Time was, a farmer didn’t have to worry too much about putting together a resume.
He grew up on a farm, he learned from his parents how to farm and he spent his life working on the farm.
These days, things aren’t quite so straightforward.
The skills required to run a farm are more varied and complex than ever and seem to change by the year. At the same time, more and more farmers are relying on off-farm income to make a go of it.
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On both those scores, having the letters MBA after your name can come in handy.
“It looks pretty good on the resume,” says Garth Lipinski.
A grain and livestock farmer from Cupar, Sask., Lipinski is a recent graduate of a unique on-line education program offered by the University of Guelph.
For an investment of $27,000, along with 21/2 years of study, farmers and others who work in agriculture can earn a Masters of Business Administration in agriculture without leaving home.
“I was looking to improve my business skills, for both on and off the farm,” he said in an interview.
Ironically, in his masters thesis Lipinski evaluated a variety of options to make his farm more profitable, and found that none of them panned out.
For now, he has turned his attention to using his degree to get good off-farm work, looking at ideas like getting into the seed or feedlot business.
Getting his MBA wasn’t cheap, but Lipinski has no doubt it was money well spent.
“I think I’ve gotten my money out of it just from what I’ve learned. Now it’s just a matter of getting my economic return, and I’m confident that I will.”
Last year, 32 students were accepted out of 75 applicants. About one-third were farmers from across Canada and the United States, with the rest working in agricultural businesses, government and veterinary medicine. About one-third of the students were from the U.S., and several were from overseas. The students’ average age was 44.
For program director Tom Funk, the most significant statistic is that in three years, only one student has ever dropped out. That’s almost unheard of, he said, and reflects the fact that the program is meeting the needs of those who enroll.
“They need this type of education. They need to have it delivered to them where they live and work, and they need to have flexibility because of their job requirements, family commitments and so on,” he said. “We provide them with all those things.”
Farmers hone the skills they need to manage their businesses, like risk management.
Courses include business analysis, managing employees, accounting, marketing and market analysis, risk management and business policy. Special courses are also provided for dairy and swine production.
Wade Adamack was a member of the first graduating class in 1999. When he enrolled in the program, he had an undergraduate degree in animal science from the University of Saskatchewan, farmed with his father at Assiniboia, Sask., and worked at a feed company.
His main motivation in getting his MBA was to give his off-farm career a boost, to move out of sales and into management.
“I was tired of the job I was in and wanted some way to get out of it,” he said. “It was a dead-end job.”
The course taught him a lot about financial and human resource management and gave him a greater appreciation of what is required to manage a business. He’s now working at a new job at Shamrock Feeds in Saskatoon, which he said is more rewarding.
Lipinski said he would recommend the MBA program to any farmer who wants to improve either his off-farm job prospects or his ability to manage his farm for a profit.
“Any time you can improve your skills and help improve your profitability and the way you think about things, it’s always a benefit.”
What Lipinski learned about budgeting and forecasting, strategic planning, identifying competitive advantages and how to capitalize on them are invaluable, whether they are applied to running a farm, setting up a farm-related business or working elsewhere.
“It helps in evaluating things and looking at things differently and trying to adapt the things you do on your farm to squeeze out a little more profit,” he said.
Adamack would also recommend the program, but with one important caveat – be prepared to work extremely hard.
“You give up a lot of your personal life and personal time,” he said. “They throw a lot at you. Some of it is useful and some of it is bull—-, but that’s what university is all about.”
