1. Agricultural Entrepreneurship and Business Planning
Let’s continue with the final component of our course name – “Business Planning”.
Tools and Training for Agricultural Entrepreneurs
© 2014 Cultivating Success

2. Agricultural Entrepreneurship & Business Planning
Vision & Mission Statements
The Mission statement will be one of the first written statements you create and include in your business plan. Let’s talk about what a vision and mission statement are as they are not the same.

3. Vision Statement What is a Vision Statement?
Sums up aspirations, hopes, and dreams
Phrase describing your organization’s future
What your image is of a perfect world
Long-term view
Do you need to write one?
Vision Statement-
A vision is intended to be a statement that sums up your organization's aspirations, hopes, and dreams. This phrase describes how your organization envisions the future and what your image is of a perfect world. It's a long-term view of what your striving for. It's more of a dream, an inspirational message. It should help motivate you, your staff, and, if you choose to share it externally, even your customers.
You decide if you need to write one, it is not required in the business plan.

4. Example Vision Statement
“Farm to Market Organics wishes to improve the health of the environment and its people.”

5. Mission Statement What is a Mission Statement?
Overall mission of the business.
A written statement that in broad terms describes what the business hopes to do and be.
Business and Personal
Start with the basic concept of your agricultural business then consider your business values and vision for the business.

6. Mission Statement cont.
It is about ACTION
Touches on core purpose of your organization
It should be:
More specific
Include your farm name
Include a brief description of your product/services and a marketing plan
Mission Statement-
The mission statement is all about action. It touches on the core purpose of your organization and what you're doing now to strive toward reaching your vision in the future. It is a written statement that in broad terms describes what the business hopes to do and be. It should: be more specific, include you farm name and a brief description of what you produce and how you market it.

7. Mission Statement Example 1
“Farm to Market Organics sustainably produces quality vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Our fresh organic produce is delivered weekly, in season, to our customers.”
Ask students if the following 3 example mission statements full fill all the needed components or if they need to be improved and how?
-Farm name
-Location or service area?
-Products or services defined clearly
-Marketing plan
-Clear and specific
-Grammar, punctuation, spelling – are they all correct?

8. Mission Statement Example 2
“To become the #1 branded beef producer in the United States by offering only the highest quality branded products and superior delivery service.”

9. Mission Statement Example 3
Once-A-Day Apple Farm provides only the best variety of apples available in the State of Washington. We pride ourselves on our high quality produce and timely delivery to all our customers.

10. Goals and Objectives Goals Targets that you hope to reach
Expressed in concrete terms/time periods
Objectives
Means by which goals are achieved
Steps/strategies necessary to reach goals

11. SMART Goals
S – specific M – measurable A – attainable R – results-oriented T – timely

12. Business Plan Presentation Assignment
Presentations during last class
Present only one single component of your business plan to class
Required to get course certificate
Communication learning opportunity!
See assignment sheet for more detail. Also share the “4-P’s of Presenting” PPP with students.

13. Farm Business Profile Presentation
Each student will research a farm from the Skagit, Snohomish or Whatcom area. From this research each student will give a short class presentation highlighting the type of farm enterprise, market outlets and that business’ strategy for growth.
Farm enterprise
Products
Market outlets
Business strategy for growth