Part 5: Setting Realistic Objectives and Goals

Establishing Objectives

Objectives are statements of how you hope to achieve the goals established for your ranch. They are usually statements that are quantifiable, meaning they are something that you can actually measure and evaluate by collecting data. Monitoring is how you gather data that is useful in assessing whether or not you are moving toward meeting your objectives. These statements of purpose will guide your entire monitoring program so it is important to put careful thought into their development.

Establishing objectives for monitoring depends on two basic considerations:

• The potential of the land to produce different kinds and amounts of livestock production resources (mainly vegetation)
• The sustainability of the these resources

Your objectives need to be realistic and based on the ability of the land to produce and sustain land resources. They also need to be general since our ability to predict what “should be” is heavily affected by factors out of our control such as weather and fire.

Let’s look more carefully at these important considerations.