Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

The CFFO Commentary: Focus on Planning Tools Key to Improvements

By Nathan Stevens
November 11, 2011
 
The Agricultural Management Institute has developed a baseline study of Ontario farmers use of planning tools. The next step will be identifying and implementing ways to encourage more farmers to take a serious look at the benefits that planning can provide a growing business.
 
On the qualitative side, most farmers consider success to be maintaining a comfortable living and farming lifestyle. Most farmers are focused on day-to-day business and improving production rather than business planning and development. The study revealed that the single greatest barrier to business planning for farmers is that they are unable to articulate the value of the plan and thus don’t believe it has a strong return on the time invested.
 
Most farmers consider farming to be equal parts business and lifestyle. On the quantitative side, only 22 per cent of farmers have a formal written business plan. Financial and operational assessments are the most common planning activity amongst producers, while engaging in benchmarking  and human resource activities are very low.
 
The picture reveals that there are essentially 5 approaches to planning by farmers in Ontario.
·         There are the planners who actively engage in planning for their farm business.
·         There are the developers who tend to be on the cutting edge of new production practices that have an interest in the assessment tools that will help them continue to innovate.
·         There are the independents who are not interested in a full plan but may adopt tactical tools that help out on the farm.
·         There are the skeptics who have little interest in planning beyond what they are carrying around in their head.
·         Finally, there are the sunsetters. These farmers are nearing retirement and succession planning is their key priority.
 
The Agricultural Management Institute’s baseline study of farm business management planning is a crucial first step in assessing and improving the adoption of planning as a core component of farming in Ontario. Moving forward, tools will need to be developed that encourage more farmers to engage in learning about the benefits of planning, and perhaps developing a plan for themselves.

 

Nathan Stevens is the Research & Policy Advisor for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario. The CFFO Commentary represents the opinions of the writer and does not necessarily represent CFFO policy. The CFFO Commentary is heard weekly on CFCO Chatham, CKNX Wingham, and UCB Canada radio stations in Chatham, Belleville, Bancroft, Brockville and Kingston. It is also archived on the CFFO website:www.christianfarmers.org. CFFO is supported by 4,200 family farmers across Ontario.

Views: 97

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

U.S. Farmer Sentiment Erodes Further in June

Farmer sentiment declined again in June, as producers became less optimistic about both current conditions and the year ahead, according to the latest Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer on Tuesday. The barometer fell to 113 points in June, down from 119 in May. Both major components of the index weakened, with the Index of Current Conditions dropping five points and the Index of Future Expectations falling seven points. The current conditions measure was 26 points below its December 2025 level and reached its lowest point since December 2024. The June survey, conducted from June 15 to 19 among 400 farmers across the U.S., showed high input costs remain the dominant concern. Of the respondents, 47% listed high input costs as their biggest worry, well ahead of low crop and livestock prices at 23%. In a related question, 42% of farmers said high input costs were the main factor limiting improvement in their farm’s financial situation this year. Low output prices were c

Alberta Crops Continue to Improve, But Too Much Rain Is Becoming the Bigger Concern

Alberta crops are generally in better shape than they were a year ago, but for many producers the conversation has shifted from needing rain to finding a break in it. The latest Alberta Crop Report, covering conditions as of June 23, shows provincial crop ratings edged up to 69 per cent good-to-excellent, comfortably ahead of last year’s 50 per cent and above the five-year average of 64 per cent. While that’s encouraging, excessive moisture is beginning to create a different set of challenges across parts of the province. Frequent rainfall has delayed herbicide applications, slowed crop development and left some low-lying fields saturated. Producers in central and northern Alberta continue to report standing water and uneven emergence, while cooler-than-normal temperatures have limited crop growth despite generally favourable soil moisture. The regional picture remains mixed. Southern Alberta continues to post some of the province’s strongest crop ratings, with timely rainfall sup

Alberta Crops Are Primed for a Big Year—If Farmers Can Get Into Their Fields

By the time the calendar turns to July, Alberta farmers usually have a pretty good sense of what kind of crop they’re growing. This year, the answer depends largely on where you farm. The latest Alberta Crop Report shows much of the province heading into July with excellent yield potential thanks to abundant soil moisture. Provincial crop conditions remain well above long-term averages, and hay and pasture are responding to the moisture. But there is another side to the story. Frequent rainfall, saturated fields and limited spraying opportunities are creating mounting concerns over disease pressure, weed control and delayed crop development in several regions. While moisture has largely replaced drought as the dominant concern, too much water is becoming its own production challenge. Moisture Is No Longer the Limiting Factor Across much of Alberta, crops have access to plenty of water heading into one of the most important months of the growing season. Surface and sub-surface mo

Deere partners with ASW Distillery on spirits

Fiddler Combine Bourbon and Fiddler Steel Plow Rye helps celebrate American ag

Global Oil Output Rebound Expected as EIA Forecasts Lower Fuel Prices Through 2027

The latest U.S. Energy Information Administration outlook points to increased global oil production and lower energy prices over the next two years.

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service