Expand ag business literacy with Foundations in Agricultural Management course

3 min read

Joleen Shea wanted to enhance her business knowledge when she returned to work on the family farm, even with an education and solid career in agriculture.

The Kindersley, Sask., area rancher now works full-time with her father, Ron, at Sheady Farms and credits the Foundations in Agricultural Management (FiAM) course with expanding her knowledge and helping her set the farm up for continued success. Even for producers at the beginning of their careers, the program offers solid business training for farm businesses.

FiAM is a free, self-paced online course from the University of Guelph in collaboration with FCC and RBC’s Future Launch program.

Build practical farm business skills

FiAM emphasizes the importance of a business mindset with video modules on agricultural business issues. The 10-part course, taught by U of G professors, helps Canadian producers become successful farm CEOs, covering topics such as:

Business planning and strategy
Financial literacy
Human resources
Risk management
Family farm transition planning
Mental health and building resilience
Sustainability

FiAM is designed to support farmers from all sectors of Canadian agriculture.

Each module takes an average of 15 to 20 minutes to complete and can be done in any order participants choose. There’s a test at the end of each module made up of multiple-choice, true/false and fill-in-the-blank questions. Participants must score 75% or higher to pass each module, but if they don’t, they can easily retake the quiz.

FiAM is designed to support farmers from all sectors of Canadian agriculture. No prerequisites are required, and after completing all the modules, participants receive a course certificate of completion.

Supports sustainability and mental health

A new sustainability module in the course lineup features the first-hand experiences of three Canadian producers creating more environmentally sustainable operations in grains, oilseeds and pulses, dairy and a farm-to-fork butchery.

As well, a new module on building mental health resilience features conversations about the current state of mental health in Canadian agriculture, the effects poor mental health can have on one’s personal and professional life, helpful resources and specific ways to support producer mental health and well-being.

Make better on-farm choices

Shea says FiAM enhanced her formal education and work experience, which includes more than 15 years in the grain industry.

“The basics of accounting give you ratios that you can work from, understand where your business is sitting and see what your numbers are doing,” Shea says.

Other modules, like the ones related to human resources, were just as valuable, even when working exclusively with family.

“Any time you can pick up tips on helpful ways to work with people is always good,” she says. “Those skills are very important to know, no matter who your co-workers are.”

Lessons from the transition modules were key for Shea during family meetings, helping her create a clear plan that considered her parents’ wishes, what needed to be done with the business and how it was structured.

“I’m in the middle of a transition plan, so there are a couple modules on transition planning that definitely gave tips on ways to work through that process,” she says.

Shea says FiAM provides a good knowledge base on a variety of subjects, and the time investment was a way to set Sheady Farms up for success.

“It definitely met my expectations,” she says. “That’s what I was looking for, something to help build my skills to help me make better decisions and better management choices here on the ranch.”

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Article by: Richard Kamchen

Leadership & development Leading employees Vision & goal setting