Reading Time: 7 minutes It’s a fact that most families squabble. Individuals don’t always see eye to eye, and they can’t always work together. But if they can find a way, it can make a world of difference to the profitability and future of their farm — and the success of their relationships with each other. The Stepplers managed […] Read more
Manitoba farmers share their farm succession story
Transitioning the family farm can be riddled with challenges. The Stepplers have learned that working collaboratively offers a better chance of success for all
Side hustles for farmers
A lot more farmers are turning to side hustles as a way to provide additional sources of income, but there’s a lot to consider before jumping in
Reading Time: 9 minutes Imagine telling your family of proud cattle producers that you are going to farm insects. But for fourth-generation farmer Ryan Steppler, his idea for a side business raising crickets for food wasn’t that hard of a sell to his dad, Dale. In fact, it was Dale who first gave him the idea. Ag-related or not, […] Read more
13 steps to a side hustle on the farm
Reading Time: 5 minutes Stephanie Plaster, a farm management outreach specialist with the University of Wisconsin – Madison Division of Extension, talks with lots of farmers who want to diversify their farms with a value-added enterprise. She uses several tools and exercises to help them plan what they want to do and how to do it. Here is her […] Read more
The case for hiring a full-time employee on your farm
It’s different today. Employees come with expectations. You have to work with them... but on this farm, it’s more than worth it
Reading Time: 12 minutes You may have had help on the farm before on a seasonal, casual or term basis. Most farms probably have. But farming today is different, and so are the reasons why you might be considering a full-time employee. So how do you know when it’s time to take the plunge? Will it pay off, or […] Read more
Discovering ways that your farm can do more
The value-added journey can look like a fast track to success. But as roads go, this one may not be so straight or level
Reading Time: 15 minutes When they start planning for transition to the next generation, many family farms recognize they have to increase revenue if the farm is going to support everyone full-time. But in today’s agriculture, the farm can’t always turn to the old tried-and-true solution, adding acres. So it’s little wonder they begin asking how they might raise […] Read more
‘Partner up’ to help diversify your farm
Rosemary Wotske and Cam Beard need new rules. Do you?
Reading Time: 6 minutes Farm partnerships are taking a new direction today. Of course there are still traditional arrangements — formal or informal — between farmers, like those that share the cost of equipment, and there are contractual arrangements, too, like those between a crop processor and a farmer delivering specific specs. More and more, though, farmers are partnering […] Read more
Travelling for the sake of your farm
For soon-to-be farmers, a gap year of ag-focused travel — and the insights they get from it — can make for a great start
Reading Time: 8 minutes Back in the 60s and 70s, loads of North American kids crammed their backpacks to the point of bursting and jumped straight from high school and college into a plane seat for a year of backpacking in Europe or almost anywhere else before settling down. That was then. Today, though, a lot of those planes […] Read more
Finding the right peer group for you
The right peer group can be a great way to gain insight into your business numbers and your management options. But where do you find that ‘right’ group?
Reading Time: 8 minutes Peer groups are quickly taking on a new life in Canadian agriculture. But these are different groups today, about as different from the coffee gang at your nearby Tim’s as the NHL is from the local old-timers’ league. There are still multiple types of these groups, focusing on financial or business management, perhaps, or succession, […] Read more
How selling local works for these farmers
For smaller farms, local can seem the only option. Now, a decade of real world experience from farmers like Troy Stozek and Michelle Schram points to a better way to do it
Reading Time: 6 minutes When it comes to getting locally grown food to consumers, farmers can only do so much. For regional food systems to thrive there needs to be more collaboration among farmers and from many other people along the chain. Troy Strozek and Michelle Schram, owners and operaters of Fresh Roots Farm at Cartwright, just north of […] Read more
Do’s and don’ts of farm direct marketing
Reading Time: 7 minutes The reality for many small farmers is that direct marketing what they raise and grow on their farms is the only way they can see to achieve the margins they need to support themselves and their dreams. “For entry farmers or those who are smaller, they don’t have the economy of scale to rely on […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
