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insurance contract

Risk Transfer (a.k.a Insurance)

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I spend a lot of time thinking about risk management. Often the focus is around “cost-benefit” and the “what-ifs” that need to be applied to every business decision we make. But recent conversations with some of my insurance buddies have sparked this writing and a discussion on how you can take advantage of risk transfer.

Risk transfer is as the name implies: you are transferring the risk of harm to a third party. That third party wants to be paid to take the risk, and as such asks you to pay a premium. This is nothing new for almost all of us.

There is a piece of this equation that may be unclear for some people. Similar to how a lender won’t finance 100% of the value of an asset, insurance companies won’t necessarily insure 100% of the value of an asset. They need some comfort in knowing that you will also incur a loss in a claim situation which they expect would incite you to take appropriate measures to protect the asset. This coverage gap, combined with the deductible, is the risk you retain. The amount of risk you wish to transfer (insurance coverage) and the amount of risk you are prepared to retain determine the amount of the premium that the insurer will expect. Again, this is nothing new, but the part that is often overlooked is the value of the asset in the policy.

A couple of years ago, I made a referral in to an insurance broker for a full farm review. What the broker discovered was that a brand new fully loaded farm shop was insured for replacement value, but only for $20,000 in contents. This was easily $80,000 too low based on what was actually contained in this particular shop. In this situation, the insured (the farmer) had to acknowledge 1 of 3 things:

  1. He chose to retain $80,000 of risk (plus deductible) if the shop and contents were a total loss;
  2. He was unaware that he was grossly under-insured;
  3. He was unaware of just how much the contents of his shop were valued.

In this example, the farmer was poorly advised in 2 of 3 points above because “being unaware” of coverage gaps is an excuse your insurer won’t feel sorry for, nor with they pay. The other point (retaining the risk) may have been strategic, but the broker doing the review did an excellent job of identifying these kinds of coverage gaps. When assets are bought, sold, or used up & discarded, the effect on your insurance coverage can be significant. If you have not reviewed your coverage thoroughly for a few years, you may be holding coverage that is far from meeting your needs.

The other aspect of risk transfer that is too often ignored is liability. Liability is very affordable, yet, according to many insurance advisors I speak with, it is rarely included to a suitable scale in farm risk management strategies.

Direct Questions

When was your last insurance review? Like your business plan, your crop plan, and your estate plan, your insurance plan should be reviewed at least annually.

How well can you describe your liability coverage on your farm? What is covered? What is not covered? Can you afford to find out AFTER an insurable incident?

Do you have contractors, salespeople, and visitors on your farm at any point through the year? Are you covered if they get hurt while on your premises? What about on your rented land, who is liable: landlord or tenant?

From the Home Quarter

My company and I carry different kinds of insurance for different reasons. For your interest, I carry a Commercial General Liability policy. This covers me when I’m on YOUR property. YOU can take solace in knowing that if I should somehow cause damage to your property, I have paid to transfer that liability to a third party.

The risk you face from allowing an uninsured person onto your property can be staggering. Imagine the ramifications if a delivery of anhydrous ammonia went wrong while a visitor was on your property? If that visitor, or the driver, was seriously injured from the NH3, and if your supplier was not covered or insufficiently covered, the ball gets handed to you. Make sure that those who you allow on your farm carry their own coverage, and ensure you have your own coverage too.

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Innovation in Agriculture

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Innovation
Noun | in·no·va·tion | \ˌi-nə-ˈvā-shən\
: a new idea, device, or method
: the act or process of introducing new ideas, devices, or methods
(Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/innovation)

No one could ever decry the innovation of Canadian agriculture. Often looked favorably upon for
consistently being on the leading edge, Canadian farmers are typically the envy of other nations’
producers for our advanced processes and our willingness to constantly strive for something better.
Innovation takes many forms. It need not be monumental. It does not require a farm to re-identify itself.
While significant innovations like direct seeding and minimum tillage required major capital
investments, many others do not. If you’re like virtually every farm, there is innovation all around you…if
you take the time to look.

