– Breen, CO
By Byron Shelton – Senior Program Director
In April, the Veterans Homestead Project (VHP) in Breen, Colorado near Durango coordinated a 3-day Holistic Management Financial Planning Workshop for agricultural producers from the surrounding area including both beginning farmers and ranchers as well as long-time managers of agricultural operations. This is the second installment of Holistic Management courses with the VHP in a 3-part series taking place this spring.
Participants got a refresher on the Foundations of Holistic Management including the key insights and holistic decision-making. From there the discussion moved towards how Holistic Financial Planning compliments their existing business planning and financial record keeping. The goal is to produce a budget and cash flow that is based on a holistic context, of what resources they have at hand and where they want to go with their lives, as well as taking into account key environmental principles.
During the workshop, they created their own annual financial plan for either their family or a farm/ranch business if they already had one. Most participants left with much of the work completed for their annual financial plan. Immediate implementation of the financial plan should result in monitoring and controlling their finances for business success and peace of mind.
Participants also toured the Veterans Homestead Project’s Breen Mesa Farm where a 6-week experiment with animal impact through increased stock density was being tested following the Planned Grazing Workshop held there in February.
