Reading Time: 4 minutes Every day we hear complaints about young people. We complain that they have a sense of entitlement. They aren’t motivated. They don’t have any loyalty to their employers… Not surprisingly, dozens of articles and books have also been written on how to reduce conflict between the generations. But are we making too much of generational […] Read more
The Millennial myth
It turns out the Boomers and Millennials aren’t so different, and they can form great teams
Time to get cooking
These farm groups are building lifelong customers by teaching kids how to help themselves in the kitchen
Reading Time: 4 minutes For more and more of today’s kids, basic cooking skills are a lost art. With two parents working non-stop and with a full slate of after-school activities for the kids, families are eating more prepared meals or picking up food on the go. Mary Carver, food literacy specialist at the Ontario Home Economists Association (OHEA) […] Read more
Eight etiquette rules for the farm
Smooth manners are becoming at least as valuable on the farm as anywhere else
Reading Time: 5 minutes We all know the feeling, like when we’re at a meeting where we don’t know anyone and we’re feeling awkward about starting conversations. Or maybe we’re new on a board or a committee, and we aren’t sure how formal or informal it’s meant to be. Or when we’ve been invited to an event but we […] Read more
Pitfalls on the road to value adding
So you’ve got a great idea. But can you actually grow a solid business around it?
Reading Time: 5 minutes At first glance, creating a value-added business may seem a lucrative way to increase profits and employ family members, but the road to success can be filled with potholes. Below, our experts and experienced value-adders list the dangers, and provide advice on how to avoid them. 1. Being star-struck by your own product Gary Morton, a […] Read more
Farm Etiquette: Essential for business success
If you stick to these six rules, it won’t actually matter which fork you use
Reading Time: 4 minutes You may think that etiquette is all about using your napkin at a formal dinner or the rules for making introductions at a cocktail party. And you’d be right… to a point. Those are certainly aspects of etiquette, but Jay Remer, known as Canada’s Etiquette Guy, says etiquette actually goes far beyond knowing some list […] Read more
Preparing women to be career farmers
Fifteen expert ideas for a better start to a woman’s career on the farm
Reading Time: 5 minutes As more women join the ranks of primary producers, they still find out there are some challenges working in an industry where they are in the minority. How can young women best prepare for a career as a farmer? How can their families help them. Country Guide asked a variety of experts from backgrounds as […] Read more
Is your idea marketable?
The BioEnterprise model could help you get your project off the ground
Reading Time: 4 minutes Farmers are known for being natural innovators, and for finding ways of doing things faster, better or easier. What farmer hasn’t thought at least once: “This is a great idea — I bet I could sell it.” But the reality is that there is a long and difficult road between “the great idea” and a […] Read more
Farm management groups have benefits
This farm finds that belonging to a farm management group improves their decision-making, and reduces their stress
Reading Time: 5 minutes Alain Lavigne has belonged to a farm management group for 25 years and says he couldn’t imagine farming without it. “It puts the picture of the whole farm in front of you… it helps us evaluate our strengths and weaknesses,” says Lavigne, who farms with his family in Ontario, an hour east of Ottawa. “It […] Read more
Is your farm ‘too family?’
Guide Life: Put the emphasis on business, family experts say. It will reduce conflict for everyone
Reading Time: 5 minutes For as long as there have been farmers in Canada, we have pointed with great pride to “The Family Farm.” Maybe, however, we’ve been taking too much pride in the family part of our family farms, and by doing so, we may actually be creating more conflict. Winnipeg business adviser and psychologist Pam Paquet suggests […] Read more
Networking for business and life
If you cringe at the thought of networking, it’s a good sign you’re going about it the wrong way
Reading Time: 4 minutes While in the stands at his son’s hockey game, John got a recommendation for an accountant from one of the other parents. At a conference, Chris met a group of farmers who were also interested in experimenting with cover crops. At the end of a long day of combining, Tara shared her frustrations about work-life […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
