Reading Time: 4 minutes Some people just fall into the world of agriculture — and consider themselves lucky to have stumbled into such a happening industry. Kelsey Owen-Cooper is one of those people. Owen-Cooper grew up in rural Ontario, surrounded by farm influences. Her grandparents grew up on farms, her father worked on a local dairy (frequent visits to […] Read more
The wildly adaptable side of next gen agriculture
Summer Series 'Next Gen': Millennials are not all about avocado toast. This generation is not afraid to question the way things have always been done in the ag industry if it means building a stronger future
Shifting tides bring change to agriculture
Summer Series: Will short-term pain cause long-term gain for Canada’s ag industry?
Reading Time: 4 minutes Warren Buffet once said, “Only when the tide goes out do you discover who’s been swimming naked.” Well, the tide is going out in primary producer agriculture. Who will be left with clothes on? Is the shifting tide due to the highest cost of production ever? The changing policy discussions? The geopolitical factors that come […] Read more
How to develop a leader’s mindset at every stage of your career
Summer Series: Leadership looks different at every stage of your farm career. And the stories you hear, the ones you seek out or the ones you tell yourself all effect how you lead
Reading Time: 3 minutes From the time we are born stories help us learn important lessons. Every day I look around for stories that can help me understand what is or isn’t working on our farm. It might be small anecdotes or maybe a line from an employee or a supplier that sticks with me. If I can understand […] Read more
VIDEO: Trying to find work-life balance on the farm
Reading Time: < 1 minute In this week’s episode of Awkward Ag, Patti Durand answers a letter signed by “Trying to Find Balance” who asks Patti what they can say to other farm team members who make them feel guilty about trying to find a work-life balance. Do you need some advice on how to have an awkward conversation with […] Read more
Bank of Canada holds rates steady and says global trade war risk has eased
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Bank of Canada held its key policy rate at 2.75 per cent for the third time in a row on Wednesday, as expected, and said the risk of a severe and escalating global trade war had diminished.
The farm isn’t just a great place to grow up
Summer Series: Farms of the future won’t look like they did just a few decades ago. Is the industry doing enough to sell the next generation on careers in agriculture?
Reading Time: 3 minutes Growing up I wanted to farm. I laugh now because what I defined as farming when I was young is not even identifiable in today’s operations: sleeping behind the seat of grandpa’s combine, driving the farm truck when I couldn’t reach the pedals and sitting shotgun in the grain truck with no air conditioning. This […] Read more
Making space for a new generation of ideas in Canadian agriculture
Summer Series 'Making the Future': Exploring the perspectives and experiences of young up-and-comers in various sectors of Canada’s agriculture industry
Reading Time: 4 minutes In part four of our Making the Future series Country Guide spoke with Eugénie Officer from Hemmingford, Que. (Read part one here, part two here and part three here.) Officer grew up on a small apple farm in southwestern Quebec. After studying history and agriculture at the University of Guelph, she joined Farm Credit Canada […] Read more
Can slowing down farm succession really work?
Summer Series: Designating more time to the farm transition process can mean less stress and more choices
Reading Time: 4 minutes When I ask farmers to guess how long it will take to complete a transition plan, they usually say one to two years. The reality is that it takes much longer. In a 2017 survey by Business Development Canada (BDC), five out of six entrepreneurs believed that the transition process can be completed in two […] Read more
When it looks like there aren’t many options for farm growth what’s a growing family to do?
Summer Series: Here’s how farm families can navigate a common sticky farm succession situation — and still want to have Christmas dinner together
Reading Time: 4 minutes Keeping the farm in the family is something really special. But figuring out how to share it with siblings and cousins who want to be part of the business? That can get tricky. Especially if the farm is only so big and growth is limited. “Every farm and family dynamic is different, and the more […] Read more
Agriculture ministers agree to AgriStability changes
federal government proposed several months ago to increase the compensation rate from 80 to 90 per cent and double the maximum payment from $3 million to $6 million
Reading Time: < 1 minute federal government proposed several months ago to increase the compensation rate from 80 to 90 per cent and double the maximum payment from $3 million to $6 million
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
