Liquidity & Legacy
With Ted Cawkwell, The Cawkwell Group

Farm balance sheets may look strong on paper. But beneath the surface, lending behavior is changing, capital is more disciplined, and the margin for error is narrowing.

In this live conversation, Dan and Ted discuss:

Why profitable farms can still experience financial pressure

The difference between strategic sales and forced sales

How liquidity issues surface before they become obvious

What well-prepared farm operations tend to have in common

Why “just hold the land” isn’t always a complete strategy

Ted works directly with farm families, lenders, and advisors across Western Canada and beyond. As the #1 RE/MAX farmland realtor globally, he has been involved in hundreds of farmland transactions and sees patterns long before they become headlines.

This episode is not about predictions. It’s about structure, positioning, and understanding how capital behaves when conditions shift.

Chapters / Timestamps 

00:00 – Introduction & why this conversation matters 

02:30 – Market sentiment vs. reality on farmland values 

06:45 – What’s changed recently in buyer and seller behavior 

12:30 – Profitability, cash flow, and leverage pressures 

18:00 – Liquidity vs. legacy: real tradeoffs 

26:00 – Investor behavior, rental land, and capital availability 

34:00 – Risk, balance sheets, and selling strategically 

42:00 – Productive vs. marginal land dynamics 

50:30 – Perspective, cycles, and long-term thinking

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

This is Part 3 of a three-part live conversation with Robert Andjelic, Canada’s largest farmland owner and this is where the discussion got real. 

No slides. 

No prepared remarks. 

Just live questions from producers, lenders, and operators trying to understand what happens when capital tightens. 

In this session, Robert responds to questions about: 

– Cash flow vs land value 

– How banks actually behave when risk rises 

– Why liquidity disappears before prices fall 

– What breaks first when leverage is stretched 

– How operators protect the land when margins compress 

– And why “survival” is not failure, it’s strategy 

Several moments in this Q&A landed hard, including Robert’s blunt reminder: “Your balance sheet won’t save you if your cash flow breaks.” This conversation isn’t theory. It’s lived experience, shared in real time.

00:00 Part 3 - Audience Q&A & Closing

05:40 Banking Relationships and Financial Advice

12:01 Global Agriculture and Market Dynamics

33:30 Cryptocurrency and AI in Agriculture

41:21 The Inevitability of War and Global Tensions

41:46 China's Ambitions and Global Power Dynamics

42:34 Climate Change and Carbon Credits

44:51 Agricultural Financing and Real Estate

51:42 Interest Rates and Economic Predictions

56:35 Farmland Investment Strategies

01:06:19 Global Trade and Agricultural Competitiveness

01:23:48 Closing Remarks and Final Thoughts

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

In this episode, we discuss:

Why capital availability matters more than interest rates

What lenders look for first when credit tightens

How to speak to banks using the metrics that matter

Why preparation gives producers leverage

How operators separate themselves in tighter cycles

🎧 This is Part II of a three-part series with Robert Andjelic.

Part I explores why a capital squeeze may be coming

Part II focuses on how to prepare

Part III examines outcomes, opportunities, and who benefits as cycles turn

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

In this special live episode, Dan Aberhart sits down with Robert Andjelic to explore a question many producers are quietly asking:

Is capital tightening around agriculture — and if so, why now?

This is not a prediction episode and not financial advice.
It’s a first-principles conversation about how credit systems work, what lenders are responding to, and why agriculture is being affected indirectly by pressures elsewhere in the economy.

Why banks are under pressure — and why agriculture is not the problem

How commercial real estate, shadow banking, and regulation affect farm credit

Where we are in the broader economic and capital cycle

Why capital availability matters more than interest rates

How agriculture differs from other asset classes during downturns

Why preparation and clarity matter more than prediction

Robert also shares perspective from decades of experience across commercial real estate, capital markets, and farmland investing — including why he believes agriculture remains one of the strongest long-term sectors, even as conditions tighten.

Part One: Understanding the capital environment and why this time is different

Part Two: What to do next — practical preparation, lender conversations, and positioning

If you operate a farm, ag business, or work closely with agricultural finance, this episode is designed to help you think more clearly about the environment ahead — without panic, and without noise.

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

Why most diets work briefly—and then quietly collapse

The hidden cost of extreme approaches to food and fitness

Growing up overweight and learning to separate identity from behavior

Why protein, fiber, hydration, and sleep are foundational—not optional

The difference between weight loss and health

Alcohol, energy, and the trade-offs we don’t like to talk about

Why tracking creates awareness, not obsession

How agriculture schedules complicate nutrition—and how to adapt

Accountability as a support system, not a punishment

Building habits that can survive busy seasons, travel, and stress

This episode is a reminder:

You don’t need a new body.
You need a way of living that doesn’t break the one you have.

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

Farmers don’t need another polished sales pitch — they need tools that actually work when iron is hot and harvest pressure is on.

In this live episode of What Farmers Want, host Dan Aberhart puts ag-tech innovation to the test in a Shark Tank–style format designed for one audience only: farmers.

🎙 Andrew Leaman, Founder & CEO of Chariot Command, joins the show to present technology built around visual monitoring, thermal imaging, and AI — designed to detect overheating components, mechanical failures, and fire risks before they become catastrophic.

Andrew isn’t pitching to investors or executives.
He’s pitching directly to producers and agronomists who live with this equipment every day.

