See where to start improving your farm's management.

Are the farm's goals written down as numbers you can measure?

Is what you plan to grow or raise over the next few years written down?

Are the service and maintenance dates for machinery organized in a written calendar?

Do you keep current soil test results for your production areas in an organized file that is easy to consult?

Does qualified agronomic technical assistance follow your crop through the season?

Does your plan set out a written strategy to manage pest and disease resistance?

Do you keep a written record of the feed you give your animals?

Do you write down your animals' output and traits at each key event (such as birth, weaning or sale)?

Do you write down animal health information each time there is a treatment or illness?

Is there a written list of the duties and responsibilities for the farm's roles?

Is there a bonus or extra pay tied to results that a worker can earn?

Do you appraise your workers against written rules they know beforehand?

Is your output sorted into quality grades using a written standard your buyers recognize?

Do you keep records of how and where each batch was produced, in a form you can retrieve?

Is the lowest price you will accept set from your calculated production cost?

Is there a bank account used only for the farm, separate from personal or family money?

Do you keep an organized, always up-to-date record of the farm's debts, with amounts, due dates and interest rates?

Are the farm's main assets, such as machinery, buildings and output, covered by insurance?

Are the farm's water sources (springs, streams and rivers) protected by a strip of vegetation along their banks?

Is the farm a member of a cooperative or a producer association?

Are there written rules, shared with the team, about which conduct is allowed and which is not?

Is there a written description of what the farm should look like 5 to 10 years from now?

Do you revisit the farm's goals on set dates to update them?

Have the farm's long-term objectives been shared in writing with the people who work there?

Is there a written plan for how and where you will sell what the farm produces?

Before you make a significant change to the plan, such as an investment, do you work out its effect (what goes up and what goes down) to decide?

Do you keep your input stock under control against a set reorder point?

Do your soil-correction decisions start from recorded soil-test data?

Do you record the results when you check your fields for soil compaction?

Does your production plan record the rotation, cover-crop or diversification practices you use?

Do you record an assessment of how well your crop was established?

Do you measure and record your harvest losses?

Do you keep a pest-monitoring record that guides your decision to spray?

Do you record animal performance (such as weight gain or output) at set points in time?

Do you track feed efficiency by comparing feed used against output?

Is there a written procedure for how feed is stored?

Is there a written rule for how you group animals into lots?

Are your animal handling and welfare practices written down in a document?

Do you follow a written health calendar for vaccinations and other preventive actions?

Is there written guidance for how to hire a new worker?

Are there written criteria for how the team's work is measured?

Is there a known rule for how good work gets recognized?

Is there a written rule that decides when pay goes up?

Is there a private channel where a worker can raise a concern or a suggestion?

Do your workers have a set moment to hear how to improve their work?

Do you record a quality check before a batch is released for sale?

Do you track price movements to decide when to sell?

Do you sell your output in separate lots on different dates instead of all at once?

Do you sell part of your output through an association, cooperative, or group of producers?

Do you exchange market information with other producers?

Are your selling decisions based on market data you follow, rather than only the offer in front of you?

When you work out your cost of production, do you include the cost of maintaining machinery, equipment and buildings?

Does your cost of production include the depreciation of machinery, equipment and buildings?

Does your cost of production include interest, fees and taxes?

Does your cost of production include administrative expenses, such as office, accounting and general overhead?

Does the farm keep a cash reserve set aside for emergencies and unexpected events?

Do you know and track what share of the farm's assets is financed by debt?

Is there a written pest-management plan that records which control methods the farm uses?

Do you check that the conservation practices in your plan are actually being carried out, and act on what is not?

Does the team receive guidance on how to protect the environment and care for natural resources?

Does the farm run activities together with universities or research institutes, such as internships, trials or events?

Does the farm encourage its employees to take part in community volunteer work?

Does the farm undergo internal or external audits of its management practices?

Do you revisit your strengths-and-risks analysis on set dates to update the plan?

