Renewal
As agriculture is knowledge intensive, producers are increasingly engaging in continuous learning to keep pace with change. Renewal efforts include enhanced public and private business management and consulting services, management and marketing information to assist farmers to enhance their profitability, and networks to better link scientific advances to the creation of new economic opportunities.
Key sites:
- Canadian Farm Business Advisory Services (CFBAS): A successful business sets goals of where it wants to be in the short term and a vision of where it wants to be in the longer term. CFBAS helps producers reach their targets and helps them plan for the future through its two components.
- Farm Business Assessment: provides eligible producers with 5 days' worth of consultative services from which a Financial Assessment and an Action Plan may be developed.
- Specialized Business Planning Services: offers financial assistance to producers in preparing the specialized plans such as diversification, marketing, human resources, expansion, risk management and succession plans.
- Planning and Assessment for Value-Added Enterprises (PAVE): provides farmers with financial assistance to retain the services of business planning professionals to develop a feasibility assessment and/or business plan to establish or expand a value-added enterprise, for example - making jam from berries or converting milk into cheese to sell in roadside stores.
- Canadian Agricultural Skills Services (CASS): CASS will help farmers and their spouses increase their family income through improved farm practices or through increased on and off-farm activities, and offers assistance for skills assessment, an Individual Learning Plan and access to training.
- Benchmarking Tools: these Web-based financial tools allow producers to compare the financial performance of their farm with those of similar size and specialization.