Consider the changes you’ve made to your farm since you began farming. Again, not just the big obvious
changes, but the little things too. The little things often make the biggest difference, and yet they are so
easy to overlook. Just think about the positive effect of doing your own grain moisture tests on farm.
I was having a conversation with a client recently about the impact of grain sampling and how the
grading at delivery points can sometimes be a bone of contention. He described in detail how and why
he samples every load as it is being augered from the bin onto the truck. This is an innovation he has
employed to ensure he has taken appropriate measures to protect himself during a dispute. It has paid
off several times in the past, and will likely be of continued value in the future.

An interesting conversation, to which I was privy, among a group of very progressive farmers was about
how each of them managed the challenge of “feeding their help” during harvest. Crews that number
well into the teens require more than a cooler full of sandwiches and donuts. One innovation that I
thought was most creative was the customization of an old Class C motorhome into a quasi food-truck.
While we automatically focus on operations when considering our success with innovation, we cannot
ignore the management side of business. A common issue among my clients this fall is land rent
renewals. Many of them are seeking better ways to access their rented land without taking on so much
risk with these high cost all cash arrangements. As with land prices, rents have also increased
substantially over the last several years (thank you Captain Obvious for contributing to this week’s
article.) Farmers, generally, are becoming less comfortable with the $70-$100+/ac they’ve added to
their LBF (Land, Buildings, Finance) costs for land rent over the years and are now recognizing that they
often can’t make money on that rented land. Unless you’re running a charity, one that benefits your
landlords, “re-think profit” becomes an innovation all on its own.

Innovation is refining your record keeping, automating your payroll services, or focusing on improving
your working capital. While innovation also includes variable rate, advanced water management, or
specialized grain monitoring systems, it need not always be BIG and OBVIOUS. I think the best
innovation for every farm is to examine how it views profit, growth, and wealth.

Direct Questions

How do you view profit, growth, and wealth? I define each as,

Wealth: – discretionary time.

Profit: – that what is required to fuel “wealth.”

Growth: – not necessarily “expansion.” Growth is innovation at any and all levels.
(Remember “always grow; grow all ways!”)

How can you bring about innovation in your management arsenal?

How does innovation make its way into your business? Do you invite it in, or does it have to force its way
in?

From the Home Quarter

I am a firm believer that change will continue to be rapid and drastic in the future. In terms of record
keeping and data management, it will one day be mandatory, so why not get on board before you’re
forced? Regarding my client’s issue on his grain sampling, I believe that future farmers will be forced to
manage their inventory similar to that of a food processor today. And if you have not heard the term
“social license” yet, then let this be the first. A farmer’s social license to farm could face scrutiny like
we’ve never seen before. All of this will require significant innovation. But, don’t fret over the big issues
yet. Start small with manageable innovations today.

Our proprietary Farm Profit Improvement Program™ includes analysis and advice on negotiating land
rental agreements. Please call or email for further details.

information

Managed Risk – Part 4: Liquidity

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We’ve all heard the saying “Cash is King.” In my opinion, “cash isn’t king, it’s the
ACE!” Whatever metaphor you prefer, the point is that cash levels and cash flow are both critically
important to your business. So, let’s get right to four points that affect your liquidity:

1. Your view of cash.
When I was still farming, I asked dad when he wanted to receive his rent payment, now (at the
time it was late November) or after January 1. He replied, “Well, I wouldn’t mind seeing a bump
in my bank account now, but I’ll wait until January for income tax purposes. Why?” When I
admitted that at that time we had no cash and would be dipping into our operating line of
credit, he said, “I thought you said your farm was profitable.” Our farm was profitable. He
couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that a profitable farm might not have cash always at the
ready, especially a small farm still in its youth. He equated profit with cash in the bank. After
arguing the point for 5 minutes, he just shook his head saying, “I guess that why I’m not farming
any more, I just can’t take that much risk.”

What he was getting at with his final comment was how we very quickly allocated our cash that
year. With harvest sales, we cleared up all accounts payable, pre-bought some fertilizer, and
paid down our supplier credit. The bins were still full, and with more grain sales scheduled for
the weeks and months ahead, our working capital was strong.

