Topics

• Are there any future plans for merging with another organization?
• What are the future goals of CAFA?
• What are the backgrounds of the Co-Founders of CAFA?
• If there isn't a CAFA Chapter in my area, is there any advantage to joining CAFA?
• What Does it Take to Start a Chapter?
• Is there a set of Chapter guidelines that set out the election procedures, attendance etc?
• Where is the CAFA funding coming from?
• What are other benefits of CAFA, besides the benefits associated with meeting at the local monthly chapter setting?
• How do farmers find out which professionals are CAFA members?
• Why would farmers use the services of CAFA members?
• Do you or someone else hold events where farmers can meet with advisors who are CAFA members? What types of events and how frequent are they?
• Agrologists already understand the agriculture industry, is there any real advantage to an agrologist joining CAFA?

Are there any future plans for merging with another organization?

At the moment there is no expectation of joining another association. CAFA is a unique umbrella organization of which the primary market group is farm families and their advisors. This mandate is so highly specialized that it would seem counter intuitive to join another group. Having said that, we are connected with the Family Firm Institute in the United States. FFI sees a value in what we have to offer to any of their members whose market group is farm families in business. Their members will look towards our specialty association if they have specific concerns re farm families. CAFA is aware that like-minded organizations have to work closely with each other to provide the best service to the membership and ultimately to the clients.

What are the future goals of CAFA?

• To assure that professionals who work with farm families will receive the latest research based information to help them deal with client concerns.
• To be a clearinghouse for professionals and farmers who are looking for information, resources, or networking with others across Canada who can help them with a specific concern.
• To assure that farmers across Canada are aware of CAFA and the value that the association and its members gives to them.
• To create a network of advisors across Canada, Chapter by Chapter.
• To maintain the Code of Ethics, Standards and continuing education requirements so that farmers will have a sense of quality assurance in the level of advice being given.
• To establish chapters across Canada.

What are the backgrounds of the Co-Founders of CAFA?

Donna Hastings, Advisor to the national Board of Directors and the Managing Editor of the Farm Business Advisor manual

Donna Hastings has worked in the Agriculture sector for 28 years in both Canada and the United States. She was the Family Living Specialist for the Manitoba Department of Agriculture and Food for the past 14 years. The position of Family Living Specialist was the only position of its kind in Canada and Donna has been in the since its inception, up until recently. Her second area of specialty, identifying the critical issues and the team approach to advising farm clients, supports her expertise area of dealing with the human side of farm families in business.

Ms Hastings designed the Family Farm Transfer Program, a program to educate farm families regarding the interdisciplinary nature of transferring the farm to the next generation. The program, a partnership between the provincial government, private sector and professional associations, received attention all across Canada and the United States. The program was the first in depth succession planning program for farmers in North America.

Donna created and was the executive producer of the farm transfer video, Handing Over the Legacy--One Family's Journey. The video was distributed nation-wide by the funding group, Royal Bank of Canada.

Donna is a frequent lecturer and published author in the area of farm succession planning and intergenerational conflict. Donna is also a contributing editor to a number of financial publications, including the Canadian Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.

Donna is the co-founder and managing editor of the Farm Business Advisor, Canada's first and only national publication advising farm families and their advisors. The FBA has been in existence for seven years and is available in hard copy, CD-Rom and Internet subscription and is updated regularly by experts across Canada.

Howard Morry, CAFA National Founding Chairman

Howard Morry is a partner at the law firm of Pitblado Buchwald Asper in Winnipeg, Canada. His practice is in the areas of international tax, estate planning, e-commerce for farmers, agribusiness and others.

Howard is past-president of the National Association of estate Planning Councils of Canada. He is also a past Chairman of the Tax Subsection of the Manitoba Bar Association and the Joint Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and Lawyers. Howard is also a past Course Head in Tax and Estate Planning for the Law Society. He is the past general counsel and involved in the formation and early development of the Canadian Association of Financial Planners.

Howard is a frequent lecturer and published author, having chaired conferences and lectured for the Canadian Tax Foundation, the Canadian Institute, the Strategy Institute, the Globe and Mail, the Financial Post and many others. Howard is also a contributing editor to a number of financial publications, including the Guide to Personal Financial Planning in Canada.

