A new, online farm management program has come to Canada with a mission to help more Canadian farmers get equipped with the knowledge and confidence to take their businesses to the next level.
The University of Guelph has collaborated with RBC Royal Bank and Farm Credit Canada to launch theFoundations in Agricultural Management certificate program, believed to be the first opportunity of its kind in Canada.
Video modules recorded by faculty from the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC), Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics and Ontario Veterinary College tackle topics such as business planning, risk management, farm transition and mental health. The course allows participants to view the modules at their own pace and is offered at no cost.
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“It is intended to help farmers make better agribusiness decisions,” says OAC associate dean John Cranfield. “We want to help producers think more about the topics in the modules and motivate them to take action.”
Mike von Massow, associate professor in the university’s department of food, agricultural and resource economics (FARE), thinks the course is well-suited to farmers across all stages of their careers.
“If you’re early on in your career, the course gives you an introduction to pertinent farm management topics and may spark your curiosity to dig deeper,” von Massow says. “If you’re further along with more experience, this is a great way to brush up on your skills.”
Relevant business content
Von Massow teaches the first module in the course on business planning and strategy. It’s a topic he believes has never been more important than it is on today’s farms.
“A strategic business plan provides a touchstone to evaluate decisions as opportunities and challenges come up,” von Massow says, noting that while tactics can often change, a vision dictates the direction your business will head in.
Von Massow encourages farmers to build a plan with a four-step process: defining your starting point, outline your goal, develop an action plan, and evaluate your progress.
“As the world changes around us, it is important to have an idea of what you want to be and what is important to you as a business, rather than lurching from opportunity to opportunity just because they seem like good ideas,” von Massow says.
Human resources is another course topic that stands out to von Massow for its relevance in today’s agriculture industry. He argues it’s essential even if you don’t hire employees.
“The truth is that everyone manages relationships, whether it is with your banker, accountant, lawyer or another professional,” he says. “Managing people and your interactions with them is an acute challenge today and is going to be even more crucial going forward.”
Spread the benefits
Within weeks of its January launch, Foundations in Agricultural Management attracted 2,800 registrants from all Canadian provinces and territories.
Tim May, a dairy farmer near Rockwood, Ont., was among the first to register. Since the course is free and has no specific prerequisites, he jumped at the opportunity to involve his family in the learning.
“It’s both practical and very timely for us to take this course as we are restructuring our business and in the early stages of planning a new facility,” May says.
May, his son Andy, 24, and Andy’s girlfriend Jordan, 23, have adopted the routine of completing modules on their own time and then meeting to discuss the content. They have also been inspired to set short- and long-term goals based on their learnings, a business planning exercise that can otherwise be easy to put off during the pressures of daily farm life.
They’ve found that the self-paced, flexible format of the course is ideal for their busy schedules, and May feels the up-to-date content is presented in a way that is useful for all types and sizes of farms.
The format is modelled after a personal finance course RBC offered in partnership with McGill’s Desautels faculty of management and the Globe and Mail in 2019.
Successful completion of eight video modules and related tests will result in a certificate from the University of Guelph. Enrolment is open for periods of eight weeks beginning April 1, July 1 and October 1, 2022. Visit guelphagriculturalmanagement.com to register.
Modules
Module 1: Business Planning & Strategy, Professor: Mike von Massow
Module 2: Financial Literacy I, Professor: Richard Vyn
Module 3: Financial Literacy II, Professor: Ken McEwan
Module 4: Managing Your Most Valuable Asset — Your People, Professor: Sara Mann
Module 5: Risk Management, Professor: Getu Hailu
Module 6: Family Farm Transition Planning I, Professor: Alfons Weersink
Module 7: Family Farm Transition Planning II, Professor: Julia Christensen Hughes
Module 8:Managing Mental Health & Building Resilience, Professor: Andrea Bitton-Jones
