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Unit 1: Planning and Business Development

THE PLANNING PROCESS

NRCS employees discuss conservation plan with farmer near Salisbury, Maryland. (USDA NRCS)

All planning processes share the following basic steps:

1. Assess the current situation and resources.

2. Establish goals.

3. Brainstorm and test strategies.

4. Develop the business plan.

5. Implement the plan and monitor progress.

Regardless of which planning approach a farmer or rancher is most comfortable with, their new ideas or strategies must ultimately prove workable. The best place to begin planning is with a farm’s current situation. By taking stock and inventorying resources, farmers and ranchers will be in a better position to determine what is realistically needed to move the business forward.