Setting goals based on what you think you ‘should’ do. This one is incredibly easy to fall into – and for good reason. It’s based on looking at the outside – at other farm operators and what they’re doing – before deciding that your farm needs to work toward a certain goal. It’s not a bad thing in itself to be aware of what other top farms are doing, but it can become a trap if you start to set goals for your farm solely based on what seems to be making others successful. The reason is that your operation is different from all other farms. It has a different history, circumstances, soil, geography, people involved, financial situation, landlords, and so on. Your farm’s goals for 2023 must be based on your operation’s current unique situation – not on perceptions about anyone else’s operation.

Setting goals that aren’t based in financial reality. Another trap that’s easy to step in is to set goals that aren’t necessarily realistic or achievable from a financial perspective. When you’re thinking about goals for the upcoming year, each goal needs to be formed from a deep understanding of your own operation and your vision of where you want it to be in the future. That means taking a good look at where you, as the leader, are at in your farming career – as well as what you want to be doing in 5-10 years. Your goals for 2023 should reflect that longer-term outlook and must account for what that means financially for your operation. You can get a deeper understanding of this by doing a financial review of your operation with your advisors this winter.

Setting goals that don’t have a meaningful ‘why.’ I mentioned this above, but it’s going to be nearly impossible to continue making progress toward a major goal that doesn’t have a ‘why’ behind it that’s deeply meaningful to you. Your ‘why’ will usually come from your long-term vision for the operation and what you want it to become. It can come from the big reason(s) why you farm (ones that go beyond making a living). The ‘why’ needs to be big enough that it can continue to drive you toward progress even when the going gets tough.