A strong legacy component to a farming operation can often make choosing who will take over the farm a difficult decision. Renee Wiatt, family business management specialist with Purdue University’s agricultural economics department, talked succession planning with RealAg Radio host Shaun Haney, as part of Farm Management Canada’s Agricultural Excellence Conference. “Farming is a very… Read More
Category: AgExcellence
Change is everywhere in farming and often everything seems to be in flux, whether it’s markets, trade relationships, weather, or family relationships. Depending on the circumstances, farmers react differently to change says Heather Watson, executive director at Farm Management Canada (FMC). “Some people see that as unwelcome and unnerving; others see it as an opportunity… Read More
Farm Management Canada has announced Marcel Hacault as the 2020 recipient of a prestigious award. The Wilson Loree award, now in its 18th year, honours individuals or groups who have made an extraordinary contribution to advancing agricultural business management practices in Canada. The honour is awarded at the annual Agricultural Excellence Conference. After receiving a… Read More
Trends and opportunities always seem to crop up in people’s minds as the end of the year draws closer and as we enter into a new one. In terms of digital technology, there are some new opportunities for applications in farm management. Casper Kaastra, general manager of crop production at Sollio Agriculture, recently spoke with… Read More
How do we recruit the next generation of agriculture employees? Reaching out and attracting new generations and talent into agriculture may be the next challenge facing our industry. Furthermore, as our society has evolved over the years, it seems that each new generation is further removed from agriculture. To explain some strategies to attract these… Read More
Taking stock of how agriculture has fared during the pandemic might seem like a daunting task. Looking towards what the new year has in store for 2021 and how agriculture has weathered the pandemic, Bernard Tobin was recently joined by Patrick Lemelin, vice president of agriculture at National Bank, to talk about the impact of… Read More
If you surround yourself with great people, you’ll do amazing things; and ultimately, an advisory group should take some of the stress out of making the right decisions when running a farm business. If anyone knows the value of incorporating an advisory group into their business, it’s Terry Aberhart. He farms 16,000 acres near Langenburg,… Read More
Conference season is upon us, and joining the virtual ranks of meetings is Farm Management Canada’s (FMC) Ag Excellence conference. The virtual space can provide a lot more opportunity both to virtual speakers, and to people who otherwise can’t physically make it. Joining RealAgriculture’s Bernard Tobin to discuss the core concepts of the event is… Read More
Did you know that around 70 per cent of Canada’s beef exports go to the United States? Depending that much on one market means that if there is ever an issue with the United States border crossing (hello, BSE crisis), Canadian export options become slimmer than we’d like them to be. This is why Ellen… Read More
Farmers will hear much talk of the need for resilience in the years ahead. From weather and markets, to trade, to family and managing day-to-day operations, farmers need to be able to cope with the challenges and setbacks that are routinely part of production agriculture. No one personifies resilience more than Springfield, PEI, dairy farmer… Read More
Why do family farm businesses fail? Quite often it’s not economics but rather family governance issues and relationship problems, says farmer and business consultant Dick Wittman. Many farms fail because operators don’t run the farm in a professional manner, says Wittman who learned plenty of valuable lessons managing a family-operated 20,000 acre crop, cattle, and… Read More
How can farmers achieve more of what matters most and stay ahead of the curve? Successfully operating within a demanding food production system is “driven by how we handle ourselves in complexity,” says Kelly Dobson, a Fairfax, Man., farmer and also president of LeaderShift Inc, a company which supports personal and professional development for business… Read More
The longevity of a business is less about how well it does in the good times, and more about how it fares through the rough patches. A farm being resilient can come in many forms, but usually comes down to the strength of the management team running it and the financial nimbleness of the overall… Read More
Terry Betker has worked with farmers to establish peer groups for more than a decade. Traditionally, farmers engage with their peers to share management ideas in informal settings — everywhere from industry meetings to the local coffee shop — but formal peer groups are not common in Canadian agriculture, says Betker, president of Winnipeg-based Backswath… Read More
Black swan events have transformed agriculture. From the invention of canola to precision agriculture and the emergence of the African Swine Fever (ASF), these extreme and unpredictable events — both good and bad — continue to shape the industry’s future. Is Canadian agriculture and the agri-food system resilient enough to absorb the potential negative impacts… Read More