If you’re trying to learn about agriculture, there’s nothing like going to a farm and getting your hands dirty.
That was the mindset behind this year’s CCGA Staff Development Day, an annual retreat for our Winnipeg office to promote team-building and a better way forward for achieving our company vision:
Helping Farmers Succeed.
Our Winnipeg office houses a staff of about 60, many of whom grew up in an urban setting – away from farming and the business of agriculture. Of course, that doesn’t mean our staff doesn’t know a thing or two about farming. Whether it’s representing canola farmers’ interests through policy development work or administrating the Advance Payments Program, CCGA employees talk to and work with Western Canadian farmers on a daily basis. With this and existing staff development and training, there’s a knowledge base in agriculture that exists within these four walls.
Again, though, for new employees or those who haven’t been to a farm before, there’s nothing that furthers knowledge better than seeing agriculture in action.
With that goal in mind, this year’s Development Day took place last Wednesday, and was a full day of practical learning where agriculture business is actually done.
What did the day entail?
It began with a morning on Chorney Farms in East Selkirk, Manitoba, where staff from
Manitoba Canola Growers Association and
Canola Council of Canada, as well as the Chorney family themselves, taught CCGA staff about farm work in three distinct stations – grain handling and storage, farm equipment, and crop pests and diseases.
That was followed by an afternoon presentation at a
G3 grain elevator outside Glenlea, Manitoba, one of the newest such facilities in the province. Gracious members of the G3 staff were on hand to show our staff how business is done at an elevator, what goes into a contract, and how grain deliveries and shipments take place.
What did employees learn? How will that help the farmers we work for?
For different staff members, different aspects of the day appealed to them, and taught them things that will help them serve farmers better. For Malvin, an account representative in CCGA’s Call Centre, seeing how busy a farmer’s life is was especially eye-opening.
“A great example that Brian [Chorney] gave us was to make sure to ask if it was a good time to talk when calling farmers, because you never know if they’re too busy doing farm jobs.
Farming certainly isn’t easy, but farmers love their jobs. There’s something about putting seeds in the ground in the spring and reaping the harvest in the fall, as well as caring for animals and feeding people, that makes farming one of the most rewarding, satisfying jobs out there.”
For Jessica, an account representative in cash advance processing, seeing farm equipment up close helped give clarity to what she was already talking to farmers about every day.
“The equipment was the cool part for me, it was very interactive and interesting because I talk to farmers on the phone every day and hear them say that they’re in the combine or out swathing and now I know what they’re doing”
CCGA receptionist Whitley also appreciated seeing equipment, and learning about just how delicate growing crops can be, with farm workers showing the process behind heated canola and certain plant diseases.
“You hear a lot about machinery from the farmers and you don’t really know what they’re talking about, you just have to picture it in your mind. If they say a tractor, I know what that looks like, but it’s more difficult with things like a combine. So now I’ll know what they’re talking about.
Also understanding what heated grain is and how that affects their stored grains (is important), and learning about diseases, knowing that there are wild crops popping out when land isn’t sprayed properly… that was interesting too.”
Meanwhile, at the G3 elevator, plenty of technology was shown at work, which added to Jessica’s experience.
“Seeing the probing at the elevator, that it was done that quick, getting the sample before the farmer is even in the elevator to drop off their grain. All the technology involved too, I didn’t know that technology was so involved in farming today.”
How will tours like this help the farmers we work for?
“We need to be able to relate to farmers, we deal with them every day on the phone and talk to them. If they’re saying they’re loading a Super B or are in the combine, we need to see and be able to learn about that experience. That’s big for us to know exactly what they’re talking about so we can serve them better, so we can have a better reputation and know that we care about them.” – Jessica
“We’re working so closely with farmers all the time – it doesn’t matter who it is, we always have a phone call coming in and it’s important to understand what they’re talking about because we’re their first point of contact. We’re the ones talking to them about what they’re going to do with (their advance funds). If they need money for fertilizer, we’re helping provide that. So if we know what they’re doing, it’s easier to build a better rapport with our customers and they’re more likely to choose us and tell other farmers about us.” – Whitley