Reading Time: 7 minutes Years ago, the common wisdom was that farm kids should try something else before coming back to the farm, and many parents had two things in mind when they gently nudged their fledgling future farmers from the nest: encouraging them to go to school and try an off-farm career. To start with, farming wasn’t a […] Read more
A better path into farming
The idea used to be that kids should work at an off-farm career before returning to the farm. It’s an idea worth a second look
How good are your HR skills? Is it time to upgrade?
If you are going to have employees, you can never run away from being a supervisor,” says HR consultant Leah Knibbs. It’s a role, she says, that pays well when it’s done well
Reading Time: 7 minutes Not only are our farms getting bigger and more complex, but farm families are also getting smaller as farming couples have fewer kids, just like other Canadians. It’s a demographic combination that has changed the ag labour dynamic, says Leah Knibbs. For many farmers, the days of running the farm by putting the family to […] Read more
Three red flags to watch for on your farm
Is it time to call in an HR consultant to boost your farm’s performance?
Reading Time: 2 minutes The first warning sign seems like it should be an obvious one. But it isn’t always that simple. This red flag is a farm that can’t keep staff. The trouble is, it’s easy to blame the employees instead of taking a hard look at whether the problem is closer to home, says Leah Knibbs of […] Read more
Guenther: Canada’s beef export sector waiting, watching
Reading Time: 3 minutes As speculation swirls around U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to renegotiate NAFTA, officials with Canada’s beef industry are taking a measured approach. They’re not ignoring the possibility of trade disruptions in the U.S., said Ryder Lee, CEO of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association — “but neither are we lighting our hair on fire yet at each […] Read more
Hybrid wheat gets some real vigour
Will hybrid wheat finally live up to its promise, and will that be enough to encourage farmers to pay extra for the seed? Some big players bet they will
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s a typical June day in central Saskatchewan — a little windy, with sun trying to push through the clouds. A busload of people is touring the research plots at Bayer CropScience’s new wheat-breeding centre, near Pike Lake, south of Saskatoon. The bus includes wheat breeders, farmers, and executives — plus a little girl sitting […] Read more
Deciding on AgriStability
AgriStability has never been popular with farmers, and there’s a burgeoning lobby to get it improved. But keeping your farm enrolled still looks like the right move
Reading Time: 9 minutes If you ask farmers what they think of AgriStability, chances are you’ll hear grumbling, some of it pretty loud. But as farm groups gear up to negotiate with the federal government over the next round of Growing Forward programs, it’s time to examine what’s actually working, what’s not, and what’s misunderstood about the program. What’s […] Read more
Applying fungicide by air
If you choose an aerial applicator to apply your fungicide, be aware of timing and water volume
Reading Time: 3 minutes Dr. Tom Wolf, researcher and owner of Agrimetrix Research and Training, says aerial applicators are “tremendously important.” “They apply spray under conditions that a ground rig can’t — for example, with soil moisture. They cover much more area than a ground rig ever can so they can be more timely. ”Jill Lane, executive director of […] Read more
Apply fungicide when lentils flower
If you have valuable lentils out in your field, make sure you protect them from crop disease
Reading Time: 4 minutes Whether you’re an old hand at growing lentils, or relatively inexperienced, it’s worth brushing up on a few harvest tips before the combines start rolling. Harvest success begins before seeding. It’s best to pick land that’s fairly level and stone-free, says Dale Risula, provincial specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture in Regina. “Rolling your land is a […] Read more
Guenther: Farmers aim to keep pulse diseases in check
Reading Time: 4 minutes Rain makes grain, the saying goes — but too much spring rain and farmers are likely to see disease in pulses. That’s certainly been the case in Saskatchewan, where farmers in most regions are actively scouting for, or in some cases spraying for, crop diseases, according to the provincial crop report. So which leaf diseases […] Read more
The business of beef in Canada
There’s no such thing as commodity beef anymore, says Alberta feedlot producer Ryan Kasko. It’s an attitude that is transforming the heart of Canada’s beef country
Reading Time: 13 minutes Canada’s beef industry seems like it’s built on a contradiction. It’s a sector living right on the edge of the future. Every aspect of production is undergoing change. New technology is revolutionizing how herds are raised and managed, and new consumer preferences are raising the bar in their own way too, perhaps faster in beef […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
