business planning

Over the last handful of months, Lydia and I have had the opportunity to go through a business planning process, facilitated by an amazing consultant.  This was all made possible through a grant Lydia applied to from the state (via the Massachusetts Division of Agricultural Resources–MDAR) and has been both a fascinating and productive process.  Not only has it prompted us to do some heavy lifting with specific planning for types and quantities of animals to raise, rotational grazing strategies, and different sales channels, but it also allowed us to think holistically about the farm.  Similar to other small businesses, the farm is simultaneously a revenue generating enterprise (with profits and losses and capitalized assets) as well as being a source of creative outlet for us and a community-building opportunity.  It is the canvas on which we hope to be painting our kids’ childhood memories and a reflection of the values we hold about land stewardship and local food systems.  The challenge of balancing all of these disparate components when making critical decisions about what to do, grow, invest in–and what NOT to–is matched only by the awesomeness that we get to be part of a thing that is simultaneously a business, a healthy lifestyle, a way to invest in others, etc.  While complicated and hard, the resonant feeling of gratitude that this business planning process has left us with is great.  Having some discrete plans for the future and a clear set of priorities feels equally great!

The other eye opening part of the process is less about the farm, and more about time. Planning for next season feels appropriate, intuitive even.  Looking 3-4 years out invites for imagination about how the world might change by then, what the farm could look like, the stage of our kids’ growth, and other new interests we will develop.  But when we look 7+ years away, that feels altogether like peering into some other person’s life.  My experience tells me that a whole lot can change in 7 years–and does!--and that the imagination may not be big enough to even think of all the variations that could play out.  Making decisions about that timeframe, similarly, feels like throwing darts in the dark a bit.  Fun, for sure, but not something you would cast a confident wager on getting anywhere close to the target.  

In other updates on the farm, lydia has finalized her seed order–which means she is also finalizing her crop plan.  In addition to growing flowers and herbs for the PYO shares and other products, the garden will also help feed our family and contribute to our upcoming farm to table dinners we will be hosting this season (more on that in a different post).  Concurrently, we are making some structural updates to the small animal barn.  In addition to closing up the front wall, we are also planning to break down the current ad-hoc stalls and pour a permanent floor in the barn to make it more adaptable.  Currently, the barn is housing 4 goats and 30 of our chickens, however, so our winter work is limited to the exterior.