Reading Time: 5 minutes Barring major shocks to the agriculture sector, the outlook is for continued strong farmland values and tight farmland availability in Canada for the foreseeable future. “By and large, we see a very healthy, very robust farmland market out there, and it seems to be continuing,” says Tom Eisenhauer, president and CEO of Toronto-based Bonnefield, Canada’s […] Read more
Less of the same
Realtors report farm sales are slowing and that prices are stabilizing, which may be best for everyone
Is the class half full or half empty?
Just under half of Canada’s farmers are committed to lifelong learning. Here’s how it makes a difference
Reading Time: 5 minutes “When the human mind is stretched, it never returns to its original size — similar to most new underpants.” That’s a quote from the International Farm Management Congress in Scotland last year, and it’s one that Farm Management Canada (FMC) executive director Heather Watson uses to stress the enduring impact of continuous lifelong learning. “The […] Read more
Which risks should you take and which should you manage?
AME Management: Risk assessment
Reading Time: 4 minutes Canadian agriculture’s business environment seems even more uncertain than usual. Markets are more volatile than historically. President Trump seems bent on causing new uncertainties in, among other areas, international trade. As this is written, it is not completely certain that Canada will remain in NAFTA, or exactly what shape that agreement will take. Meanwhile, the […] Read more
Social financing
Helping investors offer low-risk loans for farm projects that big lenders won’t take seriously
Reading Time: 4 minutes A new fund is being developed in Ontario to help farmers and small food processors obtain local financing to grow their businesses. “Better access to capital comes up all the time when we ask our members what they would like us to do for them,” says Sally Miller, project manager with Local Food and Farm […] Read more
Importing the LEAN philosophy to your farm
Money Management: At first, it seemed ‘Lean’ might only work on small farms. Now it’s showing how to drive out waste and pump up profit on large farms too
Reading Time: < 1 minute Lean” is a management and organizational system originally developed by car manufacturer Toyota. There wasn’t a farm in sight. But now, after boosting balance sheets for so many other businesses worldwide, some think it’s about time mainstream agriculture got onboard. We will meet Indiana farmer Ben Hartman who has been applying Lean principles to his […] Read more
Business risk management options for Canadian farmers in 2018
Government farm business risk programs are evolving, especially in Quebec
Reading Time: 7 minutes As farmers know well, risks to financial success in any year are many. Weather, crop and livestock health issues, market factors and spiking input costs are perennial threats, and they are all as large or larger than ever in 2018. It’s why business risk management (BRM) programs are so very important. Federally, AgriStability provides support […] Read more
New business
InfraReady’s success, crafted by entrepreneur Mark Pickard, reveals what it takes to grow an idea into a corporate success in today’s ag and food sector
Reading Time: 7 minutes InfraReady Products occupies a modest grey building in Saskatoon’s industrial area, across the street from Maple Leaf Foods. Inside is a business that produces over 250 food products for companies from around the world. On a late August day, a delegation of Mexican business people has stopped at InfraReady for lunch. The menu features food […] Read more
Editor’s Note: In 2018, we know what really works
Who thinks of financial management when we have those road-trip discussions about which innovations should get how much credit for making today’s agriculture so great?
Reading Time: 2 minutes If it was a scientific technology that was adding as much capability to today’s farms as effective financial management, we’d all be quick to sing it’s praises. We’d also have a pretty clear sense of how much value it was adding to the farm. It’s an interesting exercise to think about it in terms of […] Read more
How we market today
Smart young Millennials are bringing an incredible new level of intelligence and energy to commodity marketing on a growing number of Canada’s farms. But not on all
Reading Time: 5 minutes It’s obvious that today’s farmers have upped their financial management game, working with professionals including accountants and lawyers to build on and execute plans that are miles more sophisticated than ever before. But when it comes to marketing, are our farmers as good at roping in top advice? It depends on the farm, of course, […] Read more
A strategy for uncertain corn markets
Market fundamentals are excellent, and European sales will surely help. But what will Mr. Trump do next?
Reading Time: 5 minutes Growing corn can be an exciting and rewarding experience. Over the years we have seen amazing genetic improvements from the hybrid corn that we grow in our fields. Then, with planting taking place in late April and early May in Ontario and Quebec, it takes almost no time before the corn is poking through the […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
