FMC Releases Report Investigating Business Management Needs Of Indigenous Farmers

Oct 07, 2021

Farm Management Canada (FMC) has announced the release of “The Path Forward: Supporting the Business Management Needs of Indigenous Producers”, a new research report investigating the business management needs of indigenous agricultural producers.

“The Path Forward” was made possible by the participation of indigenous agricultural business owners from coast-to-coast who participated in surveys, focus groups, and interviews.

This investigation highlights two pieces of information.

The first being there is desire from indigenous producers for more business management training. Secondly, this study confirms the findings of other reports showing the growing number of indigenous people in agriculture working to build community, economic opportunity, and food self-determination.

The report identified five high-level recommendations with specific recommendations under each.

The five recommendations are:

1. Build Lasting Relationships with Indigenous Communities

2. Increase Awareness of and Access to Indigenous Agricultural Opportunities and Support Programs

3. Enhance Indigenous Educational Opportunities

4. Expand Indigenous Support Services

5. Enhance Indigenous Research and Analysis

Farm Management Canada contracted the Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council with the guidance of their Indigenous Advisory Council to conduct this study. The work was supported by Bayer, Farm Credit Canada, and the Canadian Canola Growers Association.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.