Key Takeaways
- Farmstrong Financial, a new Canadian purpose‑driven firm, launched to help farm families create succession plans and preserve generational wealth.
- An alarming 88 % of Canadian farmers lack a succession plan, despite an estimated $50 billion of farm assets poised to change hands in the coming years.
- The firm offers an all‑in‑one solution that integrates financial, legal, accounting, insurance, and tax services into a single, streamlined process.
- Founder Derryn Shrosbree emphasizes the need to simplify succession planning, which many farmers find daunting and fragmented across multiple advisors.
- Shrosbree is also advocating for policy reform, specifically expanding capital‑gains exemptions for inheritance to include nieces and nephews.
- Family‑owned farms represent over 97 % of Canada’s approximately 190,000 farms, underscoring the sector’s reliance on intergenerational continuity.
- The agriculture and food sector contributed $150 billion to Canada’s GDP in 2025, generated over $100 billion in exports, and supports roughly one in nine jobs.
- Farmstrong Financial positions itself as a trusted partner for farmers seeking confidence, clarity, and long‑term legacy protection.
The Succession Crisis Facing Canadian Farm Families
Canada’s agricultural landscape is at a crossroads. According to Farm Credit Canada, more than $50 billion in farm assets is set to change hands in the coming years, yet a striking 88 % of farm families have no formal succession plan. This gap threatens the continuity of family‑owned operations, which make up over 97 % of the nation’s roughly 190,000 farms. Without a clear transition strategy, many farms risk being sold to non‑family interests, fragmented, or lost to tax liabilities, undermining both rural livelihoods and national food security.
Farmstrong Financial’s Mission and Origin
Farmstrong Financial emerged from grassroots conversations among farmers who expressed anxiety about leaving a legacy for their children and grandchildren. Founder and farmer Derryn Shrosbree recognized that the traditional succession‑planning process is often perceived as daunting, fragmented, and costly, involving a jumble of advisors and a mountain of invoices. “Farmers are some of the hardest working and most practical people in this country,” Shrosbree notes, “but they’re turned off by the hardships of traditional succession planning.” Farmstrong was created to eliminate those barriers by offering a simple, fully integrated approach that helps families protect generations of work for generations to come.
An All‑in‑One Solution for Farm Families
Unlike conventional models that require farmers to coordinate separate financial planners, lawyers, accountants, insurers, and tax specialists, Farmstrong Financial bundles these services into a unified platform. The firm’s approach encompasses wealth protection, ownership transition, tax optimization, risk management through insurance, and long‑term generational wealth building. By centralizing expertise, Farmstrong reduces administrative burden, minimizes conflicting advice, and provides a clear roadmap that farmers can follow with confidence.
Founder’s Advocacy for Policy Reform
Beyond delivering client services, Shrosbree has been actively lobbying to modernize Canada’s national tax framework for farm families. A primary focus of his advocacy is expanding the capital‑gains exemption for inheritance to include nieces and nephews, not just direct lineal descendants. He argues that Canada’s abundant farmland, fresh water, and natural resources are a global asset that must be safeguarded by keeping them in the hands of families who steward the land. “The best way to protect, strengthen, and nurture our land and the farmers who feed our towns and cities is to keep it in the hands of families,” Shrosbree asserts.
The Economic Weight of Canadian Agriculture
The importance of securing farm succession is highlighted by the sector’s broad economic impact. In 2025, the agriculture and food industry generated $150 billion of Canada’s GDP, exported over $100 billion worth of goods, and supported approximately one in nine jobs nationwide (as cited by Minister of Agriculture & Agri Foods Heath MacDonald). These figures illustrate that the health of family farms directly influences national prosperity, employment, and export earnings. Ensuring that farms remain viable and family‑owned is therefore not merely a rural concern but a macro‑economic imperative.
Family Ownership Dominates the Landscape
Family‑owned operations constitute the backbone of Canadian agriculture, representing more than 97 % of the country’s roughly 190,000 farms. This dominance underscores the cultural and practical significance of intergenerational transfer. When succession planning fails, the consequences ripple beyond individual households, potentially consolidating farmland under corporate or foreign ownership and altering thecharacter of rural communities. Farmstrong’s mission aligns with preserving this familial stewardship model, which many farmers view as both a livelihood and a legacy.
How Farmstrong Works in Practice
When a farm family engages Farmstrong Financial, the process begins with a comprehensive assessment of the operation’s financial health, legal structure, and long‑term goals. The firm then crafts a customized succession plan that integrates estate planning, tax strategies, ownership transfer mechanisms, and risk‑management solutions. Throughout the transition, Farmstrong provides ongoing coordination, ensuring that legal documents are updated, tax filings are optimized, and insurance coverage adequately protects against unforeseen events. This end‑to‑end support aims to turn what is often a stressful, confusing undertaking into a clear, manageable journey.
Looking Ahead: Scaling Impact and Building Trust
As Farmstrong Financial rolls out its services across Canada, the company aims to build trust through transparency, farmer‑centric communication, and measurable outcomes. Success will be gauged not only by the number of succession plans completed but also by the preservation of farm assets, the continuity of family ownership, and the satisfaction of clients navigating one of their most consequential life decisions. By addressing both the practical and policy dimensions of farm succession, Farmstrong hopes to catalyze a broader shift toward resilient, family‑based agriculture that can sustain Canada’s food system for generations to come.
Contact Information
For media inquiries or further details about Farmstrong Financial’s offerings, please reach out to:
- Sarah Tratt, The Narrative Agency, [email protected], 416‑577‑2138
- Heather Milne, The Narrative Agency, [email protected], 416‑505‑7207
More information is available at farmstrong.ca.