Often on farms, we get so busy in the day-to-day management we don’t get the time to step back and evaluate our operations from a 30,000-foot view. As the calendar turns the page on spring, I encouraged many of my farmer clients to prioritize the time to zoom out and look at their big picture.

Funding from the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC) allowed me to develop this big picture work with a cohort of farmers who were game to give this a try. This cohort, based in Vermont, was founded in 2020 and meets several times a year. The members have formed a tightknit group that works well together.

Over the last year or so, we have focused our energy on individual farm organizational structure and systems planning, including mission and vision work for each business.

What is the difference between a mission and a vision? A mission is a business’s purpose, and a vision is what that business will look like when the mission has been achieved.

When I ask farmers why they farm, their answers usually center around topics such as the reward of working the land, the satisfaction of hard work, the joy they get working with animals and/or raising kids on the farm. One answer that I have never gotten is “to serve a customer.” And yet, at the end of the day, that is the purpose of every business, for without the customer we do not have a business.

At first glance, mission and vision work may seem a bit like fluff. Do the statements even matter? If the mission and vision are generic, they do not. In the book “Essentialism” by Greg McKeown, the author illustrates how vague and inflated mission statements fall short. Bland or overly lofty statements don’t inspire, motivate or provide clarity – all things a good mission can do.

The best mission statement defines a clear sense of purpose. If we can make it specific and personal, we can use that to guide our business into the future. It can inform us when making critical decisions and achieve positive results, including a feeling of cohesion within the team.

The mission and vision should be posted everywhere the owners and employees can see them daily as a reminder of why the business exists. As a cohort, we looked at examples of mission and vision statements from farm businesses where these were well-defined and used to create an internal culture where there is a strong sense of purpose and belonging.

We set up around a room; each business had their own easel and flip chart paper. Before trying to craft a mission statement from scratch, the farmers were asked to describe three things: their core principles, their customer value and their owner value – all components of a fully realized mission. It was challenging, and uncomfortable even, to find that clarity. It takes practice.

A cohort member commented on the writing process, “It is the hardest couple of sentences you’ll ever write. By distilling why your business exists into such few words it really forces you to strip down everything and get at the core of why you do what you do. A successful mission statement focuses your effort … determining if a decision is in line with your mission, and in some cases, ask the question of whether your mission should change based on an opportunity. It is an effective way to keep you focused long term while making operating decisions.”

Crafting a mission and a vision each follow a very specific process. When we begin the vision, we answer the question “In my perfect world, what would I want this farm to be like three years from now?” It is a process outlined by the Institute of Cultural Affairs (called the ICA process) and it involves four steps: describing the vision, identifying constraints, brainstorming strategic directions and determining specific actions.

When I facilitate this process with individual cohort farms, all family members directly involved in the business participate. Each person takes time to think deeply about their own answers to the above question. We use sticky notes, one for each thought, and then post them on the wall to find commonalities by grouping them together.

As with the mission, it’s important that these statements are clear and specific. It’s always fun to see the vision take shape as we walk through this process. A few of the farmers in the cohort are in some stage of farm succession and this plays a big role in the vision for the future.

One cohort member of the ICA process said it “assisted us in our transition plan for the next generation. The meeting was handled in a manner that allowed us to respectfully agree to disagree; however, a plan for the future has been started.”

There’s a level of excitement for participants when they see their ideas come together, illustrating in a very visual way where they are on the same page and where further conversations are needed. It’s a stepping stone toward the hard work of putting the vision into action and making it a reality.

Can you operate a farm without a mission or vision statement? Yes, of course. But done correctly these statements can build a stronger business, serving as a valuable tool in defining purpose, keeping priorities in focus, helping guide decision-making and building an effective team.

by Cheryl Cesario, AFT Senior Livestock & Grazing Specialist