Many commentators on contemporary agriculture emphasize the importance
of sound business decision making on the farm. We argue that while th
is may be appropriate, it is important not to overlook the personal go
als of the farmers in any assessment offal m management. Since farmers
combine both business and way of life goals in complex and personal w
ays, we find that the concept of management style is best suited to de
veloping an integrated account of different approaches to farm managem
ent. Ranking of goal statements along with interview transcripts provi
ded data that allow for a detailed account of three distinctive manage
ment styles in a non-random sample of farmers in Canterbury, New, Zeal
and. The three management styles identified in this investigation al e
the dedicated producer, the flexible strategist and the environmental
ist. The results show the variable response of farmers to their partic
ular social, economic and ecological context and extend out knowledge
of management style by showing how goals are integrated in subtle and
complex ways.