Reading Time: 10 minutes Harvest was wrapping up when I arrived in wine country. Up and down the valley, grape growers were breathing almost audible sighs of relief as final bins were hauled from the vineyard to crush. Seemingly overnight, the valley had shifted from the vibrant oranges, golds and deep purples of fall to the browns and greys […] Read more
8 steps to go
Change Makers: Trail-blazers? mavericks? gamblers? Success for Chris and Betty Jentsch is all about winning at change
Ultra-consistent canola stands, but with a price attached
Craig Shaw loved the results, and lower seed cost, but the pricey equipment is a major barrier
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s one of those farming Catch 22s. On the one hand, the high cost of canola seed makes it tempting to minimize one’s seeding rate — on the other hand, a strong and consistent canola stand is key to good returns. In the American Corn Belt, producers have found a solution by repurposing their corn […] Read more
The first-generation farmers of Hillside Dreams Goat Dairy
Like other new farmers across Canada, Barrie and Merel Voth may not produce the commodities you’d expect, or farm at the scale you’d like, but they’re committed, brave, and very, very smart
Reading Time: 6 minutes How serious are Barrie and Merel Voth about their start-up goat dairy venture? Serious enough that they wrote exactly two exit options into their farm lease agreement. Bankruptcy. Or death. “Oh, but don’t write that!” says Merel. In April last year, when they signed on the dotted line for their five-year lease agreement at Silver […] Read more
Networking and the farm
In the first of two parts, networking expert Donna Messer explains why her work should matter to you
Reading Time: 5 minutes If you challenge yourself to describe a farmer in 10 words or less, before you’re halfway through, you’ll find yourself reaching for words like independent, autonomous and self-reliant. And no wonder. With all the risks and stresses of agriculture, farmers have earned the rights to that image of strength, resiliency and self-determination. But, as every […] Read more
That’s the spirit
Farm smarts, an incredible dose of dedication, and intense passion for their products are driving these two ventures into consumerism
Reading Time: 9 minutes Maybe these two startup agribusinesses are riding the coattails of B.C.’s wine industry. Or, maybe they’re on to something unique and innovative. Either way, they’re succeeding in farm-based ventures based on the passions of their customers, and they are thriving on the essential passion of their owners. With the summer tourist season barely six weeks […] Read more
Minding the future
Reading Time: 6 minutes Back a year and a half ago, Jeff Braisher attended a beef industry conference in Calgary, hoping to discover what he needed to know to make his business dream a reality. Turns out, it wasn’t so much a question of what he needed to know as a question of who. And as luck would have […] Read more
The apple from heaven
Discovering Ambrosia apples was luck. Building them into one of the world’s favourite apples was anything but
Reading Time: 6 minutes Longtime apple producers in the B.C. interior, Sally and Wilfrid Mennell are becoming world celebrities — at least in the apple world — for discovering a chance seedling in their orchard that they have built into one of the favourite apple varieties on Earth. How they did it proves once again that the most successful […] Read moreThe better leader
What traits set great farm business managers apart from the crowd? We asked leading farm advisers.
Reading Time: 5 minutes Brent Bender Regina district director Farm Credit Canada Great farm business managers surround themselves with an exceptional group of people, all of whom are committed to the success of the operation. These experts — the accountants, lenders, agronomists, lawyers, and involved family members — confirm whether the decisions the manager is considering making are the […] Read moreField to flask
Reading Time: 6 minutes Patrick Evans is a farmer through and through. For proof, there’s the firm handshake, the well-worn boots, and the tireless work ethic half hidden behind a self-deprecating sense of humour. There are also the local roots — Evans was born and raised on a dairy farm not 20 kilometres from his current farm. But it […] Read more
Succession Primer
Reading Time: 5 minutes ” ACKNOWLEDGE THE SIZE OF THE JOB Leaving a leadership and ownership role in any business requires preplanning. Leaving a farm business can be even more difficult. It s no longer a simple transaction, says Larry Morin, an independent farm business adviser based in Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. who specializes in agricultural succession planning. Mom and […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
