We are thinking of switching up our accountant - does anyone happen to know/use a good accountant that has a strong handle on farming businesses? Any suggestions would be so appreciated.
Thanks EFAO Community!
Also this thread will probably be of interest to you:
Hey! Yes, I read through that thread - it’s a good one! But I’m more specifically looking for an accountant, rather than a book keeper.
I’m in the Southern Ontario area, however I’m open to taking recommendations from any Ontario area. Happy to drive for a good accountant, as visits would only be intermittent.
Then I would try FBC, but keep in mind that this isn’t a first hand recommendation, I just know that they specialize in working with farmers.
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FBC does really focus on farm businesses. I’ve found they’re not quite as familiar with market gardens and have still missed a few relevant programs (Edible Horticulture through Agricorp, for example) but they catch far more than most accountants would. They also guarantee that they’ll take care of the process if you’re audited and that it won’t result in any extra $ paid (ie they’ll cover the extra if it happens) - that’s worth a lot as I know quite a few small farms who have been audited mid-summer and it was a nightmare to deal with at that time of year. They have reps all over Southern Ontario & will come right to you.
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We tried FBC last year. It was a really bad experience.
They sent a young kid to our farm in November. We provided a detailed write-up with approximate numbers for expenses, income, etc. We detailed all the inputs in a face to face meeting. Some of the advice he was giving us was plain wrong. He argued, then googled and only then admitted it,
In March we provided final sets of numbers. FBC sent back draft returns. They were infested with errors. There were 4 (!) more iterations before they finally got it almost right. Their errors were major, would have resulted in penalties from the CRA. This year we discovered that there were two further errors we missed, which resulted in some losses to us, although thankfully not large.
And by the way, they charge more than double what everyone else does. And they charge you in the beginning of the year, which is really a ploy to make it hard to change accountants when you are disappointed with their service. And even though they admitted multiple, multiple mistakes, they refused to reimburse. Wasn’t enough money involved to justify suing them but it was a lot of our time and pain.
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I can recommend a firm in Belleville, Ontario but, should you not seek out someone in your region?
Thanks so much for your input, Angie! I’ve DMed you 
Hi Michele,
I’m an aspiring farmer in Kingston with accounting questions. If you still recommend the Bellville accountants could you share their name with me?
Thank you!