Reading Time: 6 minutes Dr. Evan Fraser wears multiple hats at the University of Guelph, although “hats” doesn’t seem a big enough word. Fraser is Canada research chair in global food security, scientific director of the university’s acclaimed Food from Thought research initiative, and much more. Fraser is also director of the Arrell Food Institute, whose mission statement conveys […] Read more
Trust the opportunity
All the Chicken Littles are wrong. The sky isn’t falling, and we aren’t running out of food, says Evan Fraser. “We live in a world where there is enough.”
Thriving in nature’s landscape
As they approach their retirement years, more farmers are reaping the benefits of working to enhance nature
Reading Time: 5 minutes Farmers are intimately connected to the land. Intuitively, they have always known that if they take care of the land, the land will take care of them, but life for young farm families is busy, and with the pressures of mortgages to pay and children to raise, environmental stewardship isn’t always as front and centre […] Read more
Step three to value adding: Social media
Social media is a powerful tool to attract customers, but mastering it isn’t as easy as it looks
Reading Time: 5 minutes There’s no doubt that social media platforms are making it easier than ever to stay in touch with existing customers and to expand your market beyond your current reach. But social media is always evolving, and businesses need to be nimble to use these new tools successfully. The electronic landscape is shifting so fast that […] Read more
Farmer Tim’s social media tips
Pointers from Tim May on how to use social media to set the record straight on farms and farming
Reading Time: 4 minutes Tim May is a fourth-generation dairy farmer near Guelph, Ont., with 27,000 followers on Facebook. That’s right — 27,000. May started his Farmer Tim Facebook page a little over three years ago when he decided it was time for average farmers to battle the misinformation about dairy farming and agriculture that he saw being shared […] Read more
A sense of place
Every place has a story to tell, but be in the moment to enjoy it
Reading Time: 4 minutes We’ve all been struck sometime, visiting a place where the buildings and landscaping just seem to feel right, where there is a sense of harmony and flow. Creating that sense of place doesn’t just happen, says Stratford, Ont. architect Krista Hulshof, who specializes in designs for rural properties. Every place has a story to tell, […] Read more
Step two to value adding: Preparation
What you should know before you open your farm gate to the public
Reading Time: 6 minutes Direct marketing and value adding can be the logical next step on the path to farm expansion. Whether it’s growing strawberries to sell through your own retail outlet, or hosting dinners in the old bank barn, or any of the 1,000 other possibilities, such opportunities can help the farm capitalize on its investments and expand […] Read more
Preserve those family memories
Got a jumbled box of old photos you’ve been promising to organize ‘someday’? Daina Makinson shares her secrets for getting the job done, and enjoying it too
Reading Time: 5 minutes When faced with a loose box of old photos, we all feel at sea. The pictures might all be of our family over the generations, but how can we link all the individual photos into some sort of overall sequence, or fit them into some sort of order that helps us put each photo into […] Read more
Step one to value adding: Evaluation
You’ve got a great idea for a new product. Or maybe not
Reading Time: 5 minutes There are many reasons why farmers are drawn to value adding. You might have excess capacity in the field or the barn, for instance, or maybe if you milled grain into flour, you could retain good staff by providing year-round positions. Or maybe you’re wondering if an on-farm market could solve your problems by creating […] Read more
The grieving child
Even in the strongest farm families, we often try to shelter our children rather than help them address the loss of a parent, grandparent or family friend
Reading Time: 5 minutes When a child is facing the death of a loved one, our first instinct is often to try to shelter them. Unfortunately, following that instinct may do more harm than good. One of the biggest mistakes people make is waiting too long to tell a child a loved one is dying, says Andrea Warnick, a […] Read more
Time to volunteer!!
There’s a critical need for farmers and farm families to give their time to protect and enhance the quality of rural life
Reading Time: 5 minutes Volunteers are the heart of a community. Despite their isolation and sparse populations — or maybe because of it — farm communities in particular have been held up for generations as models of neighbourliness, with families supporting each other in times of need. Now, neighbourliness may not be enough. Something more structured is needed, with […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