What is the difference between cash on hand and working capital? (HINT: if your answer is
“nothing,” then think again, a little deeper this time.)

2. Your use of cash.
Over the last few years, how many new pickup trucks were paid for out of working cash or put
on the operating line of credit? This is one example of a poor use of cash. A business that is flush
with cash can be a dangerous thing in the wrong hands, but don’t fret because the laundry list of
vendors all clamoring for your money will offer plenty of opportunity for you to part with it.
Do you justify some of these types of expenditures as part of a “tax plan?”

3. Your timing of cash.
One of the major challenges for manufacturing companies is the “cash conversion cycle.” This is
the time it takes to convert raw materials into cash. This cycle happens frequently in a
manufacturing firms operating period, often several times each month or quarter (depending on
what they are manufacturing.) Your challenge in the business of farming is that you only get one
cash conversion cycle per year. You invest in inputs early, manage through a long production
cycle, only getting one chance at producing the crop that will be sold for cash, and eventually
selling it sometimes as late as half way through your next production cycle. It is this long cash
conversion cycle that makes cash management vitally important on your farm.

How long is your farm’s cash conversion cycle? (HINT: it is measured in days.)

4. Managing your liquidity.
Working capital is a component of your liquidity. Measured as the difference between current
assets and current liabilities, your level of working capital is a direct indication of your business’
ability to fund its current operations. This, or course, is critically important to your lenders.
The desire to utilize easy credit and therefore finance everything from combine belts to
hydraulic oil may sound like a simple way to keep the wheels turning. If your farm is without
cash due to poor crops/pricing/etc. from the previous year, then available credit is a lifesaver to
help you keep operating. Just remember, such a scenario is a short term solution, and by no
means can it be considered a long term strategy. Sooner or later, your creditors will tire of
holding all the risk of funding your operations. Your working capital must be built and
maintained.

How much working capital is appropriate for your farm? (HINT: it’s probably more than you
think.)

Direct Questions

How do you view cash? Does it only have value when allocated (spent,) or is it an essential asset on the
balance sheet?

If you believe cash in the bank is an indication of profitability, can you not save your way to increased
profit?

How would you describe the financing cost to your business relative to the long cash conversion cycle
and the cost of credit?

From the Home Quarter

I had heard a seasoned old banker years ago say how “farmers don’t like to have money in the bank,
because as soon as it gets there, they spend it!” When there is cash in the bank, we feel profitable, and
often the decision is to allocate that cash to another asset. Will that other asset help repay liabilities?
For as long as I can recall, this industry has always dubbed itself “asset rich & cash poor;” the push
among players has been to build equity. And while the chase for equity is noble, equity does not pay the
bills, nor does it make loan payments, nor does it meet payroll. Cash does.

We must make cash management an utmost priority. If we are relying on financing for most/all of our
daily operations (operating credit,) what will happen if/when a lender does not renew those lines of
credit? Do you recall the ruckus out of the US each time they need to “raise the debt ceiling?”
Potentially, all government operations would get shut down. Same goes for your farm. If you have no
cash, and your credit lines get called, what are your options? I can tell you, they aren’t pretty.

It does not matter whether you believe “Cash is King,” or “Cash is the Ace.” If you have neither, you
might be forced to fold.

farm

Managed Risk Part 1: Harvest Sales

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In an email last week, a farmer friend and former colleague of mine admitted to having 100% of his 2015 crop sold before harvest. It is the first time this has ever happened on his farm. From my years working in ag finance and farm management consulting, I can confidently say that virtually all farms are not 100% sold on new crop in advance of harvest.

As with anything, there are benefits and drawbacks to being 100% sold early in the crop season. It’s easy to identify the drawbacks: production risk (broken into yield risk and quality risk), opportunity risk (if the market appreciates after you’re sold), etc. etc. We’re not going to dwell on these because it’s safe to say almost every farmer has already spent more than enough time hashing and rehashing all the reasons why they shouldn’t sell too early. There are far more drawbacks that have been touted over the years (real, perceived, or otherwise) than I care to scribe. You’ll notice I didn’t put weather risk on the list; it is because we cannot influence or control weather. Why stress over that which you cannot control?

