Reading Time: 8 minutes At first, he doesn’t seem like the kind of person you owe $17 billion to. Sure, Farm Credit Canada’s national headquarters in Regina is a stunning, shimmering monument. And yes, Greg Stewart’s office here is pristine and elegant in a way you see only in the offices of top echelon executives. Stewart is also obviously […] Read more
Principal with Interest If you farm in Canada, the odds are that you owe this man’s organization big money. “Big” as in enough to keep you awake some nights. But keep reading. Here’s where Greg Stewart is taking FCC next
The Difference It Makes
Reading Time: 7 minutes It wasn’t cheap. That’s what hits you first. When Heather Broughton signed up for the CTEAM program from the George Morris Centre five years ago it cost them $5,500, a big investment for an averaged-sized farm. After completing the course Heather and husband Greg thought it was so valuable they both signed up for the […] Read more
If you farm in Canada, the odds are that you owe this man’s organization big money. “Big” as in enough to keep you awake some nights. But keep reading. Here’s where Greg Stewart is taking FCC next
Reading Time: 2 minutes At first, he doesn t seem like the kind of person you owe $17 billion to. Sure, Farm Credit Canada s national headquarters in Regina is a stunning, shimmering monument. And yes, Greg Stewart s office here is pristine and elegant in a way you see only in the offices of top echelon executives. Stewart […] Read more
Bank On It
Reading Time: 12 minutes If it’s true that every farmer knows how easy it is for bankers to forget that there is a real person behind the account numbers, maybe the opposite is true too. Yes, there’s a new farmer. Today, the average farmer’s financial skills are miles beyond those of farmers 30 years ago. Our farms are more […] Read more
A Farm of Her Own
Reading Time: 20 minutes “You’re supposed to stir the Crock-Pot.” After a quick hello, these are the first words out of my mouth when I meet Sarah Leguee. I’ve just come from the field where her parents are harvesting peas, and her mom has asked me to pass the vital message along. After all, no matter how crazy it […] Read more
Fields Of Strife
Reading Time: 5 minutes Maybe you’re frustrated when your teenagers act like they’re above doing menial jobs. Or you may be miffed that your father won’t listen to you about new technology. Or maybe the way some of your workers balk at the extra hours during the busy season leaves you exasperated. Somehow, it seems the people you live […] Read more
COUNTRY GUIDE’S 8 STEPS TO BETTER MARKETING
Reading Time: < 1 minute What do the most successful farmers do that gives them the marketing edge? Marketing decisions are much like production decisions — doing many little things right improves yields. But there’s no denying the hard facts, some farmers are just better at it. Even so, they don’t think they do anything that other farmers can’t do […] Read more
1. SET CLEAR GOALS
Reading Time: 3 minutes “Marketing isn’t the act of selling, it’s the act of knowing,” says Jerry Bouma of Toma & Bouma Management Consultants, Edmonton. “That includes understanding the markets — and your own strategies.” It’s a mouthful, but the pros say it’s realistic. Setting acceptable prices may not be easy and it may not seem like fun. But […] Read more
2. SELL IN INCREMENTS
Reading Time: 2 minutes “While there’s no foolproof system, I strongly believe incremental selling has helped those producers who employ it,” says Frank Backx from Hensall District Co-operative in southwestern Ontario. It elevates the average price because sales generally will be done on rallies in the market, not into declining markets. Backx suggests breaking the crop into a minimum […] Read more
3. KNOW THE TOOLS THAT ARE RIGHT FOR YOU
Reading Time: 3 minutes Which marketing tools are right for you? There’s no one answer, the pros say. Instead, it all depends on your objectives plus your cash flow needs and your debt-to-equity position. For example, if it’s critical to protect a price level in order to pay off an operating line, then your best choice may be to […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
