financial planning

Program Overview You receive an AgriStability payment when your current year program margin falls below 85% of your reference margin. AgriStability is based on margins: Program margin - your allowable income minus your allowable expenses in a given year, with adjustments for changes in receivables, payables and inventory. These adjustments are made based on information you submit on the AgriStability harmonized form.

AgriInvest accounts help producers protect their margin from small declines. AgriInvest replaces the coverage for margin declines of less than 15%, previously covered by the Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization (CAIS) program. Each year, producers will make a deposit into an AgriInvest account, and receive a matching contribution from federal and provincial governments. Producers will have the flexibility to use the funds to cover small margin declines or for risk mitigation and other investments.

Understanding your own financial profile is important for the success of your farm operation. Benchmarking helps you assess your farm operation and determine its strengths, weaknesses and areas where improvement is possible. Comparing your performance against industry peers and competitors will reveal areas in your business that need fine tuning and set the bar for you in terms of how good you have to be to remain competitive.