In a letter issued to customers by Farm Credit Canada (FCC) on July 29th, 2014, Crop Production Services (CPS) has notified FCC that it will no longer offer the FCC Crop Input Financing to CPS customers. The total amount of loans that was issued by FCC through CPS has not been publicly noted. One can... Read More
Category: Farm Management
Many of you probably have a high or low opinion on how your neighbour manages the farm. Looking across the street is always easy. Sometimes we should actually evaluate our own abilities as a farm manager rather than poking holes in the neighbor abilities. Sometimes when you pull the sheets back you don't like what... Read More
Consumers are farmers' customers...eventually. But in between the farmer and the consumer is an entire supply chain, from processor, to transporter, to wholesaler and retailer, each taking their pound of flesh. Yet, if consumers demand certain items, production systems or products, it's largely farmers, not the entire supply chain, that must adapt and shoulder much... Read More
Last winter, Wyoming, Ontario, farmer Alfred Noorloos had a big decision to make. A neighbouring farm came up for sale and he wondered whether he should buy it. The beef and cash crop farmer was looking to expand, but was the timing right? Was his operation financially strong enough to justify the expansion? There were... Read More
Agri-Food Management Excellence (AME) Inc. and Farm Management Canada (FMC) have announced a new partnership to enhance the delivery of the Canadian Total Excellence in Agricultural Management (CTEAM) program, Canada's only national farm business management training program. AME and FMC will be working together to conduct an in-depth analysis of the CTEAM program, assessing its... Read More
I don't mean to alarm you, farmers, but your job is in danger. Career Cast, a job-hunting site, recently released its "Most Endangered Jobs for 2014" with the role of farmer listed in the No. 2 position, faring only slightly better than the much-beleaguered mail carrier. Two things: this is not shocking, nor necessarily negative.... Read More
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz has announced a Stay of Default for the 2013-14 Advance Payments Program (APP) affecting grain farmers in Western Canada. The Stay extends the current repayment deadline of September 30, 2014 to March 31, 2015 for cash advances issued by the Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA). “Many farmers have faced challenges selling... Read More
Who’d have thought drivers on public roads would ever be warned to beware of faster farm vehicles? Not me. Traditionally, people have moaned about getting stuck behind slow-moving farm gear, prompting the ag sector to plead for patience and try explaining it’s just doing its job, getting from one farm, or from one part of... Read More
When it comes to making a decision on your farm, you may be comfortable getting agronomic advice from your peers or the generation that's gone before, but how many of you have what you consider a mentor for your career as a farmer? The same question applies to those in industry as well — who... Read More
You are probably reading a lot right now about the challenges with the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Sheila Pratt with the Edmonton Journal has been focused on the issue as it applies to allegedly reducing labor costs and the mistreatment of workers. Keep in mind that that the temporary foreign worker program is accessed by... Read More