Grainswest - Spring 2023

Spring 2023 grainswest.com 29 triangle is the key. Satisfy all three corners of the equation and you’ll have a successful transition, she said. The vast majority of her clientele are between 25 and 44. “The shift really is the next generation is very open to asking for help,” she said. The older generation does ask for help but not as readily. She is heartened to see older male farmers more willing to seek therapy for mental health issues, she added. Froese carries out initial meetings and discovery calls with clients via Zoom. Use of the platform has greatly accelerated since 2020. In-person meetings can follow if a family enlists her services for the full farm transition. The wide variety of coaches and advisors made available by virtual platforms is “golden,” said Froese. “Every farmer should know how to do Zoom.” Coaching services are not free, but Froese playfully reminds farmers that though her hourly rate is one-third the cost of a bag of InVigor hybrid canola, it must be viewed as an investment in the next 20-plus years. She helps each family come to terms with the three Cs of successful transition: Clarity of expectations, certainty of timelines and commitment to action. “The work I do is help the family understand [these principles],” she said. “Everyone needs to be valued. Everyone needs to be heard.” Most importantly, our presuppositions about family dynamics and the important decisions at hand must be spoken about. The more information out in the open, the better. She helps families stimulate conversation and encourages family dynamics to play out. Froese often says that participants are the ones rolling up their sleeves during a transition, not her. “I do not do the work,” she said. “The family has to be willing to do the work and make the shifts for them to get what they all really want.” Many feel anxious and totally overwhelmed by farm transition, which is understandable, she said. But failing to address this necessary facet of farm life serves nobody in the end. “People don’t know where to start and I help them get started by bringing them to the table. That’s the first step.” THE ORGANIZATIONAL CONSULTANT It’s not just individual farmers that need consultants. Ag groups regularly work with third parties, as well. Serecon is a Canadian consultancy that helps individuals and ag groups position themselves as leaders in their specific areas of agriculture. Its consultants help clients achieve success by better understanding their market, membership and the dynamics of the sector in which they operate. Bob Burden is a professional agrologist, certified business analyst and senior director at Serecon. For 32 years, he has helped Canadian clients with business evaluation, appraisal and management consultation; in short, everything. Industry organizations may wish to calculate such things as sustainability metrics and cost of production for their farmer members. Burden also works with individual farmers to analyze the value of their farms. This may be to prep for the addition of a value-added business, land sale, divorce and more. Groups and individuals frequently wish to determine their current value, however they measure it, and how this can be increased through improved operations. “We deal with farmers who are concerned about the net, not the gross,” he said. “They’re all really, really curious people.” Often, Serecon clients seek assistance because the value premise of their product has changed. An egg used to be an egg, but now there are a dozen or more types of eggs. Ag commodities may be marketed for their end-use qualities, but also for their means of production. Are crops local, organic, regenerative, sustainable, or something else entirely? In 2023, many are effectively forced to leverage business practices to further profitability. “Everybody’s kind of struggling, trying to sort out what it is the consumer wants, and how to monetize that,” said Burden. “So that they make sure that they get a fair rate of return on what it is they have to do in order to produce the food and the food products in the way that the consumers want it. “Farmers are operating a business now that is so complex. The capital requirements are so intense. I have seen the complexity of their decision-making process increase, and I think they’ve recognized that as well. They’ve reached out to different people in different areas to help them with it.” To save time and money, farmers increasingly hire consultants with expertise in a given area. “They recognize the value of having somebody who might be a bit more familiar with it, offering advice on it. They’re not afraid to tell you what they think, or to argue or debate with you, but they’re interested in your opinion, and that’s why they’re coming.” “We deal with farmers who are concerned about the net, not the gross,” he said. “They’re all really, really curious people.” —Bob Burden