New services help farmers to excel

New business advisory services and Internet tools aimed at helping Canadian farmers excel and increase their profitability are being provided under the renewal element of the Agricultural Policy Framework (APF).

And as a further step in the drive to ensure producers have access to critical information they need to thrive, the Government of Canada is providing $12.5 million over the next five years to enable the Canadian Farm Business Management Council (CFBMC) to expand its services.

It’s all part of the renewal element’s objective to give farmers the tools and services they need to keep pace with change and succeed in a competitive and knowledge-intensive industry.

Canadian Farm Business Advisory Services (CFBAS), the cornerstone of renewal programming, will assist producers in setting and meeting their goals and increasing their profits. Farmers in Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon – all of which have signed the agreement with the federal government required to begin APF program delivery – have gained access to some of these services or soon will.

The Internet program, Benchmark for Success, complements these services, providing information that can help farmers make prudent business decisions. The program, available to farmers in all provinces and territories, allows producers to compare their farms to similar operations and gain a better grasp of their individual financial situation. The tool is simple to use. It’s just a matter of entering figures into the provided spreadsheet. The results are automatically calculated and presented in a benchmark report, which can help farmers to gauge their relative strengths and, with their advisors, identify areas where improvements can be made or where future opportunities may lie. The information entered by farmers to generate the benchmark report is not saved at any point, so there is no possibility of this information being used by anyone else.

Other Internet tools include links to additional benchmark indicators, farm management tools and articles on best management practices.

Farmers across the country can access all of these tools at www.agr.gc.ca/compare. A CD-ROM version will also be available at the end of August by calling 1-866-452-5558.

Meanwhile, the new federal funding to expand CFBMC services will be targeted at informing producers about advances in science and technology, increasing understanding of business risk management, and providing tools and services to beginning farmers. The money will also be used to create a national directory of educational resources and maintain and expand the CFBMC’s Web site.

More information on the CFBMC’s services is available at its Web site, farmcentre.com, or by calling 1-888-232-3262.

For more information on CFBAS and other renewal services and programs, consult the renewal Web site at www.agr.gc.ca/renewal.

Producers will also find extensive Web-based information on agricultural programs and services available to them in each province at www.agr.gc.ca/renewal/services.