Members Speak: What Are Our Goals? Does PFI Help?

PFI staffer Liz Kolbe and Eastern Iowa farmer Kate Edwards at the PFI Strategic Planning meeting, where the organization is setting its goals

I’ve have just spent several hours looking over the goals our members shared in the just-completed Member Survey. Some of the goals are quite specific:
• “Build new farrowing house with different type of stall, not crate”
• “Increase our rotation from continuous corn to two years corn, one year soybeans”
• “Mentor a young person to carry on the fourth generation of this 150-year farm”
• “Reduce soil erosion”

Other goals are more general:
• “Sustainability”
• “Soil ecology”
• “Efficiency”
• “Enjoy Life, Honor God”

All together the goals give a glimpse into a diverse group with many powerful hopes and dreams about stewardship, community, and profitability.

Has Practical Farmers helped members achieve these goals? I am so pleased with the number of members who answered yes. 83 percent who answered said PFI had been very helpful, helpful or somewhat helpful.

Here are some of the goals for which respondents answered PFI had been “very helpful”:

• “Be able to offer local, organic produce all year long”
• “Build strong relationships with other farmers with similar operations”
• “Co-exist with organic/non-organic”
• “Improve water quality and top soil”
• “Erosion control”
• “Help the farm pay for itself in two years”
• “Hold soil in place and improve it”
• “Income for later in life”
• “To keep good records for my first season”
• “Share life style with children”

This is good information to know as our strategic plan work continues this week!

Thank you to all who filled out their surveys. We are listening to your feedback.

For more on the power of setting goals, visit: http://holisticmanagement.org/blog/making-magic-the-power-of-the-goal/