Step 1: Set a Goal- This is a deceiving step. There are always goals for your farm business, you know that you have them, but do you ever write them down? This may seem tedious, but the impact is huge. This can be in any form: from a notebook scribbled in at 11:00 at night, to a typed list that is printed and posted in the barn. The important part is that you set a goal higher that your current performance, and that the goal follows the SMART goals mantra. S- specific, M- measurable, A-achievable, R- relevant, and T- time bound. Those are all relatively self-explanatory, but it's important to think about each of those aspects when laying out goals. Some example goals could be: to reduce debt to a certain level for a major purchase, or increase product quality to obtain certain premiums.

Step 2: Monitor Current Information- This is where you collect the current information about your business: how did you perform on this parameter last year? What were the protocols in place then that caused that result? What are the current protocols in place? Once you have collected the information you will be able to evaluate what parameters are effecting the goal you would like to meet. From this monitoring, you can decide which parameters to change to reach your goal. A tip to colleting and evaluating information is to plan a portion of one day a week and dedicate it to this task. Set it aside in your calendar and then make plans to revisit for a period of time over which you think you can collect an adequate amount of information to make a decision.

Step 3: Take Corrective Action- After collecting and evaluating your information it is time to make a decision. That decision needs to be implemented and monitored in the weeks following to ensure that it is achieving the desired results. It is important to stay committed to the change, the phrase "Rome wasn't built in a day" definitely applies to farms. Be patient and persistent with your changes, it will take time to see results. The final step of taking action is to re-evaluate after giving your action enough time to take effect. If the desired results are achieved you can continue, if not it is time to go back to step 2 and find a new plan of action.

The best way to keep yourself accountable to these changes is to share your goals (written) and your progress to a third party on a regular basis. That could be monthly, or quarterly shared with a vet, loan officer, nutritionist, CCE regional specialist or profit team. This will help keep you on track and keeping up with them to make sure that you don't get buried in the day to day task of putting out fires.