Reading Time: 5 minutes Affectionately, on the farm, it gets thought of as “the boardroom.” It’s the kitchen table, but the conversation around it isn’t always so affectionate, or so gentle. The kitchen table can also be host to plenty of uncomfortable questions and conversations, especially if the person asking the questions isn’t getting to see the numbers they […] Read more
Information sharing on the family farm
Like it or not, it makes a lot of sense to get much more formal about who you show your business numbers to, and when
The building blocks of farm finance
Reading Time: 3 minutes In my career as a farm CPA and CFO I’ve noticed some recurring themes. Balance sheets and consolidation are increasing, debt servicing and cash – flow are top issues, and assets and growth are becoming more expensive Typically, advisors, consultants and fractional CFOs are engaged at the top of what I refer to as the […] Read more
Having the right (business) stuff for your farm
For farmers like Jennifer Peart, upping their business game takes real discipline. The good news is the pay-off makes it very worthwhile
Reading Time: 5 minutes It’s less true than it used to be but it’s still safe to say that few of today’s farmers got into farming because they love business management. Instead, it’s the production side of agriculture that drew them in. It was their passion for growing and raising food and working with soil, livestock and equipment. Still, […] Read more
Summer Series: Skills training that can make you a better farmer
[Make It Count] It’s a whole new world. For Jamie Christie, mid-career education means driving farm growth by adding skills no one used to think are needed on the farm. Which should be on the top of your list? And where to find them?
Reading Time: 9 minutes First, you could get process-minded about it. If you recognize it would pay to get serious about adding an education focus to your farm, there’s a logical way to get started. Make a list of the current skills that everyone involved in the operation has, then assess where there are knowledge gaps and training needs. […] Read more
Summer Series: Creating a positive culture
[Make it Count] Will creating a better workplace culture really improve your bottom line enough to justify all the buzz it’s getting?
Reading Time: 3 minutes Sure, a positive workplace culture can make your farm a more enjoyable place to work, and who doesn’t want a few more smiles in their day? But will a better workplace culture really improve your bottom line? According to a growing body of psychological research, the answer is a clear “yes.” The new science says […] Read more
Summer Series: Coming home to farm
[Make It Count] Don’t expect the keys to be waiting, warns Andy Caygeon Junkin. Instead, carve out a path to self-improvement
Reading Time: 6 minutes Let’s imagine you have just come back to the family farm. You have completed your diploma or degree, your head is full of ideas, your energy is overflowing, and you are absolutely itching to sit down and have a conversation with Mom and Dad about when and how you are going to take over the […] Read more
Summer Series: Get more from your farm advisors
[Make it Count] Boost the returns from your investment in advisors’ fees with these tactics
Reading Time: 6 minutes Hiring business advisors and consultants is becoming a top habit on Canada’s most profitable farms, as identified in Farm Management Canada’s Dollars and Sense study. Whether it’s in accounting, law, human resources, succession planning, agronomy, livestock nutrition, communications or marketing, advisors are filling in the gaps in the farm team’s expertise. It turns out, though, […] Read more
Summer Series: Watch your grain inventory adjustment
[Make It Count] With the winter’s drop in grain prices, it’s important to track your inventory adjustment to avoid cash-flow and financing surprises
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canola prices, as just one example, are down approximately 25 per cent from late 2023. Wheat is down 15 per cent, meaning producer paycheques have decreased with the markets this winter. That’s not all there is to watch for, however. Given that many farms have post-harvest year-end dates, a significant amount of inventory on 2023 […] Read more
Summer Series: Are you getting the right advice for your farm?
[Make It Count] This summer, the top job for more farmers will be to get busy evaluating the people who advise them
Reading Time: 7 minutes Is it time to find a new advisor? Or would walking away from your current advisors be such a serious mistake that you’d regret it for years to come? Accountants, agronomists, grain marketers and other advisors are key parts of many farm management teams. But how good are we farmers at managing those relationships and […] Read more
Summer Series: ‘Scale up your food ideas!’
[Make it Count] Is the time right to take your big idea to a food development centre? Today’s commodity prices may make this the best year ever to future-proof your farm
Reading Time: 12 minutes Could that idea that you’ve got buzzing around in the back of your head grow into a major commercial success if you took it to a food development centre? Who knows? And how much it would cost? There’s a lot to learn about Canada’s food development centres, but the fact is, few of our farmers […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
