My Farm’s Mission Is?
Most farmers operate farms to
make money. It’s why they’re in
business, their ultimate mission.
So why bother spending the time
to define your mission? What’s it
worth to you? I hope that I can
convince you why it’s worth the
time and energy to make the ef
fort.
Suppose a stranger asks you,
“Why are you farming?” In two.
to three sentences you should be
able to tell them why your farm
business exists, what you are
doing, and the direction in which
your business is growing, in
other words, your farm’s mission.
By definition, that is what a mis
sion statement does, it indi-
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cates to those inside the business
as well as to customers the reason
for your farm’s existence.
An added benefit of a mission
statement is that by going
through the process of developing
one, participating members of
your farm need to come to com
mon agreement on the reasons
for your farm’s existence and its
intended direction. To provide
good leadership, a mission
statement is essential, and it
helps to determine and clarify
your business goals and objec
tives.
A good starting point in com
posing your mission statement is
to develop your own personal
mission statement. This
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statement is unique to you; it is
the values and principles upon
which you base your life. It’s
what’s important to you and your
family and what you are person
ally striving to achieve. Your
business should reflect your per
sonal goals and aspirations, the
reasons why you want to farm.
Ask yourself: Do I really want to
start or expand a farm business
that doesn’t reflect what I hold to
be personally important?
After you have developed this
personal mission statement, it’s
important to synthesize these
concepts into your business mis
sion statement. What are your
business values? How will cus
tomers, employees, and family be
treated? What about honesty and
integrity?
When your business values are
established, you are ready to look
at your vision for the future.
Where will your business be in
three-five years if things go as
you wish? Growth, position, and
community are factors you may
want to consider in your mission
statement.
When writing your mission
statement, keep these compo
nents in mind: What is the nature
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of your farm business, the prod
ucts or services you provide, the
technology or type of farming
that generates the products, who
your customers are, the scope of
the business (for example; far
row-to-finish), the needs of the
customer, values and beliefs, and
the direction of your farm?
Finally, you want to sum up
and reflect the purpose of your
farm business in your mission
statement. Purpose can be a mea
sure of your own personal suc
cess, that is, whether the farm is
meeting your own internal needs.
And purpose can be used as an
external measure of your farm’s
ability to meet customer needs.
An example of a mission
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I hope that if you have taken
the time to read this article, you
will also take the time to put a
mission statement into operation
on your farm. Need help? Con
tact Pennsylvania Farm Link at
(717) 664-7077 or e-mail us at
parfarmlink@redrose.net.
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