New Innovative, Farmers’ Bridge, helps Farmers with Succession

Press Release
February 2024
Farmers' Bridge - Loft32


New Innovative, Farmers’ Bridge, helps Farmers with Succession

(Guelph, Ontario) The current statistics are foreboding: Over 40% of Canadian farms will change hands before 2033 and 2/3 of farms do not have plans on how to make this happen. Farmers’ Bridge helps farms with this transition between generations, more efficiently and professionally, with a people-centric approach.

“Succession is the greatest labour, leadership and ownership challenge rural Canada has ever faced. We built Farmers’ Bridge, so the process is easier and less painful for everyone involved,” says Maggie Van Camp, a 7th generation farmer, Loft32’s director of Strategic Change and founder of the company’s newest service, Farmers’ Bridge. “If done well, this massive generational shift is an opportunity for the future of Canadian agriculture.”

Farmers’ Bridge was built to provide Canadian farmers what they need to navigate this change as efficiently as possible and for their future success. At its core, transition planning requires communication and decision-making skills, farm-smart resources and people, and motivation to get the planning done. “Change is difficult for everyone, and farm transition is particularly loaded with emotion, history and expectations,” says Van Camp. “A people-first approach helps make change easier and more effective.”
Farmers’ Bridge (Farmers' Bridge - Loft32) uses on-line training, assessments, and connections so farmers have clarity about what they need, and people they can trust to help them with the process.

Farmers’ Bridge on-demand video training is a convenient way for farmers and their families to learn. Currently, two courses are available on the learning platform, https://train.utensil.ca/courses/transition-foundations with plans for more. Transition Foundations is a series of 3-5 minute videos of experts clearly answering common succession questions such as “What is Canada’s farm rollover rule” and “What’s the difference between conflict and fighting.” Another course is Transition Communication, giving farm families practical tools on how to make decisions together, understand conflict and create clarity with aligned goals. “By establishing practical, effective ways to communicate and a basic knowledge, you are creating a bridge to your farm and your family’s future,” says Van Camp.

One of the most efficient ways to create a transition solution is to use a multidisciplinary team of advisors, bringing in the right people at the right time. Farmers’ Bridge helps you source professional advisors, based on your needs. Whether it’s conflict mediation, counselling, transition planning, financial planning, coaching, tax or legal advice, Farmers’ Bridge has a nation-wide, farm experienced experts who can help.

Additionally, Farmers’ Bridge worked with Loft32 to create a team of succession-passionate speakers for events. Farmers’ Bridge has speakers to inspire, inform and motivate farm transition planning on request can put together proposals for keynote speakers, panel moderators, and workshop leaders.




To celebrate this launch, Farmers’ Bridge is inviting farmers and the media to a free webinar called Farmers’ Bridge: Shift from Family to Business Conversations.


To get more transition conversations started please share the following free resource:
The Because I love you list, a practical downloadable (French and English) list of things your farm will need to know if the key decision-maker(s) are suddenly not there. Because I Love You List - Loft32


For more information about Farmers Bridge please contact:
Maggie Van Camp
Loft32 Director of Strategic Change and founder of Farmers’ Bridge
905-213-3711
maggie@loft32.ca

Background

MAGGIE VAN CAMP
Farmer, Co-Founder and Director of Strategic Change Loft32 Maggie Van Camp is Loft32's co-founder, Director of Strategic Change and recently started a transition planning division called Farmers’ Bridge. Her passion is to help farm families, like her own, navigate intergenerational transitions and build their businesses for the future.
Maggie is CEO and owner of a family farm in Ontario. She had a lengthy career as an agricultural journalist, notably as senior business editor with Canada's national agricultural magazine, Country Guide. Recently, she was BDO's National Director of Agriculture, where she led sector marketing and industry relations. She also revitalized the accounting firm's social responsibility program, worked closely with their business transition team and built a strategic organization of AgTeams from coast-to-coast.
Maggie is a well-known speaker and moderator, and in 2021 was named top 50 in Canadian Agriculture. She is a board director of the Canadian Agriculture Hall of Fame.