Reading Time: 7 minutes In many cases, Canadian farms are being transferred to the next generation. But that’s “many,” not “all.” And if you’re in a situation where transition is unclear, or if you know your final plan will be to sell out, it’s time to get thinking about your options for building a farm exit plan. What does […] Read more
Do you have an exit strategy for your farm?
For whatever reason, if your farm isn’t going to get transferred to your family’s next generation, these are big questions you need to get started on
The way to retire
Especially on the farm, planning for a happy retirement really does a make a difference
Reading Time: 7 minutes Here’s an unpopular question. When are you going to retire from the farm? This is often a taboo topic because it’s hard to know when you’ll be ready, and just as hard, if not harder, to know what it means to retire. To a farmer, retirement could read like a death sentence. Or does it […] Read more
‘No looking back’ for online auctions
Online auctions are reshaping the business of how land and equipment are sold
Reading Time: 7 minutes When the COVID-19 pandemic changed the world in March 2020, the auction business changed too. The global lockdown affected every business — including farm and equipment auctions — and has since shaped the way auctions have, and will continue to be conducted. To accommodate the traditional busy auction season, many farm auctions made the move […] Read more
Selling the farm
It’s the biggest decision of your life. More than ever, it takes planning, skilled advisors … and a resilient mindset
Reading Time: 8 minutes You only sell the farm once. Obviously, you don’t get to this point lightly. So, what is your first step? Do you sell the whole farm, or go piecemeal? How can you be sure you get the market price? Will you get nailed for taxes? You’ve spent a lifetime — and there’s a good chance […] Read more
Sustainable HR
Ag businesses aren’t the only ones using sustainability to attract highly motivated employees in a tough market. Farms are too
Reading Time: 4 minutes Having trouble hiring? Worried about employee retention? Here’s a new approach to consider: mission- focused employment. There’s been a shift in today’s workforce. Employees are increasingly looking for career opportunities with like-minded employers who match their personal values, like health, the environment and animal welfare. Attracting potential employees to employers that align with their values […] Read more
Sizing Up The Ethnic Market
Reading Time: 5 minutes In anybody’s book, it’s a big number. Nissim Avraham has taken the lead in growing Ontario’s milk market by 30 million litres in three short years, and he’s done it mainly by tapping into a market that many other farmers say is too trendy, fickle and volatile for responsible business planning. It’s the ethnic market, […] Read more
The Heart Of Your Farm(2)
Reading Time: 5 minutes RECOVERY Recovery is more than “getting back on your feet.” It means psychological and physical adjustments, and there will be have to changes for the family and spouse too. “A heart event affects the entire family,” says nurse Kendra Ulmer. “One of the most important things you can do to speed recovery is to accept […] Read more
Breaking Away
Reading Time: 5 minutes There are lots of reasons for farmers not to take a vacation. You might not have reliable help, or maybe you don’t want to take your eyes off the markets, even for a second. Or perhaps you just find it tough to give up control, even for a week or two. Get past it. Work-life […] Read more
Marketing For Beginners
Reading Time: 5 minutes Around the lunch table in the teachers’ lounge at her school, Dana Thatcher always attracted a lot of attention. Unlike her co-workers, her lunches were not only homemade. They were homegrown too. And not only that, Thatcher also talked about why she liked her locally grown food, and she talked about it well enough to […] Read more
Get What You’re Owed
Reading Time: 4 minutes Running a farm means running a business, but sometimes that’s hard to remember when you get caught up in busy times like harvest or calving. Sometimes it’s hard to remember, too, because farming offers so many temptations. After all, who wouldn’t rather grab a wrench and head for the shop than grab a phone and […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
