Working capital is the king of financial metrics, especially during the bottom of a market cycle. A farm can have large swaths of land and other equity on its balance sheet, but if it doesn't have cash or liquid assets to make monthly payments, the business will soon be in trouble. "A wheelbarrow full of... Read More
Category: Mind Your Farm Business
In the past, farms looking to grow simply bought more land, but that's not as easy as it used to be. Rising land prices are forcing producers to be creative in finding opportunities for growth, which in some cases leads to joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions — the topic of this episode of the Mind... Read More
In what areas does your farm business excel? What are you poor at? And how can you respond to make improvements? Self-assessment and continuous improvement are what separates high-performance farms from the average. Rob Hannam, President and Client Director of Synthesis Agri-Food Network, joins us for episode 14 of the Mind Your Farm Business podcast... Read More
Forget the silver bullet, whether it's some nonexistent piece of machinery or the latest snake oil crop input. In reality, the key to boosting a farm's bottom line is incremental improvements that add up. Kristjan Hebert (@kristjanhebert) is a farmer from Fairlight, Saskatchewan and a proponent of the "five percent rule" — a philosophy advanced... Read More
In case anybody needs reminding, agriculture is a cyclical business. It's important to pad the balance sheet during good years to ensure a farm or business remains healthy during tougher times, as parts of the ag industry are experiencing right now. In this "Mind Your Farm Business" episode, we focus on using a balance sheet... Read More
Financial ratios serve three main purposes: they provide a quick assessment of a business's financial health, they're a tool for diagnosing financial problems if they exist, and they serve as a measurement for assessing whether problems are being solved. "They show you where you've been, they show you where you have a problem and they... Read More
In an era of low interest rates, it's easy to become complacent about the cost of borrowing money, but the day will come when rates rise again. How would your farm handle a one percent increase in rates? What about a three percent rise? Or five percent? Those levels would still be well within the... Read More
What comes to mind when you hear the term "accrual accounting?" Perhaps you flashback to filing your taxes last year when your accountant suggested switching to accrual accounting, but you're weren't sure what it meant and why it would be worth the hassle. Maybe your mind immediately goes elsewhere — what's for supper tonight? Well,... Read More
Is there an ideal exchange rate for Canada's agriculture industry? That depends, of course, on what you're selling or what you're buying, and it's rare to win on both sides of that equation. What's more, farmers have no control over currency changes, so how can farmers best prepare for managing currency risk? That's the topic... Read More
There are sound reasons to incorporate the farm — significant financial reasons, operation benefits and very real long-term business planning implications. But if incorporating is so beneficial, why aren't most farms carrying the Inc. behind the business name? In this episode of Mind Your Farm Business, Shaun Haney asks veteran farm management advisor Merle Good... Read More