How about some of the benefits:

  • Reduced delivery risk
  • Eliminated market risk
  • Reduced storage risk
  • Controlled cash flow risk

When admitting his crop was 100% sold already, my friend and I didn’t get into the details of what was in place so that he felt comfortable making such a decision. He did acknowledge that prior to harvest the prices were too good to pass up. While price is an important factor, price alone is not sufficient to pull this trigger. Here’s more on what you need if you want to be a more aggressive price maker, instead of a passive price taker.

  1. Excellent relationship with your buyers.
    When it comes to dealing with quality and grading, delivery times, or anything in between, a solid relationship with the buyer of your grain is crucial. Try using a sense of entitlement when next dealing with your buyers and see how far you get. This one is obvious; we won’t dedicate any more space describing what you already know.
  2. Know your costs, especially Unit Cost of Production. As one of my favorite young farmers likes to say, “You can’t go broke by selling for a profit.” Such true words require that you know what it cost to produce a bushel or a tonne so that the price you accept is actually profitable. This isn’t an easy task before harvest, but those farms that have elevated management functions can clearly illustrate UnitCOP with allowances for deviation in expected yield or quality. Refer back to point #1 when dealing with those deviations.
  3. Abundant Working Capital.
    Any drawback, real or perceived, to selling most of your crop ahead of harvest is mitigated by having abundant working capital.
    The biggest selling benefit from having abundant working capital is being able to sell when you WANT to instead of when you HAVE to. The ability to sell on your own timeline affords you the opportunity to deliver in your preferred month, and to seek out your preferred price. Abundant working capital also alleviates the fear of costs incurred from not meeting contract requirements when aggressively forward selling. The hesitation felt from the potential of having to “buy out” a contract if specs aren’t met can be eliminated if working capital is abundant.

It is not unreasonable to see more reluctance this year among durum growers to forward price as aggressively as in the past. The fusarium fiasco of 2014 hurt numerous farms financially and created an air of hesitation. But if working capital was a non-issue on every farm, durum growers would not be shy to forward price after the 2014 experience. While none want to set themselves up for unnecessary cost incurrence, the ability to handle the potential cost alleviates the concern of incurring it.

Direct Questions

How would you rate your relationship with your grain buyers? What can be done to improve it?
How would you describe your knowledge of your Unit Cost of Production, and net profit margin?
What is your current level of working capital and what does it need to be to provide you with full confidence to aggressively forward price?

From the Home Quarter

Please let it be clear that this message is not encouraging everyone to sell 100% of new crop production ahead of harvest. Such a strategy takes on risks that not every farm can mitigate. But if you are desirous in forward pricing more new crop than you have in past years, then let this message offer you some tips on what you need to have in place to make that happen.
You may have noticed that working capital is a central theme to many messages delivered here weekly. If you are able to focus on only one priority, let it be working capital.
Our proprietary Farm Profit Improvement Program™ begins with working capital evaluations and True Cost of Production analysis. Please call or email to learn how this process can bring value to your farm.

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Knowing Your Costs

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My clients continually educate me on the regional anomalies relating to land prices, and specifically land
rents. The common opinion among most farmers I speak with is that some of their neighbors just don’t
understand how to measure costs, and this leaves many farmers (including some of those I speak with)
feeling left out in the cold as they watch land get snapped up by someone willing to pay a rental rate
that can appear astronomical.

Based on third party feedback, meaning info shared with me by a farmer from his/her conversation with
a friend/neighbor/competitor, most decisions to take on land are being justified under the guise of
“reducing equipment costs per acre” and/or “the drive to be bigger.”

Popular ag-economics has drilled in to everyone’s head that fixed costs, like equipment, need to be
spread out over more acres to reduce the fixed costs per acre. This is simple arithmetic, and is
mathematically correct if we stop there. Stopping there allows us to feel good about the decisions we’ve
made to increase our fixed costs because “over ‘X’ acres, we’re only spending ‘Y’ dollars per acre.”

