Five-year financing on new equipment doesn’t care if cash flow and profit are less than they were when you made the purchase.

To debt, or not to debt?

As we head further into 2025, will more debt be essential for a farm’s success?

Glacier FarmMedia — There are many pressures on the agriculture industry and its individual businesses. Our farms are expected to do more at every turn. Every sector is feeling the effects of those expectations. And you don’t need to go far to find a farmer who will tell you the cost underpinning all the programs, […] Read more

overloaded file folder

Practical strategies to stay financially organized on your farm

Seeds of Encouragement: Managing the farm’s day-to-day is one thing; keeping its books up to date is quite another

Elaine writes: It’s a new year and time for a fresh start in getting your important farm details in order. Alyssa Brown, CPA, from Olds, Alta., is part of our coaching team. She grew up on the farm and now advises farmers how to make life better. Here’s her encouragement to you at the start […] Read more


outdoor lighting

How we choose highly profitable companies at reasonable valuations

Investing for Fun & Profit: It's both an art and a science -- but mostly science

In previous articles I’ve frequently mentioned the importance of selecting highly profitable companies at reasonable valuations. I’d like to illustrate with a real-life example of a switch I made in our tax-free savings accounts (TFSAs) at the start of the year. Our TFSA performance has lagged recently even though since inception they are still running […] Read more

Recessions usually don’t occur until a few years after the interest rate tightening cycle begins.

Stock market and economic outlook

Why aren’t we listening to Warren Buffett?

Warren Buffett is one of the best investors the world has ever seen. One of his most famous quotes is, “Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful,” which aligns with the direction of my thoughts for the coming year. By the time you read this, some of the predictions may […] Read more


The debt of the parents needs to be settled before the next generation can start charting their debt servicing and equity purchases as they learn how to manage and start to gain ownership in equipment, shares, land, or other farm assets.

Froese: Help! My parents have loads of debt we don’t want!

If your attitudes towards debt are very different from your parents, do you really want to be business partners with them?

Every front door looks beautiful” is one of my favourite Irish sayings. It came to mind in Deadwood, South Dakota, the Black Hills where I was listening to the woes of a young ranch couple. They have a strong desire to ranch as “debt free” as possible, but her parents, the owners are stuck on […] Read more

From a private business to the family corporation

What’s left after harvest depends on how the farm is organized and taxed

The idea of the family farm is just that — a concept. The reality is that tax rules, inheritance law, good business practice and the fundamental problem of making a living have changed the family farm from a private business to the family corporation. Organization and tax rules are now almost as important as farm […] Read more


A tax strategy for a retiree who inherits a farm

Farm Financial Planner: Opportunities to make money and save tax

In south-central Manitoba, a man we’ll call Ronnie, 57, lives on a 640-acre farm he inherited from his late parents. He’s never farmed and has no interest in swapping careers from the office work he did before retiring a few years ago. His plan is to sell the farm within three years and build a […] Read more

Financial issues consistently cause the most stress for Canadians, but it doesn’t always have to be that way.

A step-by-step guide to get control of your farm finances

Understand the 4E money strategy and the nine key drivers that affect financial wellness

According to surveys completed by FP Canada in 2014, 2018 and 2020, one factor consistently causes the most stress for the most Canadians. As you can probably guess, that factor is money, outranking other top stress factors like personal health, work and relationships by wide margins. Why it matters: The most important financial decisions are […] Read more



Farm Financial Planner: Time to decide what to do with the land

Farm Financial Planner: Time to decide what to do with the land

After years of renting out the land, this widow is ready to make her next financial choices

In southern Manitoba, a widow we’ll call Eleanor, 73, wants to decide what to do with 420 acres of farmland she inherited two decades ago when her husband died. She never farmed the land, just rented it to a neighbour. Each of her three sons has a successful off-farm career. The decision? What to do […] Read more