Reading Time: 5 minutes When I spent a summer working as a mechanic’s helper at an Allis Chalmers dealership in 1978 as one of my first jobs, I recall a brand marketing rep coming out to hold a customer information session. He brought cut-away examples of some of the features being built into their newest tractors, including the brand’s […] Read more
Farm machinery scores big in 2022
It used to be that trophies were won with brute strength. Now it’s electronics that score the big prizes and shows us what farming is on its way to becoming
Editor’s Note: The best choices in 2022?
Reading Time: 2 minutes We used to say the worst choices get made in the best times. To farmers’ credit, that’s no longer true. But do we know what the best choices this winter will turn out to be? I sometimes think there isn’t a farmer in the country who wouldn’t like to sit in my seat from time […] Read more
Hanson Acres: Make them forget all about that other time you tried it
It can’t happen twice, Jeff said. Elaine wasn’t convinced
Reading Time: 5 minutes Finally, Elaine thought, life is back to “normal.” Well, almost. She realized she was still wearing her face mask as she drove alone in her SUV, halfway between Prairieland Park and her hotel. She pulled the mask off and tossed it onto the passenger seat. She didn’t love wearing masks, but as long as a […] Read more
Editor’s Note: Big decisions are coming fast in 2022
Reading Time: 2 minutes Farming isn’t a business. Oh no, hold on just a minute! Of course it’s a business. How could Country Guide ever say it isn’t? Ask any farmer what’s on their “must do” list for 2022. Right at the top will be production. It has to be. Farming is all about producing more, producing more efficiently, […] Read more
Hanson Acres: Here’s the joy of Christmas secrets
When his sister called, Jeff knew his Mom would be surprised. But not this much
Reading Time: 5 minutes “Donna Hanson was beyond disappointed. “I understand,” she told her daughter Trina over the phone. “These COVID travel rules keep changing. Of course you can’t risk having to quarantine.” Trina and her husband Tom had taken job transfers from North Carolina to Germany last year, both working for ag chemical companies. Between the move, and […] Read more
Editor’s Note: So much rides on finding the best words
Reading Time: 2 minutes The real charge I get from editing Country Guide is being able to connect with farmers who know what they want. They generate an energy it’s tough to find anywhere else Most of us have participated in some version of a conversation like the one I had below. (I’ll leave it in gendered terms because […] Read more
Hanson Acres: Putting it out in the open for all to see
Sometimes, you know it instantly. No one will ever forget what you've just done.
Reading Time: 4 minutes Jenny and Connor were ready and waiting, backpacks on over light fall jackets. Outside, Flora, their grandfather’s dog, started barking. It was an urgent, loud bark, as if she was alerting the Hansons to an emergency. “Bus is here!” Connor shouted, grabbing the door handle. “Bye!” his little sister Jenny called, running after him. Their […] Read more
Editor’s Note: A different start for a different world
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canada’s agricultural colleges and universities deserve loud praise for the energy they have poured into re-imagining post-secondary ag education. But not everything is new. In fact, the whole farm education sector has responded impressively at a time when it must seem that everything is in constant change. Technology has changed how programs can be delivered, […] Read more
Hanson Acres: It never rains but it pours somewhere
What can you say when a truckload of 4-H’ers catch you in the act?
Reading Time: 5 minutes “We never should’ve gone to the lake,” Jeff grumbled. Way back in August, the Hansons thought they would be finished harvest in record time. After a long stretch of hot, dry days with no breakdowns, they surprised even themselves by shutting down early one day to spend an afternoon and evening at the lake. But […] Read more
Editor’s Note: An opportunity to move on for 2022
Reading Time: 2 minutes It isn’t the only lesson from 2021, but it’s potentially among the most important: Our farm organizations will only grow more valuable the further we get into this decade. I pointed out once before in this space that there are two questions we almost never ask in our Country Guide interviews. What farm organizations are […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
