We think setting goals for ourselves is very important so that we are always growing and evolving as a business. How will we measure how far we've come if we don't have a destination in mind?  We are always moving through life with our long-term goals in the backs of our minds whereas we use short-term goals as stepping stones to achieve our dream.

1- Year Goals.

Our biggest problem is that we cannot afford to spend the kind of money it takes to purchase everything we need to operate our business, which is a very large price tag. We also don't own enough assets for a lender to agree to work with us on such a large scale. So we have found ourselves in this vicious cycle of not being able to get money to buy things we need because we do not own enough things to borrow the money against.

So we've recently sat down and readjusted our outlook for the next year. If everything goes to plan, we will be able to pay off a large amount of debt while purchasing a few key pieces of equipment. Less debt and more assets is an important part of being able to work with a lending company to eventually attain the loan we need to operate and purchase the farm.

5 to 10-Year Goals.

Within the next 5 to 10 years we would like to be able to buy a farm big enough to put the buildings we need on as well as build a new barn. We truly hope to stay where we currently are and are working with the current owners to help make that happen.

We plan on buying our necessary equipment and are working on being able to feed more of our own cattle. It is important for us to gain assets overtime so that our net worth is always increasing. This is important in cattle feeding as we need a sizeable chunk of money available to buy calves at certain times of the year along with their feed.

20-Year Goals.

20 years always seems like a long way down the road but we like to keep a small plan in mind just so we know we are staying on track. In 20 years we would like to have at least a couple new barns built, and if all goes well enough new barns to hold around 1000 head. In addition to the barns, we would like to own most of the land we need so that we can grow the crops we need for feed.

Ultimate Goals.

Where we would like to end up is something we always have in our mind. In a perfect world, we would own a 1000 head feedlot that consists of 4 barns and a working/sorting/loading barn. This farm would sit on 500 acres that we use to grow all of our corn and silage and spread our manure. We would have our dream farmhouse and maybe even a horse stable to complete the look.

We know that life is rarely perfect, in fact, it is often the imperfect moments that make life worth living. Our goals change constantly and we are always readjusting to each new circumstance as it arrives. We may have a few good years in a row and be able to build some barns earlier than we had hoped. Even more likely is we'll get hit with a few not-so-good years and have to wait to buy an important piece of ground. The important thing though is for us to always know our destination, even though we have no idea which road will ultimately take us there.