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Executive Coaching Program Provides Expert Advice for Canadian Farmers

July 10, 2022

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan–(BUSINESS WIRE)–A new coaching program for Canadian farmers will empower producers to improve their finances, business risk management policies and, most importantly, create a community of knowledge sharing and collaboration.

Farmer Coach is the first comprehensive and continuous business management program in Canada designed specifically for primary producers.

The program is part of the Hebert Group, which includes Hebert Grain Venturesa large western Canadian grain operation, and Maverick Agan agricultural insurance and financial consulting company.

Led by Hebert Group’s Chief Financial Officer, Evan Shout, and President, Kristjan Hebert, Farmer Coach bridges the gap that exists between farming as a lifestyle and farming as a thriving business.

“Whether it be pride, ego or rugged individualism, too many farmers feel they need to do it on their own, and that’s not the case. We know coaching can help producers with mindset, leadership and financial acumen to ensure their operation is profitable and sustainable,” says Shout.

The war in Ukraine, high commodity prices, rising input costs and severe weather are examples of the volatile nature of agriculture today. Teaching farmers, and professionals who work with agriculture clients, how to better prepare and take advantage of the volatility can make a huge difference.

“Farmers have to be the CEO, CFO and COO and put in a crop. There are many zeros in today’s farming decisions and a lot of downside risk if you’re not adequately prepared. Farmer Coach will help participants with forward planning so they will have good outcomes and a sustainable farm,” says Shout.

The programs are based on boots on the ground proven practices developed by farm managers and entrepreneurs, rather than external consultants. Key topics include removing emotions from business decisions, human resources, working capital and cash flow, machinery utilization, succession planning and land expansion.

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Ghana government and banks called upon to provide crop insurance for farmers

July 5, 2022

Professor John Asafu-Adjaye, a Senior Fellow, African Center for Economic Transformation, has appealed to government to consider introducing policies that would enable farmers to get insurance for their crops.

The Insurance will protect against either the loss of farmers’ crops to natural disasters, such as hail, drought, and floods, or the loss of revenue to declines in the prices of agricultural commodities.

He made the call when young farmers, especially females lamented over the challenges they faced in the value-chain with accessing credits, markets and lands at the “Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Annual Research and Learning Summit” organized by Camfed Ghana.

The Summit, in Accra, was on the theme: “Supporting Youth-led Enterprises in Agricultural Value Chains”.

Prof Asafu-Adjaye said many financial institutions were hesitant to insure crops due to some risks that might be attached to it.

He said it was, however, crucial that government played a pivotal role in making it possible especially to achieve the Paris Agreement and fight climate change.

Mr Rexford Akrong, a PhD Candidate, University of Cape Coast, presenting a study he conducted on: “Youth Agriculture in the horticulture value chain: the case of small scale mango farmers in southern Ghana,” said in Shai Osudoku, Yilo Krobo and Manya Krobo, mango production was male dominated and the situation was the same nationwide.

Moreover, small scale farmers accounted for 90 percent of total mangoes produced in Ghana.

He said whereas nearly all food crops produced in the country ended up in domestic low value markets, a significant proportion of cash crops such as mango produced were sold in both domestic and international high value markets.

Mr Akrong said the study also showed that young people could spiral growth in the sector as they were more educated, flexible and dynamic in

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UP govt launches special drive to provide crop insurance to farmers

July 5, 2022

The Uttar Pradesh government will be launching a special drive to provide insurance coverage to farmers against potential crop damage.

The drive, slated to begin from the first week of July by the agriculture department, will be flagged off by Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi.

It will cover those development blocks which have lower farm insurance coverage under the Centre’s ambitious PM Crop Insurance Scheme (PMCIS).

According to UP government sources, till date, compensation of Rs 3,074.6 crore has been deposited in the accounts of 27.5 lakh farmers in UP under PMCIS.

This includes payment of crop compensation of Rs 654.8 crore to over 7 lakh farmers in Kharif season 2021. In Rabi 2021-22, an area of 14.2 lakh hectares has been insured by 19.9 lakh farmers.

According to a directive issued by additional chief secretary, agriculture, Devesh Chaturvedi, the drive would cover selected development blocks in the eight aspirational districts – Bahraich (Risia block), Shravasti (Sirsia), Balrampur (Utraula), Siddharth Nagar (Latan), Fatehpur (Bijaipur), Chitrakoot (Ramnagar) and Chandauli (Niyamtabad).

The value of damage incurred to crops in UP is more than doubled between 2018-19 and 2019-20, as per Union agriculture ministry data.

Prepared on the basis of state-wise business statistics as on August 31 last year, the data shows that the reported crop loss claims shot up from around Rs 470 crore in 2018-19 to over Rs 1,116 crore in 2019-20.

As against the claimed loss, the paid claims amounted to Rs 1,092 crore in 2019-20 as against around Rs 40 crore in 2018-19. The number of farmers who benefitted from the PMCIS rose from 6 lakhs in 2018-19 to over 9 lakhs in 2019-20, the data shows.

Sources said farmers‘ participation in the crop insurance scheme

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Montana Ag Network: Importance of crop insurance

July 5, 2022

SUNBURST – After extreme weather conditions have troubled Montanans over the past few years, farmers and insurance agencies across the state stress how critical it is for farmers to acquire crop insurance.

According to the MSU Extension Office, nearly 62% of Montana is farmland. As parts of the state continue to experience drought-like conditions, the need for crop insurance has increased as low crop yields and fire danger become more probable.

Gary Hielig Jr., Senior VP at Rain and Hail Insurance, oversees the crop insurance claims of 7 different states. He noted that last year “Montana was ranked with the highest loss ratio of all states. There was $566 million of claims paid out in the state of Montana last year through different approved insurance providers.”

Hielig stated that around 90% of eligible US farmland is insured.

“They paid their premiums in the years where they did have losses and the program worked really well for them in the year they did have claims so it’s doing what it intended to do,” he said.

Crop insurance helps protect farmers if they have a low crop yield or when the price of their crop is low. Farmers pay a premium and protection will be provided on a corresponding level, much like other insurance. This helps ensure survival of the farm business as their profit is protected.

Nate Aschim, a fourth-generation farmer, commented on the value of crop insurance in his own agricultural community of Sunburst, “with the way the weather’s been the last few years I think a lot of guys would’ve been up against it or have had to fold the tents probably without insurance.”

Korey Fauque of KW Insurance backs this claim up. He noted that out of 300 different farmers, all but a handful paid out

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Farmers appeal for crop insurance from government and banks

July 5, 2022

Panelists at an agro-investment summit in Accra