Part 5: Setting Realistic Objectives and Goals

Establishing Goals

Once you determine your reasons for starting a monitoring program, it’s time to set your goals and objectives. Setting goals and objectives early in the process is vital to the success of your monitoring program.

“If you don’t know where you’re going, you could wind up somewhere else”. Yogi Berra.

Setting goals is the first step in the process. Goals identify what is important to you as a rancher and/or a land manager. They are general statements about what you would like to accomplish in the long-term.

Here are some examples of general goals you may have for your ranch:

• To improve the productivity of the land
• To increase my income by 10%
• To develop recreational activities such as hunting and fishing on the ranch
• To enhance forage use
• To encourage the establishment of appropriate vegetative resources based on identified land capability after fire damage