Is there a written plan for how the running of the farm will pass to a successor?

Is the training you plan to give the team over the next few years written down?

Is there a written plan for lowering the taxes the business pays within the law?

During the cycle, do you check your budget against what actually happened, in time to steer before the close?

Are the day-to-day activities of the crop or livestock cycle laid out in a written calendar?

Are work days and hours written down where the team can see them?

Are safety instructions for the farm's tasks written down and available to consult?

Do you keep an organized performance record for the farm's work that you can consult?

Do you review how your soil-test results change over the years and use that trend to adjust your soil-management plan?

Does your written plan set out the practices you use to prevent and control soil erosion?

Do you run and record on-farm trials to test possible improvements?

Do you compare this season's crop yields against past seasons and adjust your plan from the trend?

Do you monitor soil pests on a set schedule and record what you find?

Is there a written rule requiring protective equipment when handling crop-protection products?

Do you review your crop-protection history across the years and act on the trend to adjust your plan?

Is there a written operating procedure for your main field operations, such as spraying or planting?

Do you keep a retrievable log of your field operations, recording the field, the date and the inputs used?

Does qualified technical assistance support your animal nutrition through the year?

Do you compare your feeding results against those of other farms?

Do you compare your reproduction results against your goals over time and adjust the plan?

Are your criteria for buying and selecting animals written down?

Is there a written rule for deciding when animals are ready for slaughter or sale?

Are your instructions for preventing disease outbreaks written down?

Are your cleaning dates for pens, troughs and drinkers set out in a written calendar?

Are your instructions for separating and isolating sick animals written down?

Do you review and analyse your animal health records on set dates?

Is there a written organization chart showing the farm's roles?

Is there a written routine for receiving and orienting a new worker?

Does the farm provide the safety gear that the work requires?

Is there a known rule for how a worker moves up to a role with more responsibility?

After a training, do you check whether it changed the work in practice and use that to decide the next training?

Do you track that the farm's leaders keep their management up to date on a set cadence (training or technical visits)?

Do you run the satisfaction survey in cycles, compare it with the last one and act when it worsens?

When a worker leaves, do you write down the reason?

Do you track turnover or absences over time and take action when they get worse?

Do you compare the quality of your output against that of other producers?

Does part of your output carry something that sets it apart from the generic product, such as your own brand or a certification?

Are your selling decisions made with the help of a qualified commercial advisor?

Do you set a target selling price ahead of the season, instead of only reacting to the buyer's offer?

Do you use futures contracts or options to lock in a selling price ahead of delivery?

Is your decision to store output and sell later guided by a criterion you have defined in writing?

Do you keep a written list of potential buyers, marked with the date it was last revised?

Is there a set routine for staying in contact with your buyers, beyond the moments of sale?

Do you plan the timing of your sales to line up with the moments the farm needs cash?

Do you split fixed costs among the farm's activities or seasons using a set rule?

Before a major decision, do you weigh what you could earn by using the same resources in another activity?

Do you keep an up-to-date record of the money coming in and going out of the farm?

Do you record your sales with the quantity, amount and buyer for each one?

Does your revenue record let you see how income has changed over time?

Do you review how much of your income depends on a single source and act to spread it?

Do you know and track what share of your income goes to paying debt?

Do you calculate and track how your debt compares to the farm's own equity (net worth)?

Do you calculate and track the return on the farm's investments?

Does part of the energy the farm uses come from renewable sources, such as solar or biomass?

Do you measure an environmental indicator over time against the target you set, and adjust your plan when it drifts?

Does the farm support projects that help the local community?

Do you review the views of partners and the community over time and adjust what the farm does because of them?

Are there written criteria for diversity and inclusion in hiring and in the workplace?

Are the licenses and permits required to operate the farm up to date?

Are there defined measures to prevent and address harassment and discrimination?

Are there written rules setting out how the farm is managed and who makes the decisions?

Do you carry out a yearly review of your environmental management (performance, targets, changes) and adjust the plan from it?