hanson acres

Hanson Acres: Hello or goodbye. Which is it going to be?

“Eventually we’ll have to,” Dale said. Donna didn’t answer

Reading Time: 4 minutes Donna and Dale had been home from Arizona for a week when Donna drove back from town on a Thursday afternoon to find their farmhouse cold. She checked the thermostat, inspected all the windows, then called Dale to come in from the shop and take a look. She was still putting the groceries away when […] Read more

Tom Button

Editor’s Note: Another historic year for the farm

Reading Time: 2 minutes The future of farming seems obvious. At least, it can seem like that if we don’t look very hard. The only thing that’s certain is this: Farmers keep passing every test they face. A decade is such a short time. Most farmers expect to be at the top of their game for something like four […] Read more


hanson acres

Hanson Acres: Getting away, maybe for good

When friends announce their surprise plans, it has a way of making everyone think

Reading Time: 4 minutes Jeff stomped his boots on the step before he opened the door, then stomped again inside the porch to shake the rest of the snow loose. “March is coming in like a lion,” he shouted down the hall to his wife Elaine. “It’s snowing so hard out there I could barely see the road. And […] Read more

hanson acres

Hanson Acres: It never gets that cold – not really!

“Won’t it be too cold for ice cream?”

Reading Time: 5 minutes The air compressor was running so Mark Edwards didn’t hear Elaine Hanson come into the Hanson’s shop. But once it shut off, it made him jump to find her standing right behind him, waving a piece of paper and yelling. He frowned, then started to grin. “You must’ve picked up the mail,” he nodded. Elaine’s […] Read more


Tom Button

Editor’s Note: If you were steering the ship

Reading Time: 2 minutes Country Guide is taking a hard look at where we’re heading and how we’re getting there. Are we getting the job done for you? Is it the right job? How can we make a bigger difference? It’s a healthy thing. Here at Country Guide we’ve launched a kind of performance review over the past several […] Read more

Tom Button

Editor’s Note: It’s time to ask the question

Reading Time: 2 minutes Family businesses are different. A non-family business’s goal is to make money. A family business’s goal is both to build legacy and create opportunity. And it’s more than that too  Most likely, we’ve all heard it. Almost as many of us have said it, and at least as many actually do believe it.  It can […] Read more



Tom Button

Editor’s Note: Competent, not boastful

Reading Time: 2 minutes Like every other issue of Country Guide, our pages show Canada’s farms are getting more and more individualistic. That’s a good thing. It’s a professional thing. And it won’t stop If you’re having a bad day, you’ll find our January 2023 issue of Country Guide a pretty easy target.  That’s okay.  For example, Richard Kamchen […] Read more


hanson acres

Hanson Acres: “It’s moving east!”

Neighbours drop everything, Donna races home … our story continues

Reading Time: 5 minutes The smoke had worked its way into the tractor cab, making it harder for Jeff to see. His cell phone buzzed and he grabbed it. “I don’t know if we can keep this fire out of your yard.” It was Brian Miller. “My son’s got the Pro-Till over there. There’s flames right behind him.” Jeff […] Read more

Tom Button

Editor’s Note: That thing about young farmers

Reading Time: 2 minutes Today’s mid-career farmers have got things figured out. They know they’re different. They’re more professional, they’re more management oriented, they’re more strategic, but …  But, as a group, they’re at risk of getting outshone by the young farmers in the next generation that are starting to show what they can do.  You’ll see it in […] Read more