Grainswest - Fall 2025

Fall 2025 grainswest.com 33 F arming has never been easy, but for those now launching careers in agriculture, the hurdles are higher than ever. “There’s a massive barrier to entry that’s never been there before,” said Evan Shout, co-founder and CFO of Maverick Ag, an agricultural consulting and risk management firm. He believes the higher- than-ever cost to take up farming is the greatest challenge and restriction facing today’s new and young farmers. “These days, it’s hard to start from scratch, you almost need to have a family farm to play in the game.” Farming is hard to get into, and once you’re there, managing expectations can become the next big problem. Lydia Carpenter, a farm family coach in Belmont, MB, said it’s easy for young farmers to compare themselves to previous generations that have been able to purchase land and upgrade equipment to grow the farm. “There’s almost a new set of restrictions on today’s farmers that make building and accessing land feel unattainable. It’s hard not to compare ourselves, or our perception of success, to what our parents and grandparents achieved.” According to Shout, the astronomical rise in the price of land and the resulting surge in farm values will also make it harder for the incoming generation to make farms profitable. It’s one of the most compelling reasons he believes farmers must adopt a CEO mindset and approach to farm operations. This shift in management approach demands young farmers treat farming as a career: make a business plan, have a vision and set personal and financial goals. He also believes young farmers must move past operational basics and get up to speed on what it takes to run a business. “Farmers need to think beyond agronomy and technology, they also need to invest in financial and human resources components to make their farms successful,” said Shout. He noted young farmers should set aside the rugged individualism mentality and the belief they need to do it all themselves. “I’m starting to see young farmers realize they are taking on too much, or they don’t understand how to manage a certain aspect of the business, so they are outsourcing these roles. This is exactly what they need to do, but it’s a big change from how farms have been run in the past.” farmers, ig lenges By Jeanine Moyer • Photos by Bryce Meyer Photography (Left to right) Cole Grutterink and his cousins Eric and Keith are young, fourth-generation farmers hard at work to create new income streams for their respective operations.