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Of all the costs that farmers face, the costs they have most control over seem to be the costs that are
least controlled. MNP has coined the term LPM, and what I’ll call “operations” are a farm’s labor, power,
and machinery costs which have ballooned in recent years. Next in line is Land, Buildings, and Finance
costs, or what I’ll call “facilities,” which have also grown significantly. Increase land costs (rent) to justify
increased equipment costs: think about it, we’re increasing costs to validate increased costs…
We expect to make a profit from taking risk. The more risk we take, the more profit we expect. My
concern comes from witnessing decisions that magnify risk and leave the expectation of profit as a
secondary, or even tertiary, consideration.

Direct Questions

Take a look at your expected gross margin this harvest. How much gross margin will you have available
to contribute to “operations,” “facilities,” administration costs, and PROFIT?

What is your “operations” cost? What are your target costs for “operations?” Did you know the most
profitable farmers keep their “operations” cost below $100/ac?

Have you traced your line from gross revenue and gross margin through to costs and down to profit?
Where can you improve?

From the Home Quarter

We cannot eliminate risk, we can only manage it. We cannot eliminate expenses, we can only manage
them. We cannot manage what we do not measure. If the purpose of your business is to increase profits
and grow your wealth, should you not ensure that the risks you take and the expenses you incur fit into a plan
for profit?

 

Understanding Costs – a graphical simulation

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In the example above, which illustrates a generic but common scenario on average grain farms in 2015,
a net loss of $9/ac is expected. But the top 10% of farms with a similar gross margin could show a net
profit of $40/ac, simply from excellent management of their controllable expenses: operations, facilities,
and admin.

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Austerity

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We’ve been hearing the word “austerity” in the media for quite a while now. Whether it be issues in the
EU, or right here in Canada (Quebec), it’s become a “buzz-word” as of late.

Merriam-Webster defines austerity as “a simple and plain quality; a situation in which there is not much
money and it is spent only on things that are necessary; austerities: things that are done to live in a
simple and plain way.” http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/austerity

Based on that definition, I like what that word represents. Maybe that’s because I grew up on a small
mixed farm in Saskatchewan in the 80’s. There wasn’t a lot to be had that wasn’t “necessary.” Don’t get
me wrong, we never went without the necessities, but I wore $20 running shoes from Army & Navy, not
Nike Air. I guess I was raised under austerity.

There was an article published in Country Guide this spring titled “Have Higher Farm Incomes Changed
the Way You Think?” It opens by describing the near perfect correlation of rising farm income to rising
new farm equipment sales. The fourth paragraph reads; “So the question is, do those periods of high
incomes create a kind of euphoria or recklessness that induces farm managers to make longterm financial decisions that could seriously reduce profits in future years, especially if revenues
fall?”

I think we know the answer to that question. And, so what now?

Well, who is considering an austerity plan for their farm?

Remember, austerity is spending only on things that are necessary. It’s easy for us a humans to blur the
lines between “nice to have” and “need to have” because we allow emotion to interfere with our
decision making.

Needs

  1. Bushels.
    You need to maximize yield in the most efficient way possible to produce at the lowest Unit Cost
    of Production your farm can provide. An Agrologist can help and should prove his/her value
    every year.
  2. Cash Flow.
    You need positive cash flow to meet debt and lease obligations, pay for inputs, land rent, wages,
    etc, etc, etc. Grain marketing is often where the best gains can be had, or can be lost. Diligent
    marketing with quality information (or lack thereof) can make or break any farm.
  3. Above Average Management.
    As you read in Growing Farm Profits Weekly Issue #17, average management was sufficient in
    the boom years, but it won’t get you through the next business cycle. Even above average
    managers find confidence in having a business advisor offer independent, unbiased advice on
    current situations, strategic plans, and risk management.

The list of “nice to have” could fill more pages that you’d care to read, or than I’d care to write. The list
of NEEDS is not exhaustive either, but in the spirit of austerity, those are the big 3 that NEED focus
(pardon the pun.)

