Reading Time: 3 minutes I have been the witness to several successful farm operations over the last number of years. I count myself lucky as someone who gets to see what innovation, smart business practice and communication can achieve on family farms. The majority of what I see doesn’t surprise me. And it frustrates me when people act surprised […] Read more
Get more for your farm family
From planning to implementation
AME Management: Get into these management habits. They will help you develop the strategic objectives that will drive your farm where you want it to go, and then help you achieve real progress toward them
Reading Time: 4 minutes In our past column, we reviewed the habits of successful agricultural managers. One habit is that successful managers don’t just do strategic and operational planning, they translate their plans into action — i.e. they have a process to implement the plan. Like most farmers, many CTEAM participants have had little experience or training in planning […] Read more
Small SWOT, big ideas
Summer Business: This exercise to determine strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats can be a best next step for smaller farms
Reading Time: 4 minutes Over the last four years Ontario organic farmer and consultant David Cohlmeyer has completed over 20 business plans for smaller and medium-sized farms. But before doing a business plan, with updated budget, balance sheets, marketing plans and cash flow statements, Cohlmeyer works with the clients to do a SWOT analysis. “It’s a tool, a good […] Read more
Build a learning farm
This summer, start your lifelong educational strategy
Reading Time: 9 minutes Farmers always have their hands full, so it’s not always easy to think that signing up for a seminar, conference or training course is a wise investment or a good use of time. The business case, however, is pretty clearly in favour of doing just that. “If you look at it purely from an economist’s […] Read more
Meet in the boardroom
Change Makers: A two-pronged plan helped Stokes Seeds grow its business, despite strong personalities within the family
Reading Time: 9 minutes Wayne Gale never forgot something he heard at a seminar 20 years ago, just after he had made the decision to enter the family business and work with his father. “When there are only two people running a business,” the speaker said, “it’s an argument.” So what do you do when you have two smart, […] Read more
Financial analysis and planning
AME Management: These examples show how standardized financial statements can be a powerful source of insight into your operational management
Reading Time: 3 minutes Past columns in this space addressed aspects of strategic planning and financial management. Experience suggests that their close connection is not always recognized by managers. The intent of this column is to show how financial ratios can affect strategic direction and help focus on plans. The Planning Model We follow Harvard strategist, Michael Porter and […] Read more
Not your same old board
Today’s farming is increasingly sophisticated. Now its boards are too, which is good news all around
Reading Time: 5 minutes Agricultural boards are under pressure. They can no longer do business the way they always used to, says Rob Black, chief executive officer at the Rural Ontario Institute, a charitable organization in Guelph, Ont. that helps build leadership skills. This time, though, the pressure is coming from their farmers, and especially from the farmers they […] Read more
Your own HR scorecard
Guide Excellence: These tools can help you assess your skills and figure out what strengths you can build on, what skills you need to sharpen, and where you should hire help
Reading Time: 5 minutes There was a time when going up against your neighbours in a plowing match was the best and sometimes really the only way for farmers to assess their skill level. But that was then. Today, farm businesses have grown way more sophisticated and, although they still aren’t always easy to find, skills assessments have improved […] Read more
Maple Leaf to cut 400 middle-management jobs
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Maple Leaf Foods said Wednesday it would cut 400 management jobs, or about three per cent of its workforce, saying it was ready to streamline operations after starting up Canada’s biggest meat plant. Maple Leaf, one of the country’s biggest pork processors, said the majority of the job cuts would be completed by […] Read more
Financing proposals — what to take to the bank
AME Management: Provide the essential information to your lender so they can better understand your business and assess your "ask"
Reading Time: 3 minutes In farming, where access to adequate financing is key to success, lender relationships can’t be ignored. Nor can you neglect your approach to your annual review meeting with your lender. This is an important management function that needs focus. How can we best manage those relationships and your annual review for long-term positive outcomes? “Lending […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
