‘Get Down to Business in Oklahoma,’ part of HMI’s Whole Farm/Ranch Business Planning Series wrapped up this past February. The three 2-day workshops took place at the John E. Kirkpatrick Horticulture Center at OSU – Oklahoma City. Designed to focus on the business side of farming and ranching, students were introduced to a variety of topics, including goal setting, decision testing, time management, leadership and communication, financial planning, marketing and business plan creation.
About 80% of the class were already farming or ranching, with the majority raising cattle.
Certified Educator Tracy Ltile was the lead instructor, with assistance provided by Julie Gahn. Other Certified Educators-in-Training also participated in the workshops, and included Lauri Celella, Katherine Ottmers, and CD Pounds.
Each of the sessions were designed for both small and large group discussions, so participants were able to benefit from the experiences of their fellow participants.
The first session provided participants with an introduction to the Holistic Management framework, as well as how to create a holistic goal. They were also introduced to time management tools that were designed to improve farm/ranch efficiency.
The second session focused on Holistic Financial Planning, with participants learning the importance of using gross profit analysis to evaluate each enterprise. They were shown how planning for profit will allow them to put a cap on expenses, while providing more opportunities to invest back into their farm or ranch business.
The last session focused on marketing, production, and management, with participants attending a Farmers Market in order to analyze marketing and promotion. Participants were also able to develop SMART goals regarding their business and marketing planning.
Here are some participant comments:
- The most useful part of the first class was linking values to the holistic goal, and the importance of including personal and family time in time management.
- I intend to move all our practices toward supporting our holistic goal.
- We will incorporate more planning and forethought.
- These two days were very helpful. I feel that I learned the system and I’m ready to go home, pull our information together, set up this year, and have a system that we use from here out.
- I thought it was a good mix of lecture, student work & interaction, plus one-on-one with instructors as needed.
- I intend to change my process to determining profit upfront and capping expenses
- We are going to develop intentional practices of planning and monitoring our actions related to our business.
Here are some of the results:
Introduction to Holistic Management |
% |
More confidence in developing written whole farm goal |
90% |
More confidence in communicating with decision makers |
76% |
Increased understanding of the ways to effectively manage time on your farm |
76% |
Increased ability to define your management team for effective management |
75% |
Better processes to assess how your time is spent on your farm |
76% |
More confidence in identifying systems and protocols for your farm |
76% |
Financial Planning |
% |
Increased ability to determine your farm’s rough net worth |
100% |
Skill in determining viable profitable enterprises for your farm |
100% |
Skill in determining your farm’s projected revenue |
100% |
Skill in developing a whole farm financial plan |
100% |
Getting the profit you need from your farm |
100% |
Skill in prioritizing and cutting farm expenses to guide reinvestment in your farm |
95% |
Marketing/Business Planning |
% |
How to write a SWOT analysis for your farm/ranch |
100% |
Your ability to use your holistic goal to guide your business/strategic plan |
100% |
Developing a marketing plan that meets your farm needs and goals |
100% |
Promoting your farm products |
93% |
Increased ability to develop a business plan for your farm/ranch |
93% |
How to use your financial plan to profitably price your products/services |
93% |
A special thanks goes out to our program collaborator: Oklahoma Farmers and Ranchers Association.
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