Howard (along with Donna Hastings) is the co-founder and managing editor of the Farm Business Advisor, Canada's first and only national publication advising farm families and their advisors. The FBA has been in existence for seven years and is available in hard copy, CD-Rom and Internet subscription and is updated regularly by experts across Canada.

In addition to his law degree, Howard has his B. Comm. (Hons) Degree. Howard has also worked extensively in the volunteer sector, having been chairman and/or president of a number of local, national and international organizations.

If there isn't a CAFA Chapter in my area, is there any advantage to joining CAFA?

It is of course more advantageous to be part of the regular network of a CAFA Chapter. However there are many benefits to CAFA that would warrant joining without being part of a Chapter. The best situation is to join CAFA and commit to starting a local CAFA Chapter! What better way to show your leadership skills to the professional and farm community? The following are benefits of CAFA even if you are not a part of a local Chapter. You are/have:

• entitled to attend any Chapter meeting throughout Canada. This encourages valuable educational 'cross-seeding' and networking across provinces.
• Access to current research and updates in the field of family farm businesses as well as families in business.
• Access to electronic newsletter/educational information via the CAFA web site.
• Listed on the CAFA web site for farmers and public sector employees to access.
• An opportunity to be listed on the Speaker's Bureau of the web site.
• Discount registration fees to attend provincial, regional and national conferences.
• Connections to other members across Canada who may be able to help you with a question or provide a resource that will be of use.
• Support from the National CAFA office as an information clearinghouse.

What Does it Take to Start a Chapter?

Starting a Chapter is relatively easy provided that the right person/people are involved. It takes a person with leadership skills, ability to involve and influence others, experience working in volunteer organizations where everyone is working for a common goal, has an ability to delegate to others, has an understanding of human nature and a person who can speak in front of and command respect from an audience.

Once it is determined who will be the organizing person or group, there are a number of tools that have been created to make it easy to start a Chapter.

• Starting a CAFA Chapter --a checklist of all the steps that should be done in order to have a successful first and second meeting.
• Templates for organizing CAFA Chapters:
  • Management Committee letter - inviting participation as a management committee member to an organizing meeting
  • Invitation letter - inviting participation as a CAFA organizing meeting
  • News Release - News Release announcing the establishment of a new Chapter
• Powerpoint Presentation - You can download a power point presentation. It will guide you through the necessary information to be covered in the initial organizational meeting.
• Chapter Handbook -the complete guide to CAFA at the national, provincial and local levels
• Topics for CAFA Meetings -examples of speaker topics for local meetings

You also get the support of the National CAFA office to provide ideas and resources.

Is there a set of Chapter guidelines that set out the election procedures, attendance etc?

The chapter rules, election procedures, etc is in the Chapter Handbook. You can view it or print it off the web site, http://www.cafanet.com/executive/index.html

Where is the CAFA funding coming from?

The business plan is based on membership dues sustaining CAFA as a non-profit. However we are pursuing corporate and public funding to help grow CAFA more quickly. We have a sponsorship program that covers 10 levels of sponsorship from National, Provincial, Local and Regional. (We also have a partnership program which entails endorsing and promoting CAFA to others within an organization and to farmers and professionals outside of the organization.). Click the following for more information about the Sponsorship Program or the Partnership program.

What are other benefits of CAFA, besides the benefits associated with meeting at the local monthly chapter setting?

As a CAFA member you have/are

• entitled to attend any Chapter meeting throughout Canada. This encourages valuable educational 'cross-seeding' and networking across provinces.
• Access to current research and updates in the field of family farm businesses as well as families in business
• Access to electronic newsletter/educational information.
• Listed on the CAFA web site for farmers and public sector employees to access.
• An opportunity to be listed on the Speaker's Bureau of the web site.
• Discounts to various conferences.
• An opportunity to network regularly with people who usually are not in your network circle.
• Access to expertise throughout Canada who may have answers to your questions.
• Support from the National CAFA office as an information clearinghouse.

How do farmers find out which professionals are CAFA members?

