“It’s having those long-term thoughts,” Jinel Ference says, when asked what it takes to build an inclusive farm. “What do you want for your farm, for your community? How does that look?”

Summer Series: Implementing changes that matter

[Change Management] Maybe there used to be one tried-and-true path to farm success. Today, for farmers like Craig and Jinel Ference, it’s about seeking new ideas and getting creative about how to integrate them

Reading Time: 12 minutes Right now, we’re focusing on streamlining, simplifying and making things more efficient,” Craig Ference says. “That’s kind of our next expansion … making what we have a lot better. Improving our production, our land and our cattle to get a better gross margin from our current asset base.” Yup, that’s a farmer. The same or […] Read more

“Keeping each other accountable is very important.” — Gracey Gulak.

Summer Series: When she’ll be the leader…

[Leadership] On more farms like these, the dad-daughter relationship is emerging as one of agriculture’s greatest strengths

Reading Time: 10 minutes The dad-daughter relationship is emerging as one of agriculture’s greatest strengths. Country Guide spoke with two young Manitoban women about how they’re harnessing the power of this dynamic to grow their farms.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor Maybe it used to be a struggle for Dad to stop being Dad and become a business partner. […] Read more


“The younger generation needs to know whether there is ever going to be an opportunity. But they also have to understand that their parents are not required to give them a job or obligated to let them take over the farm, and there may be reasons why it won’t be possible.” – Kelly Dobson.

Summer Series: Do the kids really want it?

[Leadership] If yes, the kids and their parents both have to be clear on how they can prove it

Reading Time: 4 minutes If the kids are expressing an interest in the farm or their answer to the question “Do you really want this opportunity?” is yes, then both kids and parents must be clear on how they can prove it. Follow this expert advice to get you started.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor An intergenerational farm transition […] Read more

"It doesn’t matter the size of the operation, learning and advancing your leadership skills can pay dividends for anyone."

Summer Series: Is my kid a leader?

[Leadership] What does leadership potential look like?

Reading Time: 6 minutes What does leadership potential look like? Are there certain skills a parent should teach or encourage their kids to develop? And how can parents do that? Read or listen to this article to find out.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor It’s actually two questions. It isn’t just how much leadership potential have my kids got? […] Read more


Siblings Ashley Stronks and Aubrey Kolk.

Summer Series: Lessons for young farmers on farm transitions

[Best Advice] As they get going on their farm transition journey, there's something all young farmers have to learn

Reading Time: 7 minutes Where can young farmers turn for help to figure out which pieces of the leadership puzzle to learn and when? And on top of all the facts and processes you must master as you step into an on-farm leadership role, how can you accumulate enough of the right insights and skills required? These three young […] Read more

To help insulate a farm business in unpredictable times it needs internal strength, but what does that look like?

Summer Series: How fit is your farm business?

[Best Advice] Financial fluency helps the farm prepare for anything

Reading Time: 6 minutes Financial fluency can help your farm prepare for anything. To protect your business in unpredictable times it needs internal strength, but what does that look like? Here’s how to understand the dynamics of your business and to find out if it’s fit enough to handle risk.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor A growing number of […] Read more


Grandson Curtis Lappage joins Robert and Betty Green in a farm family meeting. A major focus is to build a framework so young members develop leadership.

Summer Series: How to prepare for business meetings

[Best Advice] Getting serious about family meetings is helping this farm score current and future gains

Reading Time: 6 minutes During family farm meetings it’s important for everyone to take off their family hat and address each other in a professional manner. Follow these tried-and-true tips and tricks for successful family business meetings. – April Stewart, CG Associate Editor At one of their first business meetings on their farm, Betty Green served coffee and cake […] Read more

“There’s legitimate concern around institutional ownership. There are some opportunities within institutional land ownership such as farmers building rental land operations but ultimately there is no ownership in those models, and ownership is control. Farmers need to own the land.”

Who owns the land?

Farms are consolidating, and non-farmers are getting aggressive

Reading Time: 5 minutes It isn’t always easy to get a clear picture of how the pattern of farmland ownership is changing across Canada, particularly in the Prairie provinces. In Alberta, land titles data is expensive to purchase and in Manitoba, the provincial government has to give permission for access, even for research purposes, and that can take several […] Read more


For the Van Breugels, the Canadian bonus is clear: farmers here are valued.

Choosing Canada

For these new immigrants, there’s no going back. Their future is here

Reading Time: 4 minutes It isn’t just the government red tape and the inevitable mountain of paperwork that comes with it that has driven some European farmers to Canada. It’s also the public’s negative perception of farmers and how it is fueling a lot of the regulations, especially around manure management, fertilizer use and animal welfare. “There is no […] Read more

Han Brink’s advice to other Dutch farmers? Buy what you can in Canada.

The immigrant farm

Is another wave of foreign farmers headed for Canada?

Reading Time: 5 minutes [UPDATED: Nov. 21, 2023] Even into the early 2000s, Canadian real estate agents were doing impressive business flying cash-rich and expansion-minded European farmers west across the Atlantic to buy turnkey farms here at prices far cheaper than they could ever find at home. That was then. Today, the flow has slowed to a trickle, not […] Read more