Direct Questions

Production alone will not keep every farm afloat through the next business cycle. Are you able to
elevate your management abilities (no matter what level you’re currently at) to offer your farm its best
chance to thrive (or at least survive?)

Somebody shared a quote on Twitter that I read today: “Successful people are like a turtle on a fence
post. They didn’t get there by themselves.” -Michael Pinball Clemons
Do you have an arsenal of trusted advisors working for you to ensure you do everything it takes to be
successful?

Will your austerity plan be cutting the right costs or just the easy ones?

From the Home Quarter

It’s been said “You can’t shrink your way to greatness.” When it comes to cost cutting in an effort to
preserve cash, there is a wrong way to do it. Similar to the thinking of “good debt and bad debt,” there
are costs that should be cut, and costs that must not be cut. Interestingly enough, my phone has been
ringing lately with the voice on the other end saying, “Things are looking tough, I can’t afford to make
any mistakes. I need your help now more than ever.”
That’s what I’m here for, glad you called.

If you want help with building an austerity plan or just guidance on daily strategic decisions, call me or send an email.

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Emotional Decisions: Business’ Achilles Heel

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I bought a used truck last week. Since I am no longer actively farming, I decided that my beautiful ¾ ton
diesel was more truck than I needed. It took me 2 years of searching to find that truck, so some people
are astounded that I would be selling it. It was still a terrific truck, and had nothing wrong with it.

During my search for another truck, I learned bits of info here & there about the good, bad, and
otherwise regarding the models I was interested in. It’s always a challenge to sort through the noise of
those who are die-hard loyalists who cannot see anything adverse about their brand and of those who
are inherently negative and cannot find anything good to say. How does a person decide?

I wanted the replacement truck to be in the 2011-2013 range. I faced the same challenge we all face
when considering a major purchase: can I find what I want within my price range, do I accept less than
what I want to stay within my price range, or do I pay more than I planned to get what I want? In the
modern age of “instant gratification,” our society typically pays more than planned.

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While some options on my list were important, others weren’t. When considering the Ford F150, I was
firmly on the fence over engine options: 5.0L or EcoBoost? As mentioned earlier, there is a lot of noise
about these engine options. I found a consistent message between 2 salesmen and felt that was the
most honest feedback I have come across. When describing what I need out of this truck, and why I was
on the fence, one salesman replied, “Well you’re just taking the emotion right out of this decision, aren’t
you?”

Yes. Yes I am.

The fundamentals of what makes a good decision are often clouded by emotion. We get so caught up in
the “want” that we blow right past the “need.” And since we as a society will typically pay more than
planned to get what we want, it creates a perfect storm. This storm has eroded balance sheet equity for
many, and left others upside-down on vehicle & equipment loans, but always negatively impacts cash
flow.

Direct Questions

How often have you let emotion take over your decision making process?

Do you avoid making a business case for each decision because it will prove the emotional argument to
be the wrong one?

What impact are you feeling from past emotional decisions?

From the Home Quarter

Removing emotion from business decisions is a key benefit that my clients enjoy. It allows my clients to
experience greater confidence in their decisions by having me filter through their emotions. I am not on
your farm each day, so the emotion of why you’re making the decision is not felt by me, thus allowing
me to see through it and keep you on track.

The truck I sold was rare because of its features and options. It had incredibly low kilometers for its age,
and needed nothing (I’d been through it front to back over the last 2 years.) What I felt for this vehicle
was almost on the verge of love (although I have never “loved” or “named” any of my vehicles, ever.)
And while it held a special place with me, it’s a truck, a tool, an inanimate object and completely
replaceable. I sold it when I did because I knew I could get maximum value for it now. A year from now
would be significantly less. It was advertised on Friday afternoon, it was sold by Saturday, and picked up
Monday. I found the truck I wanted the Thursday before, and picked it up a week later. I took the
emotion out of the equation.

Allowing emotion to influence your decision making is like putting on blinders: all that can be seen is
what you “think” you need and no other options appear available. Let’s take the blinders off, remove
emotion from the equation, and see if we can make a business case that offers an appropriate ROI.

