Ontario Grain Farmer Magazine is the flagship publication of Grain Farmers of Ontario and a source of information for our province’s grain farmers.

Grain Farmers of Ontario

Author: Jeanine Moyer

Business side: Retaining farm employees

CONVERSATIONS WITH BUSINESS EXPERTS

October 2017 - (J.M.) MANY FARMERS ARE ALSO EMPLOYERS, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES OF HIRING FARM WORKERS? (H.W.) Farming is unique in many ways. Typically, farmers don’t get involved in farming to become farm employers or…
Business side: Farmland protection

CONVERSATIONS WITH BUSINESS EXPERTS

September 2017 - (J.M.) FARMLAND LOSS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE. TELL ME ABOUT ONTARIO FARMLAND TRUST AND YOUR ORGANIZATION’S PURPOSE. (K.E.) Ontario Farmland Trust (OFT) works with farmers to protect farmland forever. According to the 2016 census, Ontario…
Business side: Life insurance

CONVERSATIONS WITH BUSINESS EXPERTS

June 2017 - (J.M) WHY IS LIFE INSURANCE IMPORTANT? (C.A.) Life insurance can be hard to discuss, but it’s imperative to protecting the financial security of your family and farm business by providing a tax-free lump sum benefit…
Business side: Business opportunities

CONVERSATIONS WITH BUSINESS EXPERTS

April 2017 - (J.M.) THERE ARE A LOT OF FARM BUSINESS PROGRAMS, GRANTS, AND WORKSHOPS AVAILABLE. HOW CAN FARMERS TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF THESE? (M.M.) Many funding and grant program applications like Growing Forward 2 (GF2) require workshop…
Business side: Insuring the business

CONVERSATIONS WITH BUSINESS EXPERTS

March 2017 - (J.M.) INSURANCE IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF RISK MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTING THE FARM BUSINESS. WHAT ARE SOME TYPES OF BUSINESS RELATED INSURANCE COVERAGE FARMERS SHOULD CONSIDER IN ADDITION TO TRADITIONAL FARM POLICIES? (L.N.) Farmers need…
Business side: On-farm fire prevention

CONVERSATIONS WITH BUSINESS EXPERTS

February 2017 - (J.M.) WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU GIVE ONTARIO FARMERS TO MANAGE THE RISK OF FIRE? (J.Z.) There are four main contributors or (causes) to on-farm fires — faulty electrical/mechanical equipment, heating equipment, misuse of ignition sources,…
A regional approach

RESEARCH TO UNDERSTAND ONTARIO SOYBEAN DISEASES

February 2017 - ONTARIO SOYBEAN GROWERS have a pretty good handle on soybean diseases — the biggest threats, diseases to watch for and field management practices. New research, assessing the distribution and pressure of soybean diseases in the…
Business side: Negotiating on the farm

CONVERSATIONS WITH BUSINESS EXPERTS

January 2017 - (J.M) WHAT ARE NEGOTIATION SKILLS? (M.M.) Negotiations skills are really just effective communications skills. Negotiations are a process where two parties communicate their needs and interests, listen to each other, and try to agree on…
Business side: Financial advisors

CONVERSATIONS WITH BUSINESS EXPERTS

December 2016 - (J.M.) WHAT MAKES A GOOD FINANCIAL ADVISOR? (D.O.) A good financial advisor and planner will have three traits: education, experience, and the ability to listen. When it comes to farming, financial planning goes well beyond…
Business side: Value added

CONVERSATIONS WITH BUSINESS EXPERTS

November 2016 - Ontario grain farmers grow millions of tonnes of grain. Value added at the farm level isn’t the answer to marketing all of our production, but it could be an option for those looking for new…