• CAFA members are listed (along with their picture, contact information and areas of expertise) on the web site for farmers and others in the private sector to access. This gives them the freedom to choose professionals close to their area or further away, depending upon issues of anonymity, specific areas of expertise or their preferred business community.
• CAFA members who list their name in the CAFA Speaker's Directory are inviting farm associations, agribusinesses and the private sector to contact them to speak at their functions. This is an excellent way to share knowledge and expertise to a number of farm families.
• CAFA members market themselves as a CAFA Member. They will be able to use the CAFA acronym letters after their name to indicate involvement with the association.
• CAFA members and their companies or associations help promote CAFA to farmers. CAFA has a Partnership Program whereby a firm, company, association, department, financial institution, organization or agency is invited to help in the formation and/or operation of the CAFA Chapters. This Partnership program costs no out of pocket money yet groups help get the word out and farmers learn what a CAFA professional can do for them. You are invited to learn more about this program by clicking here.

Why would farmers use the services of CAFA members?

• When a farmer looks for a certified CAFA member, they are guaranteed the ability to identify farm advisors who have made a commitment to provide quality advice to the farm sector.
• Farm advisors join CAFA because they believe that:
  1. Farm families are a vital group of our society
  2. Agriculture is an important industry and there is a need to receive ongoing information about this complex industry
  3. The knowledge and expertise offered in a multidisciplinary setting brings a broader prospective and inspires new strategies to help family farm businesses solve their unique challenges.
• Farmers who deal CAFA members know they are dealing with advisors who are dedicated to the farm sector, who adhere to a professional Code of Ethics and Standards, who agree to meet continuing educational requirements and who maintain sufficient Error and Omissions insurance
• In short, farmers will know they will receive improved quality and level of advice from advisors who are CAFA members.
• Farmers who become affiliate members of CAFA have the added opportunity to network with advisors and share information and ideas with them on a monthly and local basis as well as at regional or national conferences

Do you or someone else hold events where farmers can meet with advisors who are CAFA members? What types of events and how frequent are they?

• One of the goals of CAFA is to get advisors together with farmers as often as possible. Both parties will gain from this type of interaction where they meet as equals-both learning from each other.
• Farmers who become affiliate members of CAFA have the opportunity to network with advisors and share information and ideas with them on a monthly and local basis as well as at regional or national conferences
• Farmers can attend monthly CAFA meetings as a guest or non-member up to two times in a year.
• Most farmers will become familiar with CAFA, not as an affiliate member, but as an attendee of a CAFA function. Each region is different as to how frequently these events are held.
• CAFA Chapters, along with a CAFA Partner, such as a provincial department of agriculture, may co-sponsor an educational event where farmers would be the targeted audience.
• In certain circumstances CAFA Partners will include CAFA members on their mailing list inviting them to events where farmers will be involved

Agrologists already understand the agriculture industry, is there any real advantage to an agrologist joining CAFA?

All professions will stand to gain something by being a part of CAFA's diverse membership. Professionals who have a long term relationship with a farm family eventually see areas of expertise beyond their subject area that needs attention. Also because they have built a trusting relationship, the farm families may ask their advise or ask for a referral. CAFA's multidisciplinary setting brings an opportunity for agrologists to network with those who are outside of agriculture who have an impact on farm families. Networking with these professionals will offer a broader perspective and inspires new strategies.

Each professional must decide if it is worth their time to be involved with another non-profit organization. CAFA is:

• a very appropriate organization for those who are Farm Management/Business Consultant-type agrologists.
• an organization whereby all regular CAFA members have a primary professional designation separate from CAFA whereby they must abide by the standards and ethics of their profession, which may also include continuing education requirements, Errors and Omissions insurance etc.
• It is an association in addition to, not instead of their professional association.
• an umbrella organization where all professions have equal status with the other professions and oriented to encourage a team-based multi-disciplined approach with farm businesses and families.
• The ultimate goal is to assist farm businesses by increasing the skills and knowledge of those who advise them-especially those who do not have an agriculture background. However it must be said that some of the most successful farm families in North America meet regularly with their entire advisor team -at one time, (dairy nutritionist, veterinarian, crop production specialist, accountant, financial planner, banker). The question that must be asked is, could joining CAFA increase the level of service (directly or indirectly) that I provide my farm clients?