Risk — a four letter word that drives farmers crazy. As farmers, our chances of success are greatest when we know the risks we’re exposed to and hav emitigated risks that are in our control. To help us dive deeper into the topic of risk – specifically business risk and financial risk – RealAgriculture’s Shaun… Read more »
Category: Farm Management
Ontario fruit and vegetable growers say minimum wage hike would devastate industry
The Ontario Liberal government’s plan to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2019 is drawing fire from the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association (OFVGA). In late May, the provincial government announced intentions to increase the minimum wage from the current $11.40 per hour rate. That’s a significant blow for an industry… Read more »
Alberta gov’t to cover ag training program course fees
The Alberta government has announced it will be covering course fees for students enrolling in the province’s Green Certificate apprenticeship-style agricultural training program. Education Minister David Eggen and Agriculture Minister Oneil Carlier were at the Whitemud Equine Learning Centre in Edmonton on Wednesday where they committed up to $400,000 annually to cover course fees. Around… Read more »
Volatile times — how innovation and climate change impact risk management programs
Crop yields continue to increase across North America, but so do yield and market volatility. According to Dr. Alan Ker, director of the University of Guelph’s Institute for the Advanced Study of Food and Agricultural Policy, increased volatility is something farmers will have to get used to as the impact of innovation and climate change… Read more »
Ontario’s new minimum wage could weigh heavy on agri-food industry
Ontario’s minimum wage is set to climb to $15 per hour by 2019 and that could have a significant impact on agriculture in the province. Ontario Federation of Agriculture president Keith Currie says labour intensive sectors such as horticulture and greenhouse operations will likely suffer the greatest impact from the Liberal government’s announcement this week… Read more »
Canadian net farm income grew 7.6% in 2016: StatsCan
StatsCan has released its net farm income report for 2016 and the results may surprise you considering the livestock and commodity market that producers faced. According to the report, revenue held fairly stable while it was declining operating expenses that allowed net farm income to rise. A full breakdown of the report, including provincial comparisons,… Read more »
Ottawa extends consultation on potential elimination of deferred cash tickets
The federal government is extending the comment period for its proposal to potentially eliminate the deferred cash ticket option for grain sales. The department of finance, on Tuesday, announced the consultation period that was originally scheduled to end May 24th will remain open beyond seeding season, until July 24. When delivering a listed grain (such… Read more »
TechTour: Using solar energy to power irrigation pivots
The way we farm is continuously changing, including the way farms with irrigated acres power their irrigation pivots. The idea of using solar energy to help offset the cost of operating pivots once seemed foreign, but there’s growing interest some early adopters have setup solar installations. Merlinds Farms Ltd, near Grassy Lake, Alta. was the first in… Read more »
17 tips for getting equipment unstuck
The combination of wet weather and the need to get this year’s crop in the ground is producing a predictable result this spring: pictures of stuck tractors, trucks, and sprayers, even some combines, shared on Twitter, Facebook, and in the coffee shop. While photos of these situations can provide some level of humour for others, there are… Read more »
MYFB — Ep 24: Can break-even be your worst case scenario?
If when you think of risk in farming you think only of uncontrollable things, like the weather and global trade, or only crop price slides, you’ve likely missed an opportunity to take a more proactive approach to risk management. While it’s easy to get overwhelmed by ‘what if’ scenarios and all the different forms of… Read more »
Area One Farms Serve as Equity Partners in Ontario’s North
If there’s one thing expanding farming in Northern Ontario will require, it’s money. Financial backing. Bankrolling. Investment. Whatever name you give it, securing land is only a part of the cost of starting farming — new land must be cleared, cleaned up, and tiled if it’s to be improved to at least a Class 3…. Read more »
Canadian Farmland Value Growth Pulls Back
Farm Credit Canada recently released its 2016 farmland values report, which breaks down farmland value changes by province. For Canada, the average of 7.9% growth in the value of farmland is certainly good news for those looking to sell or leverage land, but it does represent a slight cooling in farmland prices from 2015, when year-over-year… Read more »
Poll: Do You Use Deferred Cash Tickets To Manage Taxes?
The federal government is proposing the elimination of deferred cash purchase tickets for grain sales — a tool used by farmers to manage cash flow for tax purposes from one year to the next. When delivering a listed grain (such as wheat, oats, barley, rye, flaxseed, or canola), producers have long had the option of asking… Read more »
The Confidence of Curiosity — It’s OK to Not Know
As the weeks pass by do you keep your head down without paying much attention to the environment around you? We are all busy in our hectic lives as we try to find time for work, family, and personal time. We become so task oriented as we try to complete seeding, finish that last email,… Read more »
Holy Crap I Married a Farmer! Jolene Brown Talks In-Laws, Leadership, and Popcorn for Supper
If you’ve never heard Jolene Brown, farm family advisor and total firecracker, speak, you’re missing out. Brown spoke recently at the Advancing Women in Agriculture conference in Calgary, and then found some time to sit down with our own Shaun Haney to talk about in-laws, tough decisions, work/life/farm balance, and what family really means. Brown… Read more »