An end-of-year reflection about the season is critical to assess your success in meeting your 2024 farm goals, but it also sets the stage for next year’s improvements while your memory is still fresh. Too often the sting of mistakes subsides in the off-season, or we simply lose track of the details that made a season successful or run smoothly.
As an educator, I work mostly with producers who direct market, such as specialty crop operators who sell through CSAs and farmers markets, and livestock operators selling quarters or pieces direct to customers. End-of-season reflections for this crowd can lean more heavily on marketing, but the following questions are general enough to apply to any farm operator.
Did you meet your sales goals?
We may have no control over the whole market, but we can control how we choose to engage the markets.
Operators who direct market and have greater control over pricing and outlets should assess their marketing mix with a market channel assessment since marketing costs are often a significant portion of all expenses.
How did your 2024 improvements or investments work out?
In 2024, you may have purchased new equipment or adopted ways to organize your work to improve efficiency. Did these improvements make life easier? If the improvements remain works in progress, how can you best adopt the practice or make full use of your investment?
Which production techniques will you keep, and which will you change for 2025?
Operational success is often found through many small changes. A 1% savings in time across many tasks can add up to many hours over the course of the season.
Which practices saved you time in 2024? Which bottlenecks of time proved difficult to manage?
Which costs squeezed your bottom line and what are the alternatives?
FINBIN data shows a clear rise in fertilizer costs over the last few years and how you manage these costs can impact your profitability.
An end-of-season review of input costs is an obvious step for any operator, but brainstorming every idea now is an important first step to discover ways to best manage costs in 2025.
How about your work-life balance?
Farming takes time, energy, and attention. But so too do non-farm relationships and activities. As a parent, spouse, or community member, were you able to manage your time and attention well so your work got done while still building positive connections and taking care of yourself?
If you have employees, business partners, or a spouse, engage them in these conversations, and, most importantly, record your thoughts.
Returning to these notes, as you approach the 2025 season with your team, will prove helpful as you set overall goals and make management decisions.