Expert says have a plan, don’t market grain ’emotionally’

Among all the large farm equipment and products producers can eye up, Ag experts can be found sharing their knowledge throughout the Canadian Farm Progress Show.

On Wednesday, Brian Voth, president of IntelliFarm spoke about the importance of grain marketing. His presentation, labeled ‘The Seven Deadly(ish) Sins of marketing’, digs deep into why producers should pay attention to the way they sell.

He said his presentation isn’t new; however, the message is still relevant to this era.

“Farms need to have a marketing plan and they need to know what they need to do whether the markets go up or down,” Voth said. “The last three and a half weeks are case-in-point… Markets have tanked for three and a half weeks straight — nobody saw it coming because it’s all been political based — but at this point you still have to know what your plan is for the grain that you’re going to sell.”

Once you have a marketing plan in place, Voth said the key is to stick with it. If you can’t, he recommends hiring someone to do it for you just as a you would with an agronomist or an accountant.

“Farmers by nature, and this is changing, but, have not been good marketers, they’re really good at growing a crop and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with outsourcing the things you’re not good at on your farm.”

He said a person’s time is far better spent doing the things you’re good at rather than trying to be a mini-expert on each part of the farm.

Voth explains most of the ‘sins’ have to do with taking the emotion out of marketing as it can take a toll on a person’s profit.

Canada’s Farm Progress show features multiple speakers throughout the three day event. To find who will be speaking and when, visit CFPS online.