Guest Blog by Philipp Mayer, HMI Certified Educator
One of my earliest memories is of standing in a hayfield, the grass towering over me, wildflowers in every direction a world brimming with life and possibility. Even as a child, I noticed two things: the land was full of diversity, and with that diversity came opportunity.
But as I grew older, I saw that something was changing. The more intensive farming became especially in dairy production the less diversity remained. And with that loss, opportunity seemed to fade too.
I went on to study Agricultural Marketing in high school, then served in the military before earning a Bachelor's in Agrobiology and a Master's in Organic Farming. Looking back, I realize my entire education was a search for a way back to that first memory: a landscape of abundance, thriving with life and potential.
When I moved to Finland in 2011, I didn’t wait long to start my first farming enterprise.
My Master’s thesis had focused on farmers’ experimentation and innovation, and I wanted to prove that abundance in agriculture wasn’t just a dream. I wanted to show that you could start with little capital, turn a profit, and create systems that were both ecologically and ethically sound all while improving the land instead of depleting it.
So, I began raising organic roosters chicks that would normally be discarded at birth in mobile chicken tractors, rotating them on pasture after milking the cows. They thrived on grain and legumes unfit for human consumption. That first year, I turned a solid profit, supporting my young family while enriching, rather than exhausting, our resources. On top of that, we sold directly to the local market.
I thought I had figured it out.
Reality Hit—Hard
Four years later, I took over my former farm. And it didn’t take long for me to realize I hadn’t figured it out at all. I had only scratched the surface. Then reality hit. And it hit hard.
We were flagged as a high-risk farm due to our diversity of livestock dairy cows, beef cattle, roosters, sheep which meant frequent, costly inspections. The production system we inherited was labor-intensive, inefficient, and not particularly kind to the animals. Our pastures were depleted, overrun with weeds. We had a loan to pay off. And worst of all, we had no clear path forward.
I felt as far from that first memory as I had ever been. The only things in abundance were regulations, endless working hours, and worries. The only diversity I saw was in the flood of negative thoughts that dragged me into a five-year-long depression.
The Core Problem Farmers Face
This was the real problem not just for me, but for all farmers. How do you navigate overwhelming complexity and ever-changing demands coming at you from every direction?
Regulations are made in Brussels, reinterpreted in Helsinki, then reinterpreted again by individual inspectors. The media tells you that you’re destroying the planet and that your work is worth nothing. Your family questions your choices because they don’t align with “how things have always been done.” Your neighbors watch, waiting to see if you’ll fail. Your spouse wonders whether taking over the farm was a mistake.
Where do you turn for answers? What do you aim for?
Many farmers feel trapped in this uncertainty. No matter what you do, someone will say you’re wrong. And this constant state of doubt drains both energy and money. We try to do everything and end up with nothing left to give.
At worst, we burn out. We become resentful.
Finding a Way Forward—Holistic Management
So, how do you make sense of it all?
That’s when I found Holistic Management.
It gave me what I had been missing:
A clear mission, vision, and goal for my future.
The right systems to turn that vision that first memory into reality.
A decision-making framework to cut through the noise and focus on what truly matters.
The problem isn’t that farmers lack information. We are drowning in it. We’re constantly told what to do but rarely given the tools to understand why or how to apply that knowledge in our unique circumstances.
Holistic Management changes that. It helps you:
Assess your resources and understand your influence.
Make decisions that move you toward your goals.
Implement tools and processes that bring your vision to life.
Track progress and adjust through continuous feedback, ensuring real results.
The Results Speak for Themselves
Over five years of applying Holistic Management, we:
More than doubled our herd size.
Achieved a profit margin close to 50%.
Tripled our pasture yield per hectare.
Reduced farm labor by nearly 4,000 hours per year.
Watched biodiversity return to our fields.
The Next Step
Today, this experience forms the foundation of my advisory work.
I’ve lived the struggle. I know the weight of it. But I also know that change is possible. It often begins with a crisis as it did for me but I promise you, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
There is a way forward.
A future of abundance and diversity is within reach. The first step?
Take responsibility.
Trust in a proven process that has worked for over 60 years.
💡 Want to learn more?
📊 Evaluate your farm for free: https://maaitsearvionti.scoreapp.com
This blog was originally published at: https://www.mayerphilipp.com/en/post/why-holistic-management-1. It is used by permission.