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Developing a Competitive Edge

Today's competitive and volatile agricultural marketplace challenges producers to find a balance for their business's production, finances, and marketing. Prioritizing business management activities and exploring marketplace opportunities are two key elements that contribute to finding a competitive edge. To address these two key elements there are two workshops, "Growing Your Farm Profits: Planning for Business Success" and "Growing Your Opportunities - Value Plus".

Last winter pilot workshops, called "Grow Your Farm Profits: Planning for Business Success" were delivered in a partnership between the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association and OMAFRA. These workshops are designed to challenge producers to examine and prioritize their business activities. This is achieved by using a process of self-assessment similar to that which is utilized in the Environmental Farm Plan program. Answering assessment questions in eight areas of farm business management allows producers to prioritize their strengths and weaknesses. The areas of focus are business strategy, marketing, production, human resources, financial, social responsibility, succession planning and business structure. From here direct action can be taken to address areas of concern to improve farm management skills and knowledge.

The Growing Your Opportunities workshops, which began in 2005, have evolved into a two day training program to explore new marketplace opportunities. Through real life examples, interactive case studies, and participant discussions the Growing Your Opportunities - Value Plus workshop addresses the following items:

• Understanding the value-added process
• Developing and evaluating new product or business ideas
• Market research and developing a market strategy including collaborative options
• Product and service development
• Building a Value Added Business - SWOT analysis
• Skills assessment for value-added and creating a mentoring team
• Risks when Value Adding
• Planning - The business plan
• Financing, profit margins or funding the new idea development

The training and tools are targeted to guide producers through the business planning steps needed to make new business ventures a success.

If these are areas of interest, stayed tuned as further information and details on these workshops will be available in the near future through the Agricultural Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300 (email at ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca).

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