A Canola Learning Centre has been created to try to solve some of the challenges Ontario farmers have growing consistent, profitable canola. Canola is now the largest crop grown in Canada, this year overtaking wheat, but in Ontario canola acres have been decreasing, by about a third in the past five years, to 40,000 acres, […] Read more
Members of the agricultural community gathered in Ottawa and in 200 events around the country to Celebrate Canada’s Agriculture Day on Feb. 16, 2017. In this video, Cam Choquette (student), Lane Stockbrugger (farmer) and Michael Hoffort (FCC CEO) share their experiences of the day.
As sesquicentennial celebrations get underway, here are three farmers you may not have heard of, but will want to remember
As Canada celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2017, we’ll hear a lot about how the fisheries of the Grand Banks and the forests and the lucrative fur trade of the interior helped build our nation. We’ll hear less about the unique contribution farming has made to this country, but farmers have played an oversized role […] Read more
For Gordon and Sonia Decker, the key to success is to make their roles on the farm into rich, rewarding careers
Farming demands great decision making. Solid takes on agronomy, machinery, commodity markets and finance are just the price of admission these days. To thrive, farmers must deploy all that knowledge both for long-term goal-setting and also to make countless moment-by-moment decisions in the field and in the office, often under enormous pressure. They must also […] Read more
With high-tech advisers like Craig Wismer, it turns out farmers and cityfolk can learn to live side by side after all
Craig Wismer hops out of his pickup at one of the 30 or so vineyards he manages in the Niagara Peninsula. Below him, rows of grape vines fill Niagara’s Vineland, serving up a panoramic view with a gleaming Lake Ontario. Niagara Falls and its river are on the eastern horizon, in the west are Hamilton’s […] Read more
Manitoba’s 10-year old ban on new barns means almost half of the province’s pigs still get finished in the U.S.
People aren’t the only thing Manitoba needs more of. A shortage of slaughter pigs continues to be a nagging problem. Maple Leaf’s Brandon facility struggles to keep a second shift operating at capacity, searching for additional hogs to process, while HyLife has gone outside the province to keep its Neepawa plant at capacity. “We are […] Read more
There’s no such thing as commodity beef anymore, says Alberta feedlot producer Ryan Kasko. It’s an attitude that is transforming the heart of Canada’s beef country
Canada’s beef industry seems like it’s built on a contradiction. It’s a sector living right on the edge of the future. Every aspect of production is undergoing change. New technology is revolutionizing how herds are raised and managed, and new consumer preferences are raising the bar in their own way too, perhaps faster in beef […] Read more
Guide Election: Country Guide puts questions to the main political parties for the federal election
Agriculture has been largely ignored in Election 2015. That is not to say there are not some very important issues facing farmers. However many producers are more concerned with bringing in their crops than worrying about the agricultural policies of the various parties. So I asked each of the political parties 9 questions about their […] Read more
Succession in Agriculture: High land prices are driving innovation in how to distribute your land
Farming without some startup help from your family can definitely mean an uphill climb. But getting the gift of a farm inheritance isn’t always such a blessing either. Many farmers will tell you it would have been impossible for them to get started in the business if it hadn’t been for a “hometown discount” from […] Read more
Guide Legal: It's best to understand not only the law, but its principles
The best “strategic business thinking” requires not only knowing the law, but also understanding the policies behind it. Many readers will have had to terminate an employee. In this article, I discuss the principles behind the rules for termination “without cause,” that is, where an employee has not done anything that merits being fired, but […] Read more
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