We have very high standards for our consultants and Reg is the only consultant that has stood the test of time. He gets what it’s like to be a real farmer, he gets that it snows and that the auger won’t start. We let Reg loose to talk to our banker and our accountant and that was one of the best things we ever did on our farm. He speaks many languages-lawyerease, bankerease, accountantease, and farmerease – and has a story to fit every situation on the farm.

Cor Van Raay
May 30, 1936 - July 29, 2021

Assisting Cor Van Raay was one of the highlights of my career! I used to refer to him as the "Bill Gates of Canadian Agriculture."

He was a leader, innovator, visionary and an amazing man who did amazing things and he told me that this came naturally to him. 

Cor was a cattle and grain farmer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who positively impacted others. He believed in giving back to the community and attributed this to his success in work and life.

You will be missed by many. 

Rest In Peace Cor.

I give Reg complete credit for our family being able to remain a family unit. Without his assistance I really imagine that Craigmillar Farms Ltd and the Penman family would have become another farm family torn apart forever!

After a family member passed away our family (and our farm corporation) was overwhelmed. Like almost all families, we have an assortment of personalities and when emotions are involved we tend to be a little strong-willed. A few years prior, we had heard Reg speak at a seminar in Consort.

We contacted him and I was so impressed. He knows farming and is amazing at reading people’s personalities and frustrations. He offered us a number of options of how we could divide our corporation FAIRLY and connected us with folks to sort out all of the financial and tax requirements and implications. He taught us that working with a family is totally different than working with an estate.

There are no quick fixes but Reg delivered what I believe every family desires—fairness and solutions.

If you don’t know how to proceed, Reg gets the ball rolling. His experience appeals to the older generation, and he also helps the young farm communicate goals and ideas so everyone understands each other. He’s extremely personable and his energy is catching. I aspire to be like Reg, helping farmers help themselves. He’s damn good at it.

Wow! What a phenomenal investment for our Family selecting “Farmacist!”

We are using Reg for our family farm succession, business planning and crew communication. Reg has the real-life experiences and tools that keep us grounded and on track - Big Picture thinking while still managing the important small stuff! I would highly recommend Reg to any Farm Family. Owner Perry Family Farm and GrowTEC. www.perryfarm.ca

When Reg comes to your house he sits down at your kitchen table, starts his projector, and the first thing he shows you is a picture of his family. Not a picture of himself and his corporate logo. He understands that your family is the core of your operation.

He sat down and genuinely listened, getting to know us like a gentleman and asking us what we wanted to happen. He then met with our entire family put us all together in the same room and made it all work. He knows how to handle the conversation, sometimes leading, sometimes helping us take a breather or breaking the ice with a useful story. He’s not cheap, but he’s good. He taught us that it is not always about equality in dollars and cents, but balance.

If you want it done right call the Farmacist. You will get a product that you will be happy with. If you follow Reg’s process you will get there, it helped solidify what we already had.

Estate planning can be daunting and frustrating—as a result, important jobs get postponed. As an Estate Planning Solicitor I’ve had mutual clients with Reg Shandro for years, and I’ve seen him do excellent work helping families get together, gather information, discuss family relationships, and make a plan. When Reg’s clients come to see me they are informed and ready to make decisions with confidence. It is never a lot of fun to plan for death. Reg helps ease the discomfort. Clients are generally at ease, smiling and sometimes outright laughing with relief when we meet to conclude their planning. I never hesitate to pass Reg’s card along.

Our family’s raised hogs for over 70 years. We’ve known Reg for over 10. We already referred three families to him after calling him in for numerous jobs.

First we did a farm analysis. Then we wrote up our will and did an estate analysis and succession work. We looked at joining our farm with our son’s to see how viable that would be. Two years ago we amalgamated our operations and so far, so good. Through it all Reg had the tools we needed.

Reg’s background in banking is a real asset. The previous consultant did not have near the same depth of experience.

We signed up for a couple of Reg’s seminars. His workshop on Understanding Your Financials was very educational. He told us “Don’t just drop your books off at the accountants, take the time to understand your information.”We also went to Reg’s Succession planning where he laid out all the different things to consider.

People think they can wing it. A facilitator like Reg makes things simple. There are always two sides—two generations, two families, different ideas. Reg is respectful of the older generation, he gets everyone involved.

Reg has a special gift - where he can connect with the younger and older generation at the same time. He is very open, honest, and I have never met anyone with the skills that he has. A lot of people claim to do succession planning, Reg is the only one that I have met that can actually put a complete Succession planning document together!