter ... it helps me retain the information and hopefully provides information to others that is helpful.



2. Begin rotational grazing ... It is important to set goals that make you stretch, but that are also obtainable. I'm not sure if we will be living on farm with our cattle this coming year so we probably won't be ready to do a management intensive grazing system, but we can begin rotating every few days. To begin a rotational system we will have to work on permanent fencing and begin experimenting with the temporary electric fencing.



3. Add another dimension to the Stoneyfield livestock operation ... We are hoping that we can diversify a bit this coming year. As I have mentioned lately we have been thinking about sheep and hogs. Who knows maybe we will end up with both, but I know that I want to expand somehow. Sheep sounds good because of their pasture management benefits, but pigs sound good because pork is tasty! In order to do this we'll need to do some more research, building, and fencing. Also, we need to think about whether or not we are going to raise grade animals or possibly heritage breeds



4. Expand our backyard laying operation ... This past year has been a good year of learning with our backyard movable laying hens. I think I would like to redesign our pen this year (make it lighter and slightly larger) and add one or two more hens. Also, we are going to get new layers this year so hopefully we can experiment with a couple different breeds and begin selling a dozen or two eggs. Also, we are going to continue trying out different feeds.



5. Build a Stoneyfield website and expand the blog ... We are going to begin having animals ready to be marketed in the coming year and plenty more in the years to come so I would like to continue to build a presence on the web. This will not be a main marketing tool (beef and eggs will be sold local), but it will help with our purebred Dexters. Also, I think it can be a great communication devise for potential customers and those interested in learning. As I began my quest to become a farming I specifically started looking for accounts of people who went through what I wanted to do ... I didn't come by many. So, this blog has become an account for those that would like to see the journey from not farming to farming. Not just day to day activities, but also my research, thoughts, and plans. I hope that it is helpful and that others continue to stumble on and comment. The comments that people have shared since I began blogging regularly have been better than any research I could have done because many of them come from real life experience.

So, those are a few of my 2008 farming goals. I'm sure that I will add more as I have time to think about it and as the year unfolds, but these are a good starting point. I pray that you have a wonderful day and a blessed 2008!

What Are You Willing to Sacrafice...

This post may be more along the lines of a philosophical post rather than an informational post, but it is something that I have been thinking about quite a bit as we discuss, dream, research, and plan for our hopeful move to farming. Right now my family (wife and two children) lives a pretty frugal life. We don't eat out much, we don't eat prepared foods, my wife is a very frugal shopper, we don't have extravagant things or clothes, and we keep track of our spending very closely so we know where our money is going. Besides that, we really try to keep our "stuff" level down. If we are bring things in we try to move things out that we don't need or used (sometimes we sell, sometimes we give, and sometimes we donate). In the long run we believe that will save us money, space, and frustration. Basically we are always looking for ways to save a little here and a little there.

By the worlds standards we may be a little "overly frugal" or cheap! Because of our watchful eye we have been able to stay out of debt and able to save money each year. But, we are always looking for ways to cut corners because we know that in order to get to the farm we will need to sacrifice. Sacrifice is something that my generation doesn't always handle too well. I will be the first to admit that I was raised in a pretty comfortable life. We were no where near wealthy, but my family sacrificed so that I could have a lot of the things that I desired. That is the case for most of the people in my generation and now that we have reached adulthood we don't really want to go through the same stages that our parents went through.

Oftentimes we don't realize that our parents spent time living in small houses or not ever eating out because all we remember was our nice three or four bedroom house and weekly pizza take-outs or eating out. But, if we are going to be able to reach our dream of farming we are going to have to make sacrifices now and as we truly begin the farm.

So, what are you willing to sacrifice? Are you willing to scale back the "American Dream" lifestyle (probably a good idea no matter what you want to do)? Are you ready to simplify your life by not purchasing or hording as many "things"? I believe you will only be able to reach your goals if you sacrifice. In the coming weeks I am going to be spending some time putting together some goals for they farm dream in the next year. In doing that I'm also going to have to spend some time thinking of sacrifices that I can make to reach those goals.