Borrowing at 0% interest is about as good as it gets. When only 20% of producers are using available cash advance programs, like the one administered by the Canadian Canola Growers, you have to question why more farmers are not taking advantage of effective borrowing programs. According to David Derwin, of PI Financial, only 5... Read More
Category: Farm Management
Another Ag Excellence conference is in the books. It was actually the first one that I have ever attended and it was a great time. One of the unique aspects of the conference is that there is such a wide swath of producers in terms of the Canadian geography but also genre of production. From... Read More
Are you good at networking? Or are you more likely to wonder why, as a farmer or rancher, you even need to? Perhaps you think networking is for salespeople, lawyers, and business big-wigs. According to our interview with Marie-Helene Budworth networking is for anyone engaged in business, and you're probably much better at it than... Read More
Changes to the 2017 Farmland Health Incentive Program (FHIP) will create an even greater focus on managing water quality in the western and central Lake Erie basin. For the past two years, FHIP, part of the Great Lakes Agricultural Stewardship Initiative (GLASI), has focused on supporting and funding Ontario farmer stewardship efforts in an area... Read More
For farmers, buying land can be the biggest business decision you make. It’s also a tremendously emotional decision that many famers make without fully considering all the ramifications, explains Alberta Agriculture farm financial specialist Rick Dehod. “Is it a need or a want?” asks Dehod, who says many times buying land is what farmers want,... Read More
Trimble has announced it's combining three of its farm software products into a single data management platform. Agri-Data Solutions will be consolidated with the Connected Farm and Farm Works Software programs to form Trimble Ag Software. The integration of Agri-Data with Connected Farm had been expected since Trimble bought Agri-Trend and its Agri-Data software in... Read More
I have a fatal productivity flaw in my life. I procrastinate on many tasks in my daily agenda. I have no idea why. Personally I hate it. People around me tend to hate it as well and I constantly try to fix the tendency. It's not an easy habit to drop. According to Rory Vaden,... Read More
What's your farm's liquidity? If you know, do you think it's enough? Could you be missing out on opportunities because of a lack of liquidity? Access to working capital, or liquidity, is just one measure of a farm's business that can be an indicator of how competitive a farm can be, says Terry Betker, president... Read More
Dairy milking robots have found their niche in Canada, but where do they fit on U.S. dairy farms? The popularity of robots in Canada can be linked to the fact that the technology fits well into this country’s smaller farms and because our supply management system provides a financial footing for farmers to invest. But... Read More
Are you regularly grumpy? Do you know someone that's happy all the time and wonder, what is wrong with him? Is he/she just way too happy? To turn the tables: are you as happy as you could be? Sometimes in our busy lives we struggle to find happiness on a daily basis. Many times it's... Read More