By Dick Haney We are living in the real time information age, and it is providing both challenges and opportunities in our businesses, but most importantly it is affecting how we make decisions. This change has arrived with the force of a tsunami and it is invading our workplace from all directions. These changes are… Read More
Year: 2010
You can look at volatility in two ways. Volatility in the cattle markets means that you may be exposed to risk that you did not plan for. For example, earlier this decade when the CDN dollar moved from the low 70’s to par in a violent upward fashion which caught many people off guard. The other… Read More
By Shaun Haney We hear a lot nowadays about value chains, the integrated food system and the farmers incredibly important role in it. How many time have you heard the term, “Gate to Plate?” I can buy into this concept as long as all participants are getting a fair return for their investment in the… Read More
Being involved in agriculture can be very stressful. Sometimes you need to take a break and laugh. To help you do this going forward we will be supplying you with some humorous agriculture based videos. If you have some favourites that you would like us to share please us an email or comment below. In… Read More
As most of you know, I am from Western Canada but as I learn more about Ontario agriculture it seems that many of the concerns are the same. There are differences between the east and the west but overall things like income stabilization, risk management and government lobby tend to always come forward first no… Read More
Corn is the story that keeps on telling. With USDA revising yields and ending stocks lower in the US, the farmers with decent yields have enjoyed some great returns this year. I have even seen some corn acre forecasts for 2011 being discussed on CNBC’s Squawk Box. When there is this much hype and… Read More
< p style=”text-align: center;”> You Need to Be Concerned About Bill 36 – The Land Stewardship Act By Shaun Haney I have to admit that I have missed the boat on this one. I have been hearing many different people talk about the Land Stewardship Act and why as a farmer you should be concerned… Read More
The Succession Saga – Part Two By Dick Haney The Prince Charles Syndrome is an affliction that affects not only Royal Families, but potentially your family business as well. The House of Windsor (The ruling English Monarchy) is arguably one of the most successful family businesses on the planet. Although the House of Windsor has… Read More
Managing risk is a major part of running any farm or livestock operation. Alberta recently tried to aid it’s provincial livestock producers by launching the Cattle Price Insurance Program (CPIP). Recently Ontario Provincial Ag-Critic, Mr. Ernie Hardeman, MPP, questioned why the Ontario government was stalling in implementing a similar program to ensure Ontario producer competitiveness…. Read More
By Shaun Haney Did you know that the Canadian Wheat Board Elections are winding down in the next week. I really like elections because they tend to provide debate and strong conflictive view points on many different issues. The current CWB election is not conflictive, confrontational or interesting at all. There are no candidates talking… Read More
By Shaun Haney Few debates in life involve an all or none scenario. Some people try to make things this way but in reality it is not possible. This is similar to the debate of whether organic agriculture and modern agriculture can co-exist. The better question is why not? As I have mentioned many times… Read More
One of the good news items this fall has been the soybean story. Yields in Ontario this fall were outstanding, reaching record highs in some areas of the province while at the same time off combine prices reached seasonal highs. Demand is strong for soybeans from countries like China. Already everyone is speculating on the… Read More
I have never owned a hog or participated in the business at all but from the outside it does appear to be a very tough financial business. I have had several chats with producers that have been in the business for a long time and the concerns are real for the long term sustainability of… Read More
By Dick Haney Succession, or as some call it- Sucksession, the silent killer of small business, is potentially the Ebola disease of family business longevity. I am going to approach this topic from a different number of directions over the course of a number of weeks. This topic will be analyzed and dissected from the… Read More
By Shaun Haney Due to the demand for canola acres this fall, canola seed is in high demand from growers across the prairies. For some reason some farmers are asking questions about the quality of carry over canola seed from last year. The assumption is that whether bare or previously treated, the carry over seed… Read More