Optimism in Canadian Agriculture

The agricultural community let their voices be heard. Over 4,300[1] members of the FCC Vision panel shared their views with us on the state of Canadian agriculture. Key findings showed a consistent level of optimism among those surveyed from 2007 to 2008 (53 per cent and 54 per cent, respectively). Despite the current economic situation, almost one quarter of respondents (22 per cent) plan on expanding their operations in the next five years.

For complete results, including an analysis of the opportunities & challenges facing Canadian agriculture both by province and sector, see the full report.

Beef report         Poultry report         Crop report         Hog report           Dairy report       Young producers report

[1] Reported percentages are accurate to within a margin of error of +-1.5%, 19 times out of 20 for the sample of 4308

AgriSuccess Journal: Commit your goals to paper

In September of 2008 we asked you about your goal setting practices specific to your farming operation. Nine in ten of you (90%) stated that you believe that the practice of setting goals will increase the likelihood of your farming operations’ success. We asked you if you have goals specific to your farming operation and 85% of you do! However, only 32% of you who have goals report that they are written down. Those of you who indicated that you don’t have goals specific to your farming operation report that the most common reasons include that you were unsure how to set goals (26%) and that you were too busy (23%).

Thank you very much for sharing your goal setting practices so openly. The information we collected was used in a feature story Commit your goals to paper in the January/February 2009 edition of the AgriSuccess Journal. To learn more about the AgriSuccess Journal and read the full article, click here.

AgriSuccess Recurring Columns

The AgriSuccess Journal, a bi-monthly magazine of Farm Credit Canada mailed to all FCC customers, aims to advance management practices among Canadian agricultural producers through practical, relevant and insightful content. Click here to see the most recent edition of the Journal.

FCC and the AgriSuccess team were evaluating the recurring columns in the magazine and wanted to hear your feedback. We provided you with a description of the six columns and asked you how often you would read them. Here is what you said:

Virtually all of you (94%) indicated that you would read the column Your Money-Financial News. This column originally contained 3 shorter articles, but as a result of your feedback the column has been changed to provide more in-depth financial information on topics such as tax-free savings accounts and tax software.

The AgriSuccess team was unsure about how the columns Cutting Edge-Agriculture Innovation and Safety on the Farm-Taking care of business were being received by the readers.  More than 80% of you indicated that you would read these articles, and as a result they will be continued in the future.

Finally, the AgriSuccess team had concerns that the column Connect with Customers-Evolving your business may not be connecting with the readers. Your feedback indicated that the column wasn’t always relevant to your business and therefore it has been changed to an Ask an Expert column in order to provide you with more relevant information. We also asked you what subject you would like to see in a column and your comments revealed that succession planning is top of mind for many. As a result, an upcoming edition of the Journal will focus on succession planning.

Thank you for feedback!

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FCC Website redevelopment

In the winter of 2007, FCC decided the corporate website needed updating. The FCC team responsible for the website, e-Business, developed a new design for the website after consulting with other FCC staff and studying industry best practices. However, before proceeding, they wanted to make sure that the new website design would work with the people who will be using it most: Canadians involved in agriculture. So, we tested the initial design with FCC’s Vision panel to see what they thought of it.

The results surprised the e-Business team: the first draft didn’t quite hit the mark. And you know what? Although the e-Business team had spent a considerable amount of time developing the first version, they listened to what Vision members had to say. The team then went back to the drawing board, incorporated the feedback into a second draft design of the website and tested it again with FCC Vision members. The Vision members still had ideas for improvement, so the e-Business team took their feedback, created a third draft design of the website and tested it again. This time: success!

The results of your feedback brought about the design of FCC’s current website. Check it out at www.fcc.ca. Your involvement with FCC’s Vision truly has an impact on the decisions made at FCC.

Thank you!