 Would you choose to ride on an airplane with an uncertain destination? Would you wonder why you are traveling at 600 miles per hour with no one on board sure where you are going? How does this relate to the average cattleman? Too many cattlemen just along for the ride are only hoping for a better future in the cattle industry. The more successful, established ranch management goals describing the future they want, determine how they can achieve the goals, and then manage for goal achievement. It can be done, but it takes a plan. The first step is to commit your goals to riding. Begin by making a list of the things you want to accomplish with your farm or ranch operation. For example, to make a living from the farm or ranch operation. To provide supplemental income. To expand, maintain, or reduce the farm or ranch operation. Or to improve the natural resources of the land. The second step is to categorize the management goals that you have listed. An easy way to get started is to categorize your goals into personal and business categories. Personal goals are statements about what you as an individual want to do in the future. They may deal with the landscape or appearance of your farm or ranch, a certain level of production, or the quality of life on a farm or ranch for current and future generations. Business goals are statements about what you want the business to do in the future. These are commonly expressed as a certain level of return on assets, equity, or management, farm or ranch growth, business organization, or retirement. It is necessary that you develop accurate financial statements and monitor them closely to achieve most business goals. Some personal and business goals complement each other while others may be conflicting. In the event that your goals conflict, you must decide which one you want most, revise your goals, or settle on some compromise which would allow you to have a measure of both. The third step is identifying short-term goals that will allow you to reach your long-term goal. An example of a business goal for returns to management and labor could be to make a profit 10 years out of 10. This is a long-term business goal with the time period definitely noted. The short-term goals that will contribute to the long-term business goal could include to achieve an average of 500 pounds of weaned calf per exposed female, to attain calf market prices that are 5% above average, and to minimize unit cost of production. These short-term goals provide the cow-calf producer with the roadmap of how to attain his or her long-term goal. The fourth step involves the written details and plans of action for achieving these goals. This is a sample format for committing your long and short-term goals to writing. Draft a plan of action for each long-term goal. List the short-term goals that you believe will contribute to reaching your long-term goal. In addition, note possible conflicts, ways to resolve possible conflicts, resources needed, assigned person or persons, and time allowed to achieve each short-term goal. By giving some serious thought to what you want to achieve with your farm or ranch operation and committing these thoughts to writing, you will be able to manage for goal achievement more effectively. The final step is putting your plan into action. Without taking action, it is only by chance that you will achieve your goals. Ranch management goals change over time due to numerous considerations such as births, deaths, marriages, divorce, age, health, economics, and government policies and regulations. Therefore, developing and achieving management goals is not an event, but a process that must be reviewed and adjusted as it is applied over time. Identifying and achieving your ranch management goals requires being honest and realistic about what is important to you in the future. You may begin by answering the question, are you just along for the ride or do you have goals you want to achieve? Like the pilot who needs to know where the flight is going, what route to travel, and when it is to arrive at its desired destination, beef cattle producers should know where they are going, what plan will get them there, and when they can expect to be there.