Reading Time: 6 minutes Way back in 2009, Country Guide published a story on a new idea that was being called “jump-shift.” It’s the theory that the only real way to get ahead is to make sudden transitions or “jumps,” instead of trying to evolve smoothly and steadily. Shift quickly, jump whole-hog. Commit yourself to deciding which technologies to […] Read more
Looking for the next “jump-shift” in agriculture
Amid all the predictions that agriculture in 2030 will look utterly different than today, a new, less dramatic future is emerging
Going forward with a 4R nutrient plan
Doing the right thing with nutrients can save money, boost yields and protect the environment
Reading Time: 5 minutes You’ve probably heard of it, and you might even be practising it. If so, you might want to advertise it to customers and the general public. If you’re not practising it, you may be missing an opportunity to save some money and gain some yield. “It” is Fertilizer Canada’s (FC) ‘4R’ Nutrient Stewardship. The program […] Read more
At the edge
Five strategies that the new generation of farmers are embracing to take their farm businesses to the next level
Reading Time: 6 minutes “A wise person once said to me ‘if you don’t stretch, you don’t grow.’” That’s straight from Jake Ayre, the chair of Manitoba Young Farmers who crops 1,900 acres north of Minto together with his parents Heather and Andrew, sister Caitlin and an employee. It’s become his mantra, and a mission. “Be open-minded and try […] Read more
Gauging employee productivity
Sure, your employees seem busy enough. But are they productive? Better yet, can you improve their productivity?
Reading Time: 6 minutes Of course farmers have an excellent grasp of their input costs. As in any business, the lower the costs, the better the bottom line, so farmers are constantly experimenting with different fertilizer rates, seeding rates, equipment strategies and so much more. And for everything they do, farmers track what it costs, what it produces and […] Read more
The joy of farm diversification
On more farms across Canada, keeping an eye open for diversification opportunities is part of what it means to farm
Reading Time: 11 minutes Chances are, any reader of Country Guide knows at least some farmers who have diversified in some way. The odds are good, too, that you’ve heard them get talked about. Maybe you’ve done some of the talking yourself? Everyone has an opinion. Are these farmers risk-takers, or are they just ordinary farmers like you who […] Read more
Is your farm keeping up with the times?
These eight practices are becoming the standard for smart Canadian farmers. Are you using them all?
Reading Time: 6 minutes Farmers across Canada are doing their very best to integrate business practices into their farming operations. They understand that maximizing the success of a farm business takes more than production excellence. But what business practices should they make standard, and why? Let’s first look at where farmers have started from, based on a study called […] Read more
Real blockchain payoffs
Sure, a lot of what you hear about blockchain technology is hype. But there are also very real pathways to higher net returns
Reading Time: 10 minutes By now, we’ve all heard about the new kid on the ag tech block, known as blockchain. But we’re far from understanding what the use of blockchain is going to mean at the farm level. What benefits will it provide? Will its chain-of-custody and traceability for identity-preserved (IP) crops, including seed, keep Canada competitive? Is […] Read more
Crafting a new human resources plan for your farm
Don’t wait any longer. An HR management plan to protect the long-term success of your farm business could be worth working on now. Here’s why
Reading Time: 10 minutes Agriculture is changing. Innovation abounds. More new technology and better automation arrive every year. So it’s worse than ironic that our biggest shortfall is people power. But there it is. Without the right people, can our farms even hope to adopt the technological marvels that are supposed to propel them into the future? Mechanization is […] Read more
Why Environmental Farm Plans aren’t just for livestock farmers
All three Prairie provinces offer to cost-share programs for producers who have completed an Environmental Farm Plan and adopt beneficial management practices
Reading Time: 4 minutes The Environmental Farm Plan isn’t just for livestock producers, especially as the pressure increases on crop growers to demonstrate their sustainable-cropping practices to the food industry. But before we look at how the EFP is playing an important role in regional and global sustainable-sourcing initiatives, let’s look at what cost-sharing projects related to crops are […] Read more
AgriProfit$ helping beef up Alberta’s farm sector
An on-farm look at Alberta’s program for harnessing multi-year farm business analysis
Reading Time: 8 minutes There’s one word that gets used by the farmers Country Guide interviewed after taking part in Alberta Agriculture and Forestry’s free AgriProfit$ farm business management research program. It’s “invaluable.” Sean and Tanya McGrath at Vermilion have participated in AgriProfit$ for 10 years; John Mochniuk at Wildwood has participated for 20. But before we hear their […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
