Growth isn’t just about getting bigger

April was a noisy month for Canadian agriculture.

There were almost as many major headlines as there were spring snowstorms on the Prairies.

And underneath all that noise, there was a consistent theme I heard from many of the farmers I work with: growth.

Growth means something different depending on whom you ask. Most people think about it in terms of herd size, acres, quota or scale.

But growth can be somewhat sensitive, depending on the farm and the family. Farms that are looking to scale in order to survive may feel pressure to pursue expansion so they can sustain future generations interested in agriculture.

One farmer I spoke with is open to opportunity but struggles when it shows up, recognizing that closing a deal for his farm often means another farm misses out. That tension isn’t new, but it feels more visible as farms get larger and opportunities become fewer.

Change is inevitable

As the “typical farm” continues to change over time, I find myself wondering how much more (or less) we will think about who we are taking opportunities away from in order to survive. Some farmers don’t think about this at all and are simply focused on acquisition and scale. I don’t think it’s possible to make a blanket statement about whether that approach is right or wrong; there are simply too many variables between farms to determine if that strategy will ultimately work.

What I can say, though, is that there are best practices when it comes to growth and knowing if your farm is ready.

A prerequisite for growth in size is often personal or competency growth. Inward growth can be just as important as outward growth, and I would argue personal growth is often necessary for outward growth to be successful. Communication gaps, unclear roles or inconsistent processes don’t disappear with scale, they tend to compound.

Once we know we have the personal capacity for growth, we can start to critically examine whether our business is ready.

Are you ready for growth?

If growth is part of your strategy, there are things farms can do to proactively prepare. Whether your current team consists of one employee or 10, having strong HR systems in place now will serve you well as you grow. Beyond that, I encourage farms to spend time thinking about the “end state” of success and what your team will need to operate effectively at that stage, whether that’s stronger supervision, clearer roles or more specialized skills.

Once you understand those elements, you can compare them to what you have now and build those gaps into your HR plans. For example, there may be skills you’ll need in the future that you can begin hiring for now or developing within your existing team.

Alongside people and operational readiness, another important piece of the “am I ready for growth?” puzzle is ensuring your financial house is in order. Using financial forecasting tools, farms can set performance targets, evaluate key ratios and test different scenarios, such as land purchases, to understand how the business would perform under added pressure.

When this is tied into your overall strategy, you begin to develop well-informed opinions about whether the opportunities in front of you are the right opportunities for where your business is today and where you want to take it.

Putting the plan into action

I’ve intentionally saved what is arguably the most important piece of analyzing growth for last. Many farmers will read what I’ve written above and think, “Yes, I know this, and I do some or most of it.”

But the question is: where does the breakdown between growth and execution happen?

Because the reality is things can make perfect sense on paper and still fail.

From my perspective, one of the most critical pieces of the growth puzzle — strategy — is often overlooked. More specifically, sticking to it when it’s inconvenient. Strategic plans often prioritize things like transition, family or work-life balance. But when a growth opportunity appears, those priorities can be quickly set aside.

There’s a reason strategic planning is so important for long-term success and a big part of that is the process itself. It forces us into a mindset of critically examining our business. The outputs (mission, vision, values and strategic priorities) are the result of meaningful conversations about how we define success and what our business needs to sustain it over time.

The cost of not sticking to your plan will look different for everyone. But whether deviating means sacrificing personally or financially, I would encourage you to pause at every opportunity, every time and ask:

• Does this opportunity support my business strategy?
• Does it align with my financial goals?
• Do I have the management and operational capacity to make this a success?

Those questions may lead you to turn some opportunities down. And in an environment where growth can feel like the only path forward, that’s not always easy. Staying disciplined in those moments is often what protects the things you said mattered most in the first place: your family, your team and the kind of business you actually want to build.

In a landscape where every farm cannot grow at the same time, the decisions we make and the discipline we show matter more than ever.

Because growth isn’t just about getting bigger, it’s about becoming the kind of operation that can handle it.