Myth 1 – It is impossible to get in to sell to Loblaw

On November 21 I sent Loblaws a note on their LoblawsTalkToUs (LCL) customerservice@loblaws.ca e-mail which I found on their website. I simply wrote “How does a producer go about talking to Loblaws regarding becoming a supplier?” They replied “Please contact our main office at 905-459-2500 as they will gladly assist you.”

Less than 3 months later, I found myself sitting in an office at the main purchasing centre in Kitchener with two of the three senior category directors who manage the purchase of produce for Canada.

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As we head towards Christmas, we are about to be barraged with turkey meals. We’ll complain about leftovers but take weird satisfaction in knowing we had the largest bird we could find jammed into the oven. Even the men at the table will be able to tell you how much this year’s bird weighed.

So with all this turkey being consumed one can’t help wonder if turkeys are a good transition idea.

A typical turkey will live on three farms during its lifetime, a breeder farm, a  hatchery and a turkey farm.

Breeder Farm: This is where turkey eggs are produced. Hens (mature female turkeys) are bred using artificial insemination (A.I.). Each bird is handled every week for an average of a year, which is the typical laying capacity of a hen. The fertilized eggs are collected daily and carefully stored to be sent to the hatchery. Hens start to lay at approximately 32 weeks of age and will continue until 57 weeks of age. Because the stock remains on the farm for a year at a time, animal husbandry experience is critical to monitoring animal health, feed programs etc. more...

At a cost of production price of approximately $5.37 per tree and an average sales price of 23.91 for wholesale and $34 for Choose and Cut the Christmas tree might be a crop to consider while you are out choosing the family decorations this year.

Choosing to reinvent themselves as Christmas and/or Industrial Conifer Croppers to alleviate the negative image of cutting of trees, farmers who grow Christmas trees are looking at a growing market for quality product. In addition, the growing trend of using conifers as hedgerows for wind and snow breaks along roadways is providing other good business outlets for industrial grade conifers.
Of the three typical varieties of Christmas trees, Scotch Pine, Douglas Fir and Fraser Fir, the latter is growing in
popularity with consumers because of it’s ability to hold its needles. The Fraser Fir commands a higher price point but is somewhat harder to grow. It prefers lighter soils and needs irrigating to thrive.

Approximately 1,210 trees can be planted on an acre of land with the trees spaced 6 feet both ways (normal spacing). Firs are occasionally planted somewhat closer (5 1/2 x 6 feet). In actual practice, however, the number planted will be slightly less (1,000+), since some space will be used for access lanes, turning areas, etc. For commercial operations producing trees for the wholesale market, a 40-acre plantation is probably minimum size; larger acreages (around 100) are more cost-efficient. more...

Written in 2005 after spending nine months travelling to international farms as a Nuffield Scholar, Mark Wales wrote an interesting report on transition possibilities for tobacco farmers. His ideas are still viable today. Click the link to read his report.
 
 
 
 

By Suzanne Deutsch
November 26, 2007
For close to a century, tobacco was the most lucrative crop grown by Benner Farms, a centennial family farm established in the early 1900’s near Aylmer, Ontario. With tobacco sales facing a downward trend and the industry fighting a loosing battle against imports and smuggling, the Benners decided it was time to get out.

 Deb and her husband pondered various options and Tom planned on taking an off-farm job. In 2002, while searching the internet to verify the going rate for tobacco quota, Deb found a small potted herb business for sale, close by. Both agreed it would be a great hobby they could pursue on the farm.
 
Since the Benners sold a part of their existing operation and tobacco quota to buy the potted herb business, they did not require any financing for their start-up. “But, if we’d have known where to get it from we probably would have,” says Deb. “Financing would have greatly helped our cash flow but we just didn’t know where to go.” It is still an issue for the operation today. more...

The Canadian Farm Business Management Council is again this year promoting their Agriwebinar series.  All session are free.  They have an interesting line up this year covering everything from Bio-fuels to supply chain management and you can watch them in the comfort of your home office chair.

The webinars run every Monday at noon and you only need to register once to view any or all of them. more...

14,000 Units of Quota (minimum allowed amount)	$58.00/unit	$ 812,000.00
Quota transfer fee	$00.20/unit	$       2,800.00
Chicken barn (12,000 sq/ft to accommodate 14,000 units -includes feeding and watering system)	$20.00 sq/ft	$  240,000.00
Hatchlings (13000 birds per 8 week period)	$0.56/bird	7,280.00
Total		$1,062,080.00

If you have been tossing around chicken farming as an idea for your next farm venture, we have outlined for you a broad introduction to the startup costs and process for getting started.

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Estimates are that, in three years time, as much as 11 per cent of Europe’s farmland could be devoted to bioenergy crops. But stiff competition from Brazil and other low-cost producers and other-low-cost producers is just one of the possible clouds on the horizon

Attending farming exhibitions this winter in Europe was an exhilarating experience. From EuroTier in Germany and Agromek in Denmark to Ukraine’s InterAGRO, exhibitors were more than excited over what appeared to be an extremely infectious outbreak of optimism among their farmer visitors.

For one thing, machinery sales have soared. Lemken, the famous plow-maker and German market leader in cultivation machinery, reported even before the end of last year that its order books were full for four months ahead. Livestock equipment is being snapped up as fast as it is being produced. This is especially so for hog buildings, with today’s high pork prices encouraging expansion.

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