How do you sum up your entire farming philosophy in a soundbite? With a mission statement. Similar to written goals, a mission statement is a tool used to communicate to the world the essence of what your farm is all about.
You might be thinking, “But how can I write a mission statement if I don’t yet know what I’m going to produce?” A mission statement incorporates important values for the business into a succinct statement that identifies the purpose and vision of the business. It doesn’t need to include any specific information about your products. In fact, it might help guide your choices of products. Think of it as one of the cornerstones of your farm. You also don’t have to get it perfect right away – it may evolve over time.
A good mission statement:
- Is very brief – usually no more than 1-2 sentences
- Communicates the core values of the farm to its customers and the general public
Examples
From a small soap producer in AZ:
It is our mission at Snowdrift Farm to cultivate an organic community that encourages the creation and use of handcrafted soaps and body care products, and other handmade and small batch products. We strive to operate our Company honorably, with creativity and profitably, and with the utmost respect for those our products and services touch.
From a very diversified veggie CSA and dairy in NY (a bit long, but really good):
Hawthorne Valley Farm is committed to land stewardship based on sustainable agriculture and to the distribution of high quality organic food. We produce food through our biodynamic farm, whose techniques reflect our commitment to protecting and improving the health of the earth and its inhabitants. Through the development of economic, educational, and cultural relationships, we strive to raise the social and ecological awareness of individuals regarding the production of their food.
Unless you are planning to be the sole operator of your farm with no assistance, you should consider including all the key people in the business to help develop the mission statement. Building on your responses to previous worksheets in this tutorial, use the worksheet below to help you start the process of formulating a mission statement.
Click here for a worksheet to help you begin creating your mission statement. Complete it and we’ll email you a copy of your responses! Send us feedback or report bugs using this form.