Reading Time: 2 minutes As we get into spring, find some time for thinking and brainstorming how you can make 2021 a milestone year that your farm will long remember. It’s the right advice. Not every ag sector is having a banner year. And even within the grain and oilseed sector, not every farm is feeling on top of […] Read more
Editor’s Note: The right year to celebrate
Hanson Acres: The votes are in, so tell us who won!
It’s election day, and on the Hanson farm, the tension is mounting and mounting
Reading Time: 4 minutes Elaine Hanson’s laptop was propped up at the end of the kitchen table, and Elaine, her husband Jeff, and Jeff’s parents Dale and Donna sat clustered in their chairs at the other end, drinking coffee and watching the screen. Elaine bit her lip, one eye on the screen and the other on her phone, where […] Read more
Editor’s Note: Knowing the value of the job ahead
Reading Time: 2 minutes Success at business is success at putting your values into action. In farming, that’s good for the world, and it’s going to continue that way as long as family farming survives. One of my personal distractions this spring will be planting sugar maples and white oaks that we’re acquiring with the help of the local […] Read more
Hanson Acres: “Where did she go? I just saw her a minute ago!”
Sometimes it’s a dog’s life on the farm, but only if you’re very, very lucky
Reading Time: 5 minutes Dale’s heart was beating louder than the seed cleaning plant motor. In full panic mode, he shouted again, but still no response. He could feel the sweat on his forehead turning his toque damp. He spun in a slow circle, looking around the yard. No traffic was going by on the road. That at least […] Read more
Editor’s Note: A bigger question than COVID-19
Reading Time: 2 minutes Agriculture is racing into the future. We all agree on that. But what will farms look like in that future? And who will farm them? I can’t say for sure, and I don’t think you can either. Here’s an interesting assignment for a snowy March evening. Make a list of your current machinery inventory and […] Read more
Hanson Acres: The countdown begins, with eight more weeks to go
“Remember,” Elaine was told, “not everyone’s going to agree with you.”
Reading Time: 4 minutes “Thanks Jeff,” Elaine said, barely looking up as her husband refilled her coffee cup. Elaine and her mother-in-law were at the kitchen table, working on Elaine’s campaign. With eight weeks to go until the end of elections for the board in Saskatchewan, Donna was re-reading the final draft of Elaine’s candidate bio while Elaine tweeted […] Read more
Editor’s Note: How good is the advice I’m getting?
Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s a question we didn’t ask farm accountants when we asked them what traits separate their average from their above-average farm clients. The days of bookkeepers and cash accounting aren’t over, of course. Every farm has different needs. But accountants and accrual-based accounting are the new norm, and the transition has helped enable the professionalization […] Read more
Hanson Acres: A big decision, and a nervous wait
What will her family say, Elaine wonders. And what about all those other farmers?
Reading Time: 4 minutes Elaine Hanson’s laptop glowed at one end of the kitchen table. At the other, Elaine, her husband Jeff, and Jeff’s parents Dale and Donna sat in a cluster, hovering over their coffees and watching the screen. Elaine bit her lip, one eye on the screen and the other on her phone. Her fingers texted continuously. […] Read more
Editor’s Note: A motion that needs support
Reading Time: 2 minutes As farmers across the country churn their way through this winter’s virtual meeting season, here’s a proposal for adding a useful (and profitable) bit of debate. It’s way past time for more farm groups to start investing a slice of their research budgets into exploring the business questions that will be crucial to their members’ […] Read more
Hanson Acres: So how come Connor is still sitting in the truck?
“You’d better get him home,” Donna said. “Elaine’s looking for him.”
Reading Time: 5 minutes When the phone rang Donna finished sewing to the end of the seam before she picked up. “Hrguagh?” she said, realizing too late that she was still holding three pins in her mouth. “Um… Donna?” her daughter-in-law Elaine asked. “Sorry,” Donna said, removing the pins. “I can call you back?” “No!” Donna said. “I’m glad […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
