FARM TRANSITION IN ACTION: ED LANGE

Camrose county Co-operative
leans into Communication and Collaboration

BY PIPER WHELAN

When Ed Lange created a farming cooperative with family and neighbours two decades ago, facilitating each other’s needs for labour and equipment was only part of their motivation.

Lange began his career farming with his wife, and when they ran into challenges early on, a mindset shift they developed through marriage counselling prompted them to see their business differently. 

“We learned that if we’re not careful, the farm would be the detriment to everything else that we were trying to build,” said Lange, who now farms with his brother and two neighbours as part of a mixed grain and beef cooperative at Armena, Alberta. 

“That started the process of putting together this cooperative to allow us to have some time away from the farm as families.” 

This business structure, which at one point included five families, gave the partners the ability to prioritize their families and lives outside of farming. Being up front about their goals, focusing on good communication, and making decisions to benefit the entire group has contributed to the cooperative’s success. 

“The strategy of our success is always realizing that we’re trying to get the best decision as a group,” said Lange. “The attitude that we are going to cooperate, not compete, I think that’s been the magic to our success.” 

Naturally, this thoughtfulness has been vital to planning for the next generation’s transition into the business. Their plan states that the existing partners must agree to bring in a new partner, whether it’s a family member or someone from outside the group. The partners’ children also start out as employees before becoming a partner, providing the opportunity to see if being involved in the farm is the right fit for them without the extra pressure of ownership.

Lange’s own perspective on transition planning has evolved as he’s watched his sons grow up and become interested in pursuing agriculture as a career. 

“There was a time in my life where I would have given anything for them to want to do what I do. Now my perspective is I just want them to be happy in what they do,” he said. 

Taking the time to understand what you want to achieve with your transition is an important place to begin, Lange advised. 

“Is it about, I want to hold this block of land to get into the next generation because I want that to stay in this family name? Or is it that you want to share this opportunity you’ve had with the next generation so they can really get the enjoyment out of it? I think those are two really different perspectives.”

Knowing why the next generation wants to be involved—and if this desire comes from a place that will support lasting fulfillment—is also crucial to the process. Lange noted that some people believe becoming involved in the family farm is an easy career option, while others feel great pressure and responsibility to uphold their family’s legacy, and neither attitude will serve them in the long run. 

“There’s the third perspective: ‘I just love this, it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do, and I want to be able to take this to another level,’” he explained. “I think that’s going to generate success, no matter what.” 

In the case of his own family, the cooperative’s structure has created challenges in the form of young people coming into a business with several people who are either family or like parental figures. This can make it difficult for the next generation to feel they are bringing value to the operation. 

One way they’ve approached this challenge is to encourage everyone in the business to find like-minded people outside their group with whom they can discuss ideas, problems, and opportunities. Having those resources, he said, helps to build confidence in their decision-making abilities. 

Working in an environment that fosters open communication and a willingness to understand each other has also proven useful in this situation, helping the younger farmers to feel comfortable sharing their ideas while showing respect for what the previous generation has built. 

“We want them to have an opinion. We want them to be confident in their decisions and how they operate in the business,” said Lange.

“I think success in transition is having a structure set up that can allow for some mistakes to happen and that to be okay, and allow that person to grow into the role.”