“One of the most pleasing things about this is that we’ve built this network of positive, innovative producers who are out-of-the-box thinkers.”
Those words were uttered by Christoph Weder, but could have come from Tom Cox or Tobin Schlegel, two other producers featured in this edition of the Canadian Farm Manager. The trio (all previously profiled in CFM) show what you can accomplish with a well-crafted plan, a willingness to work like crazy, and the right team.
Integrated Grain Processors Co-operative hadn’t yet started construction of its ethanol plan when board chair Cox was interviewed for the April 2007 edition of CFM. Today, the largest co-op start-up in Canadian history ranks as one of the most successful.
Schlegel was still in university when his father Clare shared his approach to succession planning in the December 2006 edition – which was focused on helping Tobin establish his own operation as quickly as possible. “It makes a big difference when you know that you’re going to have to live with the decisions you make,” Clare said at that time. Not only has Tobin, just 29, created his own successful farm, but is now leading the effort to reshape Ontario’s goat industry.
Christoph and Erika Weder had just been named co-winners of the Outstanding Young Farmers award when they were profiled in February 2007. They are central figures in the success of Heritage Angus Beef, which is selling $16 million worth of pasture-raised beef from Vancouver Island to Dubai, and seeing sales rise at a double-digit pace.
Although all are high-profile leaders, they credit a big part of their success to working with – and learning from – others.
It’s a view shared by the other farmer featured in this edition. Brett Sheffield turned heads this spring by besting competitors from Canada’s top business schools to capture the prestigious Student Entrepreneur Championship. But the best part, he says, was connecting with a network of people who are “excited about being in business and what you can accomplish.”
Cynics say ‘It’s not what you know, but who you know.’ But these four farmers say who you know plays a big role in what you learn – and being part of a team of forward-thinking people is the smart way to success.