A diverse group of participants attended Holistic Management International's Whole Farm/Ranch Business Planning Series, which took place January - March 2016. This Whole/Farm Ranch Business Planning course took place in Henrietta, Texas with classes taught by Holistic Management Certified Educator Peggy Sechrist and Certified Educator Trainee Deborah Clark. Participants were running a diverse selection of enterprises, including cattle, vegetables/produce, sheep, poultry, with a few enjoying bees, goats and fruit as well. Most of the participants had limited exposure to Holistic Business Planning and said they were there to create a working plan for their farm or ranch business. The first workshop began with participants creating a whole farm inventory. Defining this inventory helped them create their Holistic Goal. A decision-making matrix was introduced, along with steps toward a time management plan. The second workshop focused on Holistic Financial Planning, teaching the participants how to plan for profit, how to assess net worth and incre
ase it, how to assess the financial value of each enterprise, how to locate the weakest link in every enterprise and reinvest in the business by addressing any logjams, adverse factors and those weak links. Participants also created a gross profit analysis for each enterprise, as well as a complete financial plan.
The final workshop allowed participants to explore all the aspects of creating a marketing plan, including products, pricing, and placement. Participants were also tasked with creating both a marketing plan and a business plan.
Here is what some of the participants had to say about the the Whole Farm/Ranch Business Planning Series:
The instructors were terrific! Their discussions and experiences are invaluable tools for me as I plan my farm. Thank you!
I enjoyed learning to identify the major top priority investments that will lead to resolving logjams, increasing net worth, and move toward my holistic goal.
I intend to become more organized and act with more intent on a more long-term vision.
I intend to use better communication to effect change.
The most useful thing I learned is how to write a holistic goal and methods for more effective time management.
Here are some of the results:
This training was made possible by a generous contribution from the Henrietta and Clay County Chamber of Commerce. We'd also like to thank our collaborator; Birdwell & Clark Ranch.