Ever since Broadacre Agriculture requested bankruptcy protection social media has been abuzz with producers and ag industry stakeholders commenting on the efficacy of the large corporate farm model. Some commentators claim bigger isn’t necessarily better and that the benefits of economies of scale do not increase infinitely, that a point of diminishing returns is reached.

Others said the there is nothing wrong with the large corporate farm model, and that whether a company is successful or not depends entirely on how it’s managed. The more employees a company has, the better management is required. One employee with poor work habits and is hard on equipment is costly, having dozens such employees would be catastrophic.

What are your thoughts? Is the large corporate farm model inherently flawed or will it become the new norm in west Canadian grain production?

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Large corporate farms

Will the large corporate farm model become the new norm in West Canadian grain production?

It already is – Large farms are corporate, most are just owned by a family

It is inevitable as small producers sell out and farmland is consolidated into fewer hands

No, it cannot compete with the work ethic and skill set members of a family farm receive

No, corporations need to provide ROI to investors every year, but farming is cyclical

The issue isn’t about the corporate structure or size, it’s about management.

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It already is – Large farms are corporate, most are just owned by a family0%

It is inevitable as small producers sell out and farmland is consolidated into fewer hands0%

No, it cannot compete with the work ethic and skill set members of a family farm receive0%

No, corporations need to provide ROI to investors every year, but farming is cyclical0%

The issue isn’t about the corporate structure or size, it’s about management. 0%

Other: (Please specify)0%

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The Western Producer reporter Sean Pratt wrote a series of articles related to Broadacre Agriculture in the November 27, 2014 edition of the Western Producer:

Lack of capital to blame: Broadacre

Farm owner blames ownership rules

Size isn’t always the answer: One Earth