The difference between marketing bulk commodities and a value-added product can be like night and day – and CFBMC wants to show you the light. Full Story 

Farm safety training saves life: "I knew what to do, we all knew what to do." Last summer, King played the victim in a grain bin rescue training session at North Gower Grains, a session that saved his life in a recent farm accident. Full Story 

The best lessons tend to come from those who have done it themselves, and the Canadian Farm Business Management Council’s latest workshop will bring the innovators and trend setters to you. The CFBMC and regional partners across the country are bringing the Value Chain Management Workshop to four cities across Canada. The Workshop will provide the tools anyone in the agriculture sector needs to create a value chain of their own. These aren’t just theories; these are actual steps towards build Full Story 

Honibe develops the world’s first pure non-sticky Honey Drop™. “Honey is the best natural unrefined sweetener and we have discovered a way to make it easy and less messy to use,” says John Rowe. “Our process has enabled consumers and manufacturers to use honey as a sweetener in their products often for the first time.” Full Story 

An online survey of Canadian producers conducted by Farm Credit Canada (FCC) indicates that almost nine in 10 respondents (87 per cent) are interested in pursuing at least one agricultural safety training topic. Full Story 

You have a great product, a valuable service or a timely agri-business idea. Now, what do the paying customers want and how do you tell them what you have to offer? The Canadian Farm Business Management Council (CFBMC) will help farmers answer that question. The first step is to identify what potential customers are looking for. Once that is achieved, they must then communicate with those customers. Full Story 

TATAMAGOUCHE, N.S. – Education and learning from an established farmer/mentor were keys to the success of second year farmer Cammie Harbottle. While the 28-year-old British Columbia native hadn’t even considered farming until she was a 20-year-old university student, she says the decision was clearly the right choice, adding “it just made sense to me to grow food for people and to be outdoors.” Full Story 

The CFBMC Workshops Series provides a cross-Canada traveling series of one-day workshops and networking opportunities, bringing farmers together with North America’s finest innovative agriculture experts to discuss product development, marketing and selling of quality value-added farm products. March workshops include: Marketing Caravan, Marketing: Everything you need to know, Value Chain Management, Value Plus. Full Story 

Investing in renewable energy sources is made easier with a new loan from Farm Credit Canada. “We are definitely seeing an increase in the number of people across the country that are interested in renewable energy sources to reduce costs and demand on the energy grid,” said FCC’s President and Chief Executive Officer Greg Stewart. Full Story 

Labour legislation in some parts of the country allows farm workers to join unions and many farmers find the concept of having to work through a union, instead of directly with their employees, to be very threatening. But if you have established good lines of communications and fostered a climate of good faith and understanding in the workplace, employees likely won’t feel a union is necessary. Involving a third party, including a Human Resource (HR) consultant, to help with the process or resto Full Story 

Solid production methods are no longer the hallmark of the successful farmer. Today’s farmers also need to master other areas of business, and marketing is one of the most important tools. CFBMC wants to help farmers build their business muscle and is bringing a new workshop to communities across the country to do just that. The Marketing workshops are designed to connect farmers and rural entrepreneurs with the tools and techniques of agrimarketing. Full Story 

With communication, greater self-awareness increases your effectiveness in communication, one on one as well as in groups, improving your interpersonal skills and making it possible to establish better human relationships. Here is how the Johari window can help you improve your communication. Full Story 

I am often asked by individuals and corporations what their withholding requirements are when they hire seasonal or contract workers on their farms. The answer, as with so many tax questions, is “it depends.” The main issue to be determined is whether the worker is considered to be an employee or is an independent contractor. Full Story 

McCain focuses on improving energy efficiency and wastewater treatment at its Carberry plant. “McCain’s energy efficiency strategies and upgraded wastewater treatment at the Carberry Plant are a great example of a win-win,” says Justin C. Walsh. “These types of programs are good for the environment and good for business.” Full Story 

At one time or another in our lives, we have all had to face fear, to varying degrees and for a variety of sometimes inexplicable reasons. Once we become adults, we become familiar with other types of fears and anguishes that we use to overcome in order to eliminate the paralysing effect they have on us. Just like the child’s nightlight, a flashlight could well be the solution to bring us out of the impasse if none of the tools in our personal toolbox has brought conclusive results to this point Full Story 

Some people will think that’s funny. Others will see it as a sign of weakness or laziness. Nevertheless, a short daily nap can mean life or death. What do the following have in common: the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the wreck of the Exxon Valdez and the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster? Full Story 