Wyatt Bolt – Bolt Seeds Farm

Darwin Kells – Lambton Agra

Riley Kushniruk – K4 Ag

With candid discussion from the live audience and real-world scenarios ranging from combine bearings to grain dryer fires, this episode dives into:

The true cost of downtime

Why most fires don’t come out of nowhere

How thermal imaging sees what humans can’t

Data ownership, insurance implications, and OEM relationships

What farmers would actually pay for preventative technology

Lyndon Lisitza, Director of Rural Tech Activation at Cornerstone Credit Union, joins the conversation to share why supporting practical, farmer-driven innovation matters — and how financial institutions can play a role in accelerating adoption without hype.

This is an honest, unfiltered conversation about ag-tech, risk, and reality — exactly how farmers like it.

Chariot Command
Founder: Andrew Leaman
📧 [email protected]

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

In this episode of the Growing the Future Podcast, Dan Aberhart sits down with Corliss Rassyle for a candid conversation about leadership, purpose, and what it really means to lead your life.

Corliss shares her journey from growing up on a Saskatchewan farm, to building a successful business, to losing everything and rebuilding from the inside out. Together, they explore self doubt, imposter syndrome, personal responsibility, and the internal work required to move forward with clarity and confidence.

This episode is for anyone in agriculture, entrepreneurship, or leadership who feels called to something more and wants to take ownership of where they’re headed next.

Corliss will also be joining us in person as a keynote speaker at the Convergence Conference.

• What real leadership looks like and why it starts on the inside
• Growing up on a Saskatchewan farm and early lessons in responsibility
• Chasing success and still feeling unfulfilled
• Losing everything and rebuilding from scratch
• Self doubt, imposter syndrome, and internal validation
• Vision, purpose, and personal responsibility
• Leading your life instead of drifting through it
• Becoming who you need to be to fulfill your vision
• Why community, coaching, and events matter
• What Corliss will bring to the Convergence Conference

00:00 Welcome and episode introduction
01:07 Introducing Corliss Rassyle
03:15 Growing up on the farm
05:00 Building a business and finding purpose
09:32 The hero’s journey and hard seasons
13:02 Losing everything and rebuilding
17:00 Where real change begins
18:18 Vision, purpose, and leading your life
21:36 Becoming who you need to be
24:02 Learning to value the journey
27:17 Call to LEAD and leadership without titles
32:00 What changes after doing the work
33:13 Convergence Conference and what’s possible
39:04 Final reflections and where to connect

Corliss Rassyle
International Speaker, Author, Coach, and Founder of Corliss Co.

Website: https://www.corliss.ca

Convergence Conference
https://www.convergence.ag

Growing the Future Podcast
https://www.growingthefuturepodcast.ca

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

In this episode of the Growing the Future Podcast, Dan sits down with a prairie-based entrepreneur and investor helping unlock a new wave of ag-tech innovation across Western Canada.

The conversation spans angel investing, Startup TNT, and the roots of prairie innovation — from early farm accounting software and fertilizer exits to today’s venture-backed ag-tech startups. Along the way, we dig into a powerful idea: agriculture doesn’t just need better technology, it needs farmers back in the innovation value chain as owners, not just test pilots.

This episode also reflects on the Yorkton Harvest Showdown Ag Tech Pitch, where Dan and his guest recently connected with emerging founders — several of whom will be featured in upcoming episodes.

If you’re a farmer, founder, investor, or someone curious about how ag-tech actually gets built and funded, this conversation offers a grounded, honest look at capital, community, and purpose-driven investing.

Angel investing in agriculture

Startup TNT and prairie startup ecosystems

The legacy of AgExpert and early ag innovation

Why farmers are losing equity in the value chain

Purpose, responsibility, and investing in community

How ag-tech startups actually get funded

Startup TNT: https://www.startuptnt.com

Growing the Future Podcast: https://www.growingthefuturepodcast.ca

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

In this conversation, Dan Aberhart introduces the upcoming Convergence Conference, now in its third year and happening February 3–5, 2026 in Regina. The banquet keynote speaker is Matt Havens — a leadership and generational expert with a background in corporate strategy and a knack for comedy.

Dan and Matt dive into the challenges of modern farm businesses, from information overload to multi‑generational dynamics. They discuss why simplicity beats burnout and how prioritizing what really matters can help cut through the noise. Matt shares how humor makes tough conversations easier and why we often have more in common across generations than we think. They also touch on the unique challenges of family farms — being hard on family, managing multiple age groups on one yard, and the importance of empathy.

The episode offers a taste of what Matt will deliver at Convergence 2026 and underscores why his message is right on point for anyone in agriculture. Tune in to hear practical ideas for leading with intention, building culture, and making space for real progress.

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

In this episode of Growing the Future Productions, we explore what it means to go from Chaos Commander to CEO with Tim Schaefer, founder of Encore Consulting.
Tim has over 20 years of experience helping farm families professionalize their operations, strengthen leadership, and prepare the next generation to succeed.

In this episode:

The difference between managing chaos and leading a business

How to let go of control without losing your edge

What it takes to professionalize your farm operation

How to build systems and people that work without you

Why clarity and communication create freedom

Whether you’re stuck in the middle of harvest madness or planning your next growth phase, this episode will give you perspective, calm, and a plan for leading your farm like a business.

Brought to you by:
Aberhart Ag Solutions and GRIPP — the accountability app built for farms.
Try GRIPP risk-free for 90 days at gripp.ag/partner/aberhart

🎙 Host: Dan Aberhart
🎙 Co-Host: Nicole Dube
👤 Guest: Tim Schaefer, Encore Consulting
🌾 Growing the Future Productions – Innovate. Collaborate. Transform.

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