Engineer Your Revenue Floor Before You Seed

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Episode Summary (for the Simplecast summary field):

When nothing you can grow in 2026 is projected to make money at average yields and average prices … what do you do? In this live workshop, Dan Aberhart sits down with Dave Sullivan from Global Ag Risk Solutions, Dean Klippenstine from MNP, and producer Jake Leguee to break down the farm financials, benchmark the best operators, and engineer a revenue floor before you seed a single acre. Dave walks through real spreadsheets showing break-even costs have more than doubled since 2010, why the largest crop in Canadian history barely generated a profit, and what the top 25% of managers are doing differently. The panel digs into how to stack crop insurance, AgriStability, and GARS products — including the brand new Yield Plus option — so you can farm with confidence even in a year where the math says you shouldn't be able to. If you only listen to one episode before spring, make it this one.

Episode Notes (with timestamps, formatted for Simplecast markdown and YouTube description):

Engineer Your Revenue Floor Before You Seed Season 8, Episode 6

The margins are tight. The projections are grim. And spring is coming whether you're ready or not. In this live workshop with nearly 300 registered producers, we cut through the noise and get to the numbers that matter.

Panel:

• Dave Sullivan — Global Ag Risk Solutions
• Dean Klippenstine — MNP
• Jake Leguee — Leguee Farms

Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Welcome and why this workshop exists — the financial questions stacking up at the kitchen table

[00:02:55] Setting the stage — projections showing $25–$50/acre below break-even at average yields and prices

[00:04:37] Dave Sullivan shares what he's seeing across thousands of farm financials — and why having a common vernacular matters

[00:10:30] Break-even costs over time — how we went from $250 to $550/acre in 16 years

[00:13:19] The 2026 budget reality — $50–$75/acre losses on average, and why we haven't seen a starting point this tough since 2007–2008

[00:17:19] Top producers vs. top managers — why the most profitable farms aren't always the biggest spenders on inputs

[00:20:39] Southeast Saskatchewan benchmarks — the massive gap between top and bottom 25% and where it actually shows up (hint: it's LPM, not inputs)

[00:25:07] Jake Leguee on scouting, holding back that extra pass, and why spending more doesn't always mean earning more

[00:26:27] Dean Klippenstine busts the "fixed cost" myth — why that term needs to go

[00:27:33] Yield Plus explained — the brand new GARS product that layers crop insurance into the calculation and can save 40–70% on premiums

[00:30:26] Stacking your coverage — how to combine crop insurance, AgriStability, GARS, and GI-3 for the right fit on YOUR farm

[00:34:46] Why locking in canola at this rally matters — and the futures strategy conversation

[00:39:46] The AgriStability cashflow trap — great on a spreadsheet, but can you wait 12–18 months for the check?

[00:44:00] The "trough of despair" — why a 70% crop can actually pay better than a 90% crop when your coverage is stacked right

[00:49:23] Quotes move fast — why your GARS quote is only good until something weird happens (and weird things are happening a lot these days)

[00:54:52] How GARS treats futures contracts, delivery contracts, and trade accounts

[00:59:43] Why relationships with the right experts are the real competitive advantage

[01:00:50] Final takeaways — know your numbers, understand your options, and get yourself on the right side of the distribution curve

Key Takeaway: The gap between the top 25% and bottom 25% of farms is massive — and it's not about spending more on inputs. It's about knowing your numbers, controlling your LPM, benchmarking against your region, and engineering a financial floor before you ever hit the field. This is the year to get that right.

Resources mentioned:

• Global Ag Risk Solutions: agrisksolutions.ca
• MNP Benchmarking
• GARS Yield Plus product (new for 2026)
• AgriStability & provincial crop insurance programs

Register for the Convergence Conference at convergenceconference.ca and stay updated by subscribing to the Growing the Future Podcast at growingthefuturepodcast.ca

Register for the Convergence Conference at convergence.ag and stay updated by subscribing to the Growing the Future Podcast at growingthefuturepodcast.ca.