Articles by Maggie Van Camp | Alberta Farmer Express

Seven rules of behaviour for family farm teams

By Maggie Van Camp May 29, 2018

When the next generation comes home, Elaine Froese says families can set up some rules of engagement right away so everyone knows and can operate within that culture. When new people join the team, it can help to clarify expectations. “Culture is the invisible glue that holds the farm and the family together. It is[...]
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Cropped image of handsome businessman in casual wear using a laptop and examining documents while working in the office

General

Seven summer financial bottlenecks

By Maggie Van Camp April 18, 2018

In biz-speak, a bottleneck is a point of congestion that causes delays or inefficiencies, leading to higher costs. It’s a perfect metaphor for farm finances at a time of year when the bottle we’d rather be thinking about might have something cold in it, with us sitting on a dock. Yet summer is a too-good-to-miss[...]
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General

Seven ways incorporating your farm can improve your operation

By Maggie Van Camp May 31, 2017

Successful farms depend on having smart, strategic people, no matter what structure. However, being incorporated has forced farms to create accrual financial statements and operate under certain rules of engagement, which has jumpstarted more professional behaviour, such as having farm meetings.

Crops, Livestock

Six lessons for diversification from the Glenn family

By Maggie Van Camp March 28, 2017

In 1981, Jim Glenn wanted to supplement the farm’s income during the winter. So he fired up his new John Deere 3140 loader tractor and headed for town, doing snow removal for commercial properties in the village of Keene and the nearby city of Peterborough. Between jobs, Jim would grow the business by keeping his[...]
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General

8 do’s and don’ts of succession conversations

By Maggie Van Camp March 1, 2017

In her long career helping farm families, succession specialist Elaine Froese has found certain words and actions can help launch the succession process, while others can quickly distract or even permanently stop the process.

General

Six habits of highly resilient farmers

By Maggie Van Camp January 30, 2017

In 2010 David Gray, a development officer with the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA), did a small study of four farms that were consistently more profitable and better at dealing with climate change. He found six common characteristics within these resilient farms.

General

Seven ways to upgrade how the family farm operates

By Maggie Van Camp November 28, 2016

How could family farms improve the way they operate, and help integrate the next generation? These answers from our McGill students about their family farms might be exactly what your children are thinking too, but are too shy and respectful to say to your face.

Crops, Markets

You grew the crop… now make them pay

So you think you do a passable job of marketing. Not great, but not bad. These six steps let you shoot for more

By Maggie Van Camp October 5, 2016

Commodity marketing can be like dancing a two-step with work boots on. Your timing is often off, you’re dragging your feet, and you trip way too often. With volatility making our commodity markets more erratic, and with more information spewing out of our smartphones night and day, marketing is getting ever more complicated. Dancing with[...]
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Crops, Machinery & Shop

Six numbers in agriculture to make you stop and think

It isn’t as quiet as you might think on the home front. Yes, today’s farms seem stable, but the next evolutionary wave is gaining energy

By Maggie Van Camp March 18, 2016

In 2009, total Canadian net farm income was $2.8 billion. Four years later, it was $10 billion more, with Statistics Canada’s saying a $5.6-billion rise in the total value of farm-owned inventories from the year before accounted for almost all of the increase in total net income in 2013 That inventory increase came from a[...]
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The Van Camp family (l) and the Fox family.

Heartland

Because I love you

Two widows discuss how forward planning helped their families carry on  following the farm accidents that claimed their husbands

By Angie Fox, Maggie Van Camp February 12, 2016

Reading Time: 21 minutes Jay Fox and Brian Van Camp both died in farm accidents involving loaders right before Christmas, leaving their families in shock and still trying to run their farms. Jay and Angie were Outstanding Young farmers in Manitoba and leaders in the cattle industry. Brian and Maggie were also leaders in their community and agriculture. Here’s[...]
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U.S. grains: Corn, soy drop; soyoil limit-down

U.S. livestock: Cattle gain on strong packer margins

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs end mostly higher

GFM Network News

U.S. grains: Corn, soy drop; soyoil limit-down

U.S. livestock: Cattle gain on strong packer margins

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs end mostly higher

Author Archives Maggie Van Camp

Seven rules of behaviour for family farm teams

Seven summer financial bottlenecks

Seven ways incorporating your farm can improve your operation

Six lessons for diversification from the Glenn family

8 do’s and don’ts of succession conversations

Six habits of highly resilient farmers

Seven ways to upgrade how the family farm operates

You grew the crop… now make them pay

Because I love you

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