Bill Harder loves driving a grain cart during harvest. He enjoys the opportunity to use the fancy equipment farmers have nowadays, and the two way radios are fun. Most of all the retired grain buyer enjoys the social interaction and helping get the crop off. He likes being able to give a helping hand during the peak season, until he goes south for the winter. Full Story 

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business says AgriStability needs improvement. In a recent overview of Canadian agriculture business, CFIB found confidence in the agriculture sector continues to lag behind other industries with an index of 54.5 (the national index sits at 66.9). Full Story 

Natural Pastures Cheese Company adds value to dairy farm. “Our largest challenge is to fill the demand for our cheese. We still want to keep our artisan hands-on approach to cheese making and keep the quality that gave us our award-winning reputation,” says Edgar Smith. Full Story 

Although the current, weary economic climate has resulted in lower feed, fertilizer and fuel costs, chances are, as soon as the economy starts to pick up, these aspects will all start to increase again too. Full Story 

As owner/operators of a grain farm in south western Saskatchewan, Scott and Glenn Hepworth struggled to find the right approach with hired personnel. They found that giving people specific tasks and making them responsible for the equipment they use is the best way to ensure a smooth operation. Full Story 

The STEP UP program is an on farm work placement developed and maintained by the Canadian Farm Business Management Council (CFBMC). Youth interested in beginning a career in farming will be mentored by an experienced farmer to encourage learning and innovative thinking and idea sharing between the experienced and in-experienced. Full Story 

AgriTalent.ca — the first national online database of agriculture training programs. Full Story 

Pilot project leads to new composting business model. “In the past, farmers have not been adequately paid for their efforts, so these types of programs almost always failed. Our business model works at building long term relationships so that all parties benefit,” says Michel Dufour. Full Story 

University of Guelph seeks producer opinions for sheep and goat research. Full Story 

Do you enjoy your annual review with your banker? I don’t know of many producers who do. It can also be uncomfortable when you need to make a special visit to obtain additional financing for a new piece of equipment or to buy a neighbor’s piece of land that just came up for sale. Full Story 

Betting on the success of an association solely because we are members of the same family is far from being a sure thing. “When they were little, they played together so well that I was convinced they would make a good team later on.” Full Story 

GLENCOE, ON – David McEachren admits as a young boy he had ambitions “that were all over the map” but he knew from a fairly early age he was destined to be a farmer. Full Story 

The Ottawa Valley Food Co-operative develops successful local food system. “Although it is hard work to build a local food system, it is very rewarding,” says Christina Anderman. “A local system also helps to get more money directly into the farmers’ pockets.” Full Story 

Finding good reliable people to work on a farm operation is challenging at the best of times. If you are in the process of starting up, winding down or transferring your operation however, the problem easily can multiply exponentially. While there are no miracle solutions, Martine Deschamps, who specialises in HR questions and farm transfers in Chateauguay, Que., offers a few ideas that can help mediate the problem. Full Story 

The human body is a marvel from which we fully benefit without being aware until the day when a piece of its “hardware” breaks down and modern medicine is unable to do anything about it. Full Story 

Gen Yers have had more than their fair share of negative press. But, if you look past the tattoos, the flip-flops and the Ipod’s, you have a generation that has a tremendous skill set. Employers looking for ways to win new talent are finding that catering to Gen Yer’s needs and investing in human capital in general, are well worth the trouble. Full Story 

When you’re passionate about what you do, it’s easy to get distracted and let the activity in question take over your entire life. He has retired at least four times and even starred in a humorous commercial questioning if his latest retirement was for real. I recently realized that, even for Michael Jordan, it was not easy to pass the torch. Full Story 

“The pilot project is designed to simulate normal operating conditions throughout the year,” says Cameron Zimmer. The Saskatchewan Research Council is leading a biodiesel pilot project. Full Story 

The Ontario government has a plan in place to increase the hourly minimum wage to $10.25 by 2010. It is important to understand the impacts of this change on various segments of agriculture, especially those with large numbers of minimum wage earners. Full Story 

Glen and Scott Hepworth operate a grain farm near Assiniboia, Sask. with the help of two part-time employees. They’re hoping to find a young man over the winter to join their operation on either a full or part-time basis. There ideal applicant would be someone who’s reliable and looking for long term employment. They won’t be relying on the internet to find him however. They’ll be putting an ad in the local paper. Full Story 

Large businesses, whether they are growing or declining, regularly use the services of outside consultants to reshape or improve their broad-scale management. Full Story 

Constructive criticism is evaluation intended to help us improve our behaviour. Unfortunately, it often proves to be destructive. Full Story 

“My goal has always been to get more biocontrol products into the hands of growers,” says Deborah Henderson. Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Institute of Sustainable Horticulture opens Canada’s first incubator for biocontrol products. Full Story 

