Reading Time: < 1 minute While the sun poured into our accountant’s office earlier this spring, my husband and I shifted the conversation from filing income taxes into a direction that many and perhaps most Country Guide readers have wondered about too. Should we incorporate, we ask, or should we stay as a sole proprietorship? According to the 2006 federal […] Read more
Incorporation may still be the best option for your farm. Read on, though. You and your children could also come to regret it as the worst choice you ever made
Roundup-resistant ragweed confirmed in Ont.
Reading Time: < 1 minute Glyphosate-resistant giant ragweed is officially in Ontario, weed scientist Peter Sikkema confirmed Tuesday. Researchers grew plants from seeds of giant ragweed found in farmers’ fields in the southwestern part of the province in 2008 and the resulting weeds were resistant to glyphosate, Sikkema said at a farmers’ meeting at Uxbridge, Ont. During the meeting, he […] Read more
New strategies may help you break out of traditional size constraints, whether you want to be bigger than the old rules allowed, or smaller
Reading Time: 4 minutes If you sit in on Alfons Weersink’s introductory ag economics class at the University of Guelph, you’re going to see a sample of agriculture’s traditional U-shaped cost curve. It will be a graph in a textbook, almost like a smiley face, showing the average cost of production per unit compared to farm size. It’s a […] Read more
Why are Seed Hawk Inc. and Salford Farm Machinery growing so fast? Our Maggie Van Camp finds out it’s a lot more than foreign ownership
Reading Time: 8 minutes Although Salford Farm Machinery and Seed Hawk Inc. are a thousand miles apart, the stories behind these two short-line companies have shared a lot of plot lines in the last decade, including success. Both companies are built on innovation, both are based in rural Canada, both have international ownership and both are aggressively growing their […] Read more
is right for you?
Reading Time: 4 minutes New strategies may help you break out of traditional size constraints, whether you want to be bigger than the old rules allowed, or smaller f you sit in on Alfons Weersink’s introductory ag economics class at the University of Guelph, you’re going to see a sample of agriculture’s traditional U-shaped cost curve. It will be […] Read more
Takeover
Reading Time: 8 minutes Why are Seed Hawk Inc. and Salford Farm Machinery growing so fast? Our Maggie Van Camp finds out it’s a lot more than foreign ownership Although Salford Farm Machinery and Seed Hawk Inc. are a thousand miles apart, the stories behind these two short-line companies have shared a lot of plot lines in the last […] Read more
View from the Hill
Reading Time: 6 minutes Q. Do you feel Canadian agriculture is losing our competitive edge, or gaining? A. There are challenges. Competitiveness is key to profitability, and Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector is well positioned to compete. We have a rich resource base, a skilled and educated (agricultural) sector, and a world-class culture of innovation. Our farmers are innovative. […] Read more
Doing Them, Their Family And Their Farm
Reading Time: 9 minutes It wasn’t cheap. It wasn’t easy. But they believed they could do it and — with help — they did. Now the Gilmers share their story of hammering out a succession plan and the good it is crYstAL cLeAr Only one-third of family-owned businesses survive the transition to the next generation. Then, out of that […] Read more
Second-Career Decision
Reading Time: 4 minutes For the Waddells, it’s been a challenge to convert financial ratios into strategies and action plans. It’s also been more than worth it You’ve got to have profit,” says Charlie Waddell, owner of Waddell Apples near Kingston, Ont. “Whether you’re a smaller farm or a larger one, you need profitability for growth and stability.” Like […] Read more
Agriculture Is Different Today. Our Farmers Must Still Be The World’s Most Efficient Producers, But That’s Not Enough. Today’s Farmers Must Be As Shrewd As Any MBA Grad, As Skilled As Any CEO. So, What Does That Mean For Ag Policy? Our Maggie
Reading Time: 2 minutes Q. Do you feel Canadian agriculture is losing our competitive edge, or gaining? A. T herearechallenges. Competitiveness is key to profitability, and Canada s agriculture and agri-food sector is well positioned to compete. We have a rich resource base, a skilled and educated (agricultural) sector, and a world-class culture of innovation. Our farmers are innovative. […] Read more