Goal Setting Where do you want to go And How do you get there? Mike Everett, 2010 ©

Where do you want to go?

10 Principles for Effective Resource Management 1.Nature Functions in Wholes 2.Understand the Environment You Manage 3.Livestock can Improve Land Health 4.Time is MORE Important than Numbers 5.Define What You are Managing 6.State What You Want 7.Bare Ground is Public Enemy #1 8.Play with a Full Deck 9.Test Your Decisions 10. Monitor for Results

Holisticgoal Community Dynamics Water Cycle Energy Flow Mineral Cycle Cause & Effect Society & Culture Sustainability Energy/Money Use/Source Gross Profit Analysis Marginal Reaction Weak Link Animal Impact Grazing Fire Rest Technology Living Organisms Money & Labor Human Creativity Plan Monitor Control Re-Plan

How your world must What you do to have the life you want The Life you want to have Social Be in the Future Environmental Economic

How do you get there? Define the Whole you are managing Define who makes the decisions You Farm /ranch jobjob Family Labor Community

If you want your enterprise to be sustainable, who needs to be included in decisions about that enterprise? Gather the family, hired help, friends, etc.

Decision Makers Who are the Decision Makers in your Whole? YOU SPOUSE CHILDREN HIRED HELP

What Resources and Money do you have?

Resource List YOURSELFLAND ( ACREAGE: OWNED; LEASED; BORROWED) FAMILYHOUSE(S) FRIENDS ( LIST )OUTBUILDINGS ( LIST ) NEIGHBORS ( LIST )FENCING ( TYPES, CHARGERS, ETC.) GROUP MEMBERS ( LIST )WATER ( WELLS, PONDS, TROUGHS, ETC.) ? ? SUPPLIERS LAND-OWNER(S)BREEDERSGROWERS SEEDFUELMEDICINES EQUIPMENTSUPPLIESSUPPLEMENTS ? ? ? CLIENTS FAMILYNEIGHBORSFRIENDS FARMERS MARKETSGROCERSRESTAURANTS ETHINIC GROUPS ( LIST )INTERNET SALESCONTRACT SALES ? ? ?

$ MONEY $ CASHSAVINGSPENSION SALARYRENT & LEASESFARM SALES OTHER SALES/SERVICES (NON-FARM ITEMS OR SKILLS) LOANS:FSABANKSAG CREDIT FAMILYFRIENDSOTHER USDA GRANTS:SARE FOUNDATIONSRESEARCH LOCAL/STATE GOVERNMENT

How do you see your farm in the future?

Envisioning Your Goal Decision makers discuss and write out their values. How do you want to live in the future? – Health, Wealth, Happiness, Time with Family and Friends, Meaningful Work, etc.? What must be done to have that life? Ecosystem processes must be functioning right Water cycle Mineral cycle Energy Flow Community Dynamics so Goal is Environmentally sustainable.

Envisioning Your Goal One must produce a profit in Meaningful Work so Goal is Economically sustainable. One must be a good neighbor in order to have good neighbors so Goal is Socially sustainable. The Triple Bottom Line: Environmentally, Economically, and Socially sustainable wealth. Now that you have an idea of how to have the Life you want:

Envisioning Your Goal How must your surroundings be in order to have the Life you want long into the future? – Infrastructure Transportation, Power, Education Medical Facilities, Supportive Community – Behavior Fair, Honest, Friendly, Open, Good Attitude – Environment Soils covered and building, converting solar energy to wealth and the rivers flowing perennially.

How do you attain that vision? Pasture, Crops, Diversity, Monoculture, Organic, Steel and Oil? CATTLE? Long term investment; too big for wife/children to handle? Do you have brush covered pastures? Beef, dairy, draft? SHEEP? Shorter turnaround but is there a market? Parasites? Can you sell them yourself? Wool, hair, meat, dairy? Predators? GOATS? Brushy pastures? Quick turnaround, but is there a market? Parasites? Can you develop a market? Meat, dairy? Predators? SWINE? Quick turnaround, ready market in most cases. Pastured or confined? POULTRY? Very quick turnaround, multiple uses – eggs, feathers, meat? Predators? Vegetables? Fruit? Other factors? Allergies, Fear, Water, Land Base, Help from Family or Hired Labor, Weather, Financing

New Principles & Steps for Handling Complex Decisions Typical Decision-Making Approach Create & write missions, visions, goals, strategies, or objectives Take a look at the available tools to manage your resources Consider one or more factors that influence you (experience, data, peer pressure, cost, etc.) HM® Decision-Making Look at the whole that youre managing – people, resources, money Develop a holisticgoal based on what those in the whole value and want to create Consider ecosystem processes in your decision Create & write missions, visions, goals, strategies, or objectives in line with your holisticgoal Consider all tools you have available to manage your resources Consider one or more factors that influence you (experience, data, peer pressure, cost, etc.)

Make a decision and assume youre correct React when things dont go the way you assumed Apply 7 tests that make sure the decision(s) youre making are sound and lead toward your holisticgoal Make a decision and consider the unintended consequences that can arise within complex living systems (especially when working with the land – assume your decision is wrong and determine the earliest indicators to monitor) Monitor your decisions/plans for the earliest signs of change using a feedback loop: plan, monitor, control (take action), replan (if necessary)

How do you Decide? The Seven Tests Remember your Goal: the Life you want to Live Every decision takes you toward or away from that Goal. YOU have to decide which! Does your decision address the Cause of the Problem, or only treat a Symptom? Does it address your Weak Link at this time? Social, Financial, Biological? Comparing two enterprises, which Returns more for Investment (Time, Labor, Money) Comparing two enterprises, which Pays more toward the Overhead?

How do you Decide? Is the Energy & Money to be used derived from most appropriate source? Will it be used to take me/us toward my/our GOAL? If I/we take this action, will it lead toward or away how our world must be in our GOAL? Considering all of these questions and in light of your Goal, how do you FEEL about the action contemplated? – Even if the majority of the answers are NO and you feel it is right, go ahead; or vice versa, should they be YES but you have doubts, do more research.

Decision Made – Now What? Monitoring – What do you expect to see because of your decision? » or – What are the first signs that your vision and decision are taking you where you want to go? – What signals that youre off course? – What corrections need to be made? Who will make them?

Dont Try to Make the Right Decision, make the Best Decision you can at the time with the facts you have! Anything worth doing is worth doing wrong - the first time, Joel Salatin