If you’d like help removing emotion from the decisions you make for business and personal success,
then call me or send an email.

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New Tech and its ROI

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“It wasn’t until 1954 that tractors finally outnumbered horses on prairie farms.”

I learned this interesting factoid from Steve Leibel from FCC’s Management Software division when he
spoke to our local CAFA chapter in Regina earlier this spring. The presentation was on technology, not
economics, so we didn’t examine why it took so long.

Maybe that wasn’t a long time for farmers to adopt the technology of mechanized horsepower versus
literal horse power, but I think it was.

Today, it’s a little different; we adopt technology almost as fast as it can be released. I find that even my
head sometimes spins at the advances of new technology, so I can’t imagine what my grandfather, who
broke land behind a team of oxen, might think.

Much of this technology provides an incredible economic benefit. Others only provide marginal
economic benefit. Who has done the math before investing?

Shouldn’t any investment provide positive return to your farm? Of course it should, but not only should
it provide a positive return, there should be a threshold for that return to meet as well. Surely anything
that provides less than 2% ROI is better off staying on the shelf in favour of a risk free investment. This,
of course, is an extreme example notwithstanding those investment that provide negative ROI.

This winter I listened to Lance Stockbrugger say, “I love technology as much as anyone, but if it doesn’t
make me more money, what’s the point?” How much money do you need to make to invest in new
tech?

For some, there is no concern to the economic benefit of new technology; they just need to have it! For
skeptics, any proof of economic benefit is cast aside as nothing more than salesmanship.

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ROI is a useful starting point for any investment. ROI is important to know because it not only indicates

the net benefit it will also offer insight into how long payback will take. Technology that offers 100% ROI
in the first year would “pay for itself”. Technology that offers an ROI greater than 100% in the first year
would pay for itself and provide positive cash flow above what would have been realized otherwise.
Technology with a 20% ROI would take 5 years to pay back your investment.

So let’s ask again, “How much money do you need to make to invest in new tech?” This also applies to
land, equipment, people, and professional services.

Direct Questions

How do you determine if an investment of your capital is worthwhile?

What is an appropriate ROI for different investment options?

How do you measure the success or failure of your decisions of how & where to invest your capital?

From the Home Quarter

Land investors want 3-7% annual ROI on their investment. Employees should be able to return 200% ROI
(their wage or salary times two) to their employer. What about iron, gizmos, gadgets, etc? Some of this
can be hard to measure: what was the ROI on hopper bins when they first came to market? While it can
be done, it’s not easy to put a financial value on efficiency, safety, and convenience, but those factors
certainly provide an intangible ROI.

I enjoy seeing the increase in confidence that my clients enjoy after we go through an ROI exercise as
they determine how to invest their capital. Reviewing realistic numbers to project the financial benefit
takes the emotion out of the decision.

I bet that early 20th century farmers didn’t do an ROI calculation on having a tractor on their farm versus
horses because if they did, I’d say that tractors would have outnumbered horses a lot earlier.

If you’d like help determining ROI opportunities on your farm, then call me or send an email.

interest

How Interesting is Interest?

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“The peak bank prime rate in the ‘80s was 22.75%…10x what it is now.” This was a tweet I read last
week from Lyndsey Smith while she attended the Smokey Lake Ag Conference. Interestingly, I heard
yesterday that there may be another rate cut ahead; we didn’t even see the last one coming.

Q.1 Take a look at the current amount you spend on annual interest, and multiply it by 10. How does
that number make you feel?

Q.2 If you faced interest rates that are 1000% higher than what you pay now, how much debt do you
think you’d have?

Is it accurate to say that we generally don’t give a lot of thought to interest costs? I mean for the cost of
about 600 gallons of diesel fuel, you could cover 2.75% annual interest (prime rate) on $100,000
principal debt. So for those who can burn 600 gallons of diesel fuel per day over 20 days of seeding, that
fuel cost matches the annual interest (at prime) on $2,000,000 principal debt.

