Out of Touch – Are Agriculture Advisors Falling Behind the Producer’s They Help?

Complacent: Showing uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s achievements.   Okay, this one is self-serving in a way. I feel like I could take this blog in many different directions as today I get to be the author, the consultant,…

Big, bigger, biggest – The Western Producer

The Canadian Census of Agriculture data tells a clear story. Large farms dominate agriculture in Western Canada. Assuming a large farm is 5,000 acres or more, 4,956 farms on the Prairies fell into that category in 2021. Back in 2011, large…

When the Dam Breaks – What Will be the Fallout When (Not If) Commodity Prices Drop?

“Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times” -  G. Michael Hopf   Interpret this quote how you want, I know what it means to me in today’s society.…

A Letter to my Banker – A Guide for What you Should Expect from Your Lenders

Farmer 1 – We go to our banker to ask for money. Farmer 2 – We give the banker the opportunity for our business.   All lending institutions are not created equal; and no lending institutions should ever take your business for…

The Wealth Paradigm – How Land Costs and Finance Have Become the New Risk Factors

Overnight, land and finance costs have overtaken machinery and labour as a differentiator in management on farms.   I grew up as an accountant during an era when machinery costs were escalating. During my time in public accounting,…

Have Ag Journalists Lost Touch? How progressive producers have outgrown old narratives.

Popular Narrative – Agriculture producers face more risk than they have ever faced. Between policy, volatility in both commodities and inputs, inflationary costs, and weather occurrences, it has never been a more stressful time to be a farmer.   Unpopular…

The Love of the Land – Why land ownership in agriculture is no longer only about farming.

Man sells his farm and walks into a financial advisors’ office.  “What should I invest in?” “Buy land.” Whether through family farm legacy, or just the pride of ownership, farming and land real estate have been intertwined…

Small steps make big gains – The Western Producer

Evan Shout, president of Maverick Ag, chief financial officer at Hebert Grain Ventures and coach at Farmer Coach, is a proponent of the five-percent rule, in which farmers increase yields and decrease expenses by that amount. He spoke at the…

A Gender Shift – How Women in Agriculture are a Driving Force in Industry Change

This blog was one of the more difficult to write, as it touches on a subject that I am not well versed.   Growing up the gender gap in agriculture was significant, and this led to many assumptions and notions that I now know are far…

OUTSOURCED: The Rise of Farm Coaches & Consultants – GrainsWest

Business practices evolve and shift as new farmers take over from their predecessors. Agrologists were often the sole outside opinion sought by farmers of previous generations, but this is no longer the case. The under-45 crowd is generally…

From France to Saskatchewan: How farmers around the world learn from one another

Christophe Parant has big goals for his two farming enterprises. He owns a 2,000 acre family farm in the French countryside that he runs with his wife and his cousin. He also co-owns a larger 6,000 acre rental farm in the Ukraine where they…

Are you Farmer or an Entrepreneur?

I have spent the last couple of months travelling across Canada and the US, speaking to producers on numerous topics. Anywhere from finance, to technology, to data, to human resources. However, I begin almost all my public speaking with a single…