In June, 40-year-old Shane Dawley and his 36-year-old wife, Rhonda, uprooted themselves and their four boys from their suburban Atlanta rental home and bought an old five-acre farm in Ogdensburg, Wisc. Their goal: Flee the rat race and adopt a more self-reliant lifestyle amid the troubled economy. Full Story 

An expensive lifestyle can damage your credibility as a manager and your ability to effectively manage your business. Maybe you’ve heard of the game show Devine combien je gagne ? (Guess how much I make?) on channel V, hosted by François-Étienne Paré. This game show is a pretext for discussing one of the last taboos in Quebec society. Full Story 

The relationship between a farmer and their lender is critical to the success of the farm operation. However, many farmers are unsure of exactly what information their lender is looking for and what will impact their borrowing arrangements. Full Story 

Robitaille’s placement involved production management operations of the dairy farm, starting with self-sufficiency in the barn. While some of the work may be viewed as basic chores, Robitaille maintains, “A lot of those things can’t be learned in a book or in school, so you have to learn them by doing them.” Full Story 

Robotics, 3D vision sensors and automation technology reduces costs and improves product quality for food processors. “Our systems can add value to food processing systems at points where inspection, quality control, sorting, packing or conversion and optimization of products occurs,” says Michael Boudreau. Full Story 

At the annual convention of the North American Farmers' Direct Marketing Association in Calgary a couple of years ago, organizers offered a seminar entitled "The New Classic: Creating an upscale urban farmers' market with down-home country Chutzpah." Full Story 

Safety first! Safety is a very important aspect of farming as the number of farm-related injuries is on the rise. You need to be able to properly evaluate the hazards and especially the dangers to your child. Full Story 

For one year, a dozen cows on an area dairy farm will be “tweeting” as well as mooing. It’s all part of an effort to better understand the relationship between humans and the increasingly high-tech farming industry. City Hall in Kitchener figures prominently in the project. Full Story 

We're making progress. In an op-ed essay the other day in The New York Times, evolutionary biologist Jared Diamond - author of the huge 1997 bestseller Guns, Germs, and Steel (with more than 1.5 million copies sold) - publicly retracted his earlier conviction that "big business" was environmentally destructive, greedy, evil and inexorably driven by short-term profits. Full Story 

Canadian study shows dramatic GHG reduction from ethanol and biodiesel. The renewable fuel industry in Canada is breathing a little easier with the release of a new study that looked at the impact of biofuels on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – and the rest of us can also breathe easier. Full Story 

Environmental practices require substantial money . . . and that’s something small farms can lack Small farms with modest gross farm sales are failing to implement as many best management practices (BMPs) as bigger operations with significantly higher sales, say University of Guelph researchers. Full Story 

It happens to all of us: we set goals and in the end are not able to reach them. Some of the questions listed below can certainly help you to assess the quality of your goal and the probability of reaching it. Importance: how important is your goal? If you rate it only 6/10, you may give it up when you encounter the first obstacle. Full Story 

Farmers are jack-of-all-trades. They’re comfortable with the thought of being an agronomist, a chemist, a mechanic, a marketer and whatnot. Jim Hansen expects to do all these things as part of the normal operation of his 2000 acre grain farm in South eastern Saskatchewan. Hansen however wasn’t expecting to become a social worker and help one of his employees deal with his mental health issues. Full Story 

Your wealth and assets are exposed to risks daily. Those risks increase greatly if your assets are involved in a business activity, such as farming. Insurance can mitigate some risks and is also an important part of an asset protection strategy. Full Story 

Researchers develop mobile fast pyrolysis technology to convert biomass to bio-oil. “We would like to see this technology become a business and revenue opportunity for farmers,” says Dr. Franco Berruti. “This portable trailer unit could be moved from farm to farm during the harvesting season to convert the leftover organic materials.” Full Story 

Researchers develop mobile fast pyrolysis technology to convert biomass to bio-oil. At the University of Western Ontario, researchers have developed a fast pyrolysis technology that converts waste biomass materials into bio-oil and other valuable products. Full Story 

Matthew Hickman is fond of phrases such as “blowing up the organization” and “taking a few leaps off a few cliffs” when talking about his company’s recent history.He also uses a term familiar to most farmers: shrinking margins. Hickman’s business, pump and water systems equipment, is far removed from agriculture, but his willingness to jettison enterprises that aren’t generating sufficient profits is something farmers can learn from. Full Story 

We learn to lie from a young age, as a self-protective reflex, in order to avoid punishment or displeasing others. Children know instinctively that disobedience can get them into trouble. And yet, lies allow us to avoid such unpleasantness. Full Story