Reading Time: 3 minutes If you read Country Guide you are most likely a farm manager or owner which means that perhaps you’re often focused on human resources management. But if you don’t think you’re great with people, not to worry. Many times, I’ve come across farm managers who have evolved their people skills in a short amount of […] Read more
You don’t have to be a people person to be a good leader
Summer Series: Just follow these basic tips to polish your leadership skills
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
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
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
Succession on the farm: Where to begin?
Summer Series: Thinking of farm transition as a short-term, quick deal that we must get right because we only get one chance can prevent us from even starting the process — and starting it off right
Reading Time: 3 minutes I recently polled farm managers about what big projects they were planning for this year. Half the respondents said succession was a priority; however, many indicated that they don’t know where to start. I look at it like this: if you’ve taken your child to the field, or they work alongside you, then you have […] Read more
When motion doesn’t equal action
Farmers are busy. But does all the busy-ness mean that you’re getting things done?
Reading Time: 3 minutes After a busy day, have you ever looked back and thought, “What did I get done today? Did I check anything off my must-do list?” As author James Clear said so perfectly: “Being in motion (busy) does not equal action.” In the coaching world we call busy days “buffer days” since they act as a […] Read more
When farm plans fail
If you’ve been talking for years about planning something for the farm, maybe it’s time to look at why you’re stuck
Reading Time: 3 minutes “It’s been 10 years, and we still don’t have a plan.” If this sounds like something you’ve said to yourself, have you also asked, “Why don’t we?” Ten years talking about making a plan but still not having it written down, or not making any real changes in the way your farm operates, can be […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
