While farmers can’t control global markets or geopolitics, they can shape the systems on their own farms through planning, relationship building, risk management and long-term investment.
That was the theme of a panel tackling farm profitability at the 2026 Manitoba Ag Days show in Brandon. Both grain and livestock producers were tapped to outline different ways they are trying to stay profitable in a year marked by volatile prices and rising costs. The panel was moderated by Jay Whetter, communications manager with the Canola Council of Canada.
WHY IT MATTERS: Manitoba Ag Days runs from Jan. 20-22 at Brandon’s Keystone Centre with another full year of trade booths, expert speakers and more.
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For grain farmer Fiona Jochum of Blue Diamond Farms, the focus has been on narrowing the operation rather than chasing opportunity. Her farm near St. Francois Xavier sticks to four crops — wheat, oats, canola and soybeans — and builds its decisions around cost of production instead of market signals.
“You can either get grumpy or you can stick to the plan,” Jochum said, describing her family’s approach to marketing and annual planning.
Ben Hamm is a farm management specialist with Manitoba Agriculture and a cattle producer. He pointed to formal risk management tools for the livestock sector that can help protect strong returns when markets turn.
“When we are at the highs, these are the times to be ready for when it does come back down,” Hamm said, urging producers to consider options such as livestock price insurance (LPI) to lock in margins.
High cattle prices have led consultants and industry groups to offer similar advice to farmers in recent years. Simultaneously, industry continues to push for improvements to the LPI program.
Russell-area grain farmer Jay Derkach framed profitability as a function of information and relationships as much as agronomy.
“Having an agronomist in my ear brings you back to reality fairly quickly,” Derkach said, arguing that outside perspectives can help avoid costly, short-term decisions.
For Kelsey Sunaert of Sunaert Farms near Deloraine, the emphasis has been on long-term capital projects such as tile drainage and on-farm water management aimed at stabilizing production across wet and dry years.
“Think long term. It’s a lifetime project. I never expected it to pay for itself in a short period of time,” Sunaert said.
While the panellists came from different sectors and took different approaches, they repeatedly returned to the same point: long-term profitability comes down to fundamentals farmers can control rather than trying to predict the next market or geopolitical shock.
“There’s no real hidden secret to profitability,” noted Whetter.
For more Manitoba Ag Days coverage, check out the Manitoba Co-operator’s Ag Days landing page.
