Reading Time: 5 minutes The smoke had worked its way into the tractor cab, making it harder for Jeff to see. His cell phone buzzed and he grabbed it. “I don’t know if we can keep this fire out of your yard.” It was Brian Miller. “My son’s got the Pro-Till over there. There’s flames right behind him.” Jeff […] Read more
Hanson Acres: “It’s moving east!”
Neighbours drop everything, Donna races home … our story continues
‘It’s all in your head’
Futurology: It takes brain power to farm. It always has, but nothing like the ‘mental machinery’ that will transform agriculture in the next 20 years
Reading Time: 3 minutes This is the second in a series of articles about the future of agriculture. The series isn’t an attempt to forecast next month’s canola prices, but a look at what Canadian agriculture might look like in the long term, 20 years from now. In the first article in the series, we looked at foresight, a […] Read more
Hanson Acres: Fire threatens the farm
“It’s moving east too,” Jeff said, and everyone knew what that meant
Reading Time: 5 minutes Harvest was finished at the Hanson farm. No longer needed out in the field, Elaine finally had time to get the books back up to date. She had been doing the Hanson’s bookkeeping for years since her mother-in-law had turned the software over, and she hated getting too far behind, especially with year-end coming up. […] Read more
Be your own futurist
Futurology: Forward-thinking farmers and experts aim to predict future changes for Canadian ag
Reading Time: 6 minutes If the past few years have taught us anything, it’s about how many of us get so much about the future so wrong. Change happens quickly and you need to adapt fast. Maybe you scrambled for extra labour when someone on your team caught COVID-19. Maybe you sold cattle when consecutive drought years increased feed […] Read more
Hanson Acres: On the farm, it matters what you keep your eye on
There’s magic in this farming life
Reading Time: 4 minutes Elaine kept a close watch on the combine header as the canola fed in, glancing over to check the moisture reading on the screen every few seconds. The combine’s night lights lit up the dust floating over the field. It was only a little after eight-thirty, but already dark enough that, outside the circle of […] Read more
Hanson Acres: Roll that window down, breathe some good Prairie…
Sometimes it’s best when life on the farm doesn’t go exactly to plan
Reading Time: 5 minutes When they’d finished discussing their harvest plans for the day, everyone on the Hanson farm had got up and set their coffee mugs in the second-hand dishwasher Jeff’s wife, Elaine, had bought for Father’s Day. Then they all set out for the field. “For the love of God, don’t break anything,” Jeff Hanson had called […] Read more
Hanson Acres: “How did they know that we’d be here?”
Jeff was exhausted. Elaine was fed up. It was time to escape
Reading Time: 4 minutes Some guys go to the beach. Some guys go camping in the mountains. I just keep on spraying.” Jeff Hanson was talking to himself as he walked out to the dugout to load the sprayer at 4:30 in the morning. Ever since the Hansons finished seeding, anytime it wasn’t windy, Jeff or the Hansons’ employee […] Read more
Hanson Acres: Coming home isn’t always just as you imagined it
Fresh off the plane from Germany, Donna takes another trip when she sees the house
Reading Time: 5 minutes After nearly a month in Germany helping her daughter take care of a new baby, Donna Hanson was happy to see her husband at the bottom of the airport staircase when she arrived at the Regina airport. It was good to be home. Until Dale shouted up, “Welcome home, Grandma!” Donna was mortified. She looked […] Read more
Hanson Acres: When it isn’t only the weather that changes overnight
"Let’s get this show on the road,” Mark said, not realizing what road it would turn out to be
Reading Time: 5 minutes Jeff Hanson stood in the May morning sun, eyeing up his seeding crew. “This is going to be something else,” he muttered. Mark Edwards, the Hansons’ farm employee, winked at Jeff. “Let’s get this show on the road.” Normally, Jeff, his wife, his parents and Mark worked together to get the crop in the ground […] Read more
Hanson Acres: Who knows what a day will bring on the farm?
When it comes to land, 'they’re not making any more of it'
Reading Time: 4 minutes As soon as he hung up the phone, Jeff knew he couldn’t make this decision on his own. He called his wife. “Elaine, could you come out to the shop?” “Sure,” she said. “What do you need? Should I put on coveralls?” “I need help, but you don’t need coveralls,” Jeff said. “That’s mysterious,” Elaine […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