What?

Yes, very few burn 600 gallons per day, and fewer yet can have prime rates on all their borrowing, but
you get the picture.

There are many farmers out there today that are still being held captive by the memory of paying 18-20% interest on their business debt. That nagging fear has likely lead to business decisions that are
overly conservative and risk averse, leading to missed growth opportunities and insufficient wealth.
Anyone who has loaded up on debt based on the low rate environment we currently enjoy may want to
take a look at things. If the business plan only works when grain prices are high and interest rates are
low, then it’s not a viable plan. We’ve already seen grain prices stumble significantly from a year ago…

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This just might be the best time ever to do an interest sensitivity test. What is the financial impact of
interest rate increases or decreases; use a few different values to compare. If you’re highly sensitive to
increases, your time to negotiate a favorable fixed rate is now.

Direct Questions

What is your borrowing strategy? Do you carry an appropriate ratio of fixed and floating rates?
How sensitive are you to changes in interest rates?

Are you able to determine how much of a spread you can weather if you were to move from floating to
fixed?

From the Home Quarter

Debt fuels growth. Growth (if you read last week’s issue of Growing Farm Profits Weekly) can be realized
many ways, but certain to say that growth fuels profits. Profits fuel wealth. The bridge between Growth,
Profit, and Wealth is built with the help of good debt; bad debt often leads to Retraction, Losses, and
Poverty.

horizon2

3 Planning Fails

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Have you managed to take a breather from all the trade-shows lately? Why is the trade show season
scheduled as such (Jan-Feb)? Because this is when we’re planning the new crop season that is merely 8-10 or so weeks away now. Exhibitors want to influence your thoughts for when you’re making planning
decisions.

We know what you are planning, but what aren’t you planning? Here are the 3 biggest issues that
farmers tend to not plan, based on nearly a decade of my experience in the banking and financial
corporate world:

1. Anticipating Cash and Operating Credit Requirements
What is worse than running out of cash when you need to make a purchase? Running out of
credit when you need to make a purchase! With the incredible highs and lows of a farm’s cash
position through a one year cycle, this is a CRITICAL planning process to undertake. And once
that’s done, work with your banker so he/she is not getting a 5-alarm phone call begging them
to extend your limit.

2. Creating a realistic capital expenditure plan
CapEx drives as many urgent financing requests as anything else. “Hello, Banker? I just bought a
sprayer at the auction. Can you make sure the cheque clears? I’ll be in tomorrow to apply for a
loan.” CapEx should be part of the overall business plan, not a knee-jerk reaction in response to
that hair-trigger you pull when the auctioneer is looking your way.

3. Being Unaware of Family Aspirations
Can you picture what a combination of fear and obligation look like? It’s what a banker sees in
the face of a client who just came in advising that his/her son/daughter wants to farm, so “we
need to add land and equipment.” Fear over the volume of debt that is needed (likely requiring
the parents to co-sign.) Obligation because “the kid needs to get a start somehow.”

I wasn’t a family negotiator then, and I’m not one now. If you need that kind of help, speak to a
family coaching or mediation expert (I know some good ones, so I can help.) But for crying out
loud, please start talking to your family early about their intentions. A farm is more akin to a
barge than a ski-boat: it’s not highly responsive, takes time (and room) to maneuver, and can’t
hit top speed without a whole lot of things going according to plan!

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Direct Questions

Do you know how much operating credit you’ll need this year? Will you just rely on cash advances when
your line of credit is at limit?

When you acquire assets, is it “because it seemed like a good deal at the time” or because it fits your
overall business plan?

Do you assume you know what your family wants, or have you sat everyone down to talk? Don’t know
how to have that talk? Pick up the phone and get some help; your legacy (meaning your family and your
farm) are too important to let this slide.

From the Home Quarter

There are many factors that can affect your plans for the new crop year and if trade show exhibitors can
provide some of that influence, then they’ve succeeded in their plan. I’m suggesting that you have your
own plan in place, and whether you’re at the show or at your kitchen table, seek out the advice that
provides the most value to your business based on your plan.