Reading Time: < 1 minute How can you tell your parents that the accountant they’ve had for years might not currently be the best option for the farm? An email from Worried We’re Missing Something asked our resident awkward conversation pro, Patti Durand from Brightrack Consulting, for advice about what they should say to mom and dad to ensure that […] Read more
VIDEO: Is your parents’ accountant the best fit for the farm?
A guide to farm financial ratios
Long lists of available financial ratios can be overwhelming. Here are three financial ratios that matter to bankers and how understanding them can strengthen your farm’s financial future
Reading Time: 7 minutes Some farm managers love to spend the winter poring over their financial statements and analyzing all ratios and indicators and how they’ve changed over time. Others would rather be outside working with cattle or at conferences learning the latest disease management techniques. If you’re not in the first category, your banker might know more about […] Read more
VIDEO: How to ask for a raise on the farm
Reading Time: < 1 minute If you’re thinking of asking for a raise but know that conversations about money can be awkward — especially if the boss is mom or dad — then you’ll want to listen to this week’s episode of Awkward Ag for step-by-step advice.
Why do farmers hate paying taxes?
Reading Time: 3 minutes It didn’t take long in my accounting career to learn that farmers don’t like paying income tax. No one does really, but farmers seem to have a particular disdain for sending money to Ottawa. I think there are a few reasons for this. One is cash basis income tax treatment which means farmers can often […] Read more
The wildly adaptable side of next gen agriculture
Summer Series 'Next Gen': Millennials are not all about avocado toast. This generation is not afraid to question the way things have always been done in the ag industry if it means building a stronger future
Reading Time: 4 minutes Some people just fall into the world of agriculture — and consider themselves lucky to have stumbled into such a happening industry. Kelsey Owen-Cooper is one of those people. Owen-Cooper grew up in rural Ontario, surrounded by farm influences. Her grandparents grew up on farms, her father worked on a local dairy (frequent visits to […] Read more
Shifting tides bring change to agriculture
Summer Series: Will short-term pain cause long-term gain for Canada’s ag industry?
Reading Time: 4 minutes Warren Buffet once said, “Only when the tide goes out do you discover who’s been swimming naked.” Well, the tide is going out in primary producer agriculture. Who will be left with clothes on? Is the shifting tide due to the highest cost of production ever? The changing policy discussions? The geopolitical factors that come […] Read more
How to develop a leader’s mindset at every stage of your career
Summer Series: Leadership looks different at every stage of your farm career. And the stories you hear, the ones you seek out or the ones you tell yourself all effect how you lead
Reading Time: 3 minutes From the time we are born stories help us learn important lessons. Every day I look around for stories that can help me understand what is or isn’t working on our farm. It might be small anecdotes or maybe a line from an employee or a supplier that sticks with me. If I can understand […] Read more
VIDEO: A week in the life of a flower farmer
Summer Series: Operating a business that is at the mercy of the weather means it’s always a gamble whether the hard work will pay off. Sticking to a daily routine helps flower farmer Kristen Raney stay on top of a busy wedding season — and hopefully beat the odds
Reading Time: 4 minutes July sun beats down on Kristen Raney as she works in her Clavet, Sask., flower garden. Weeding and watering are constant this time of year and so, from June to August, this flower farmer, blogger and writer maintains a strict routine to keep up with the demands of weddings, artisanal markets and the farm stand […] Read more
VIDEO: Trying to find work-life balance on the farm
Reading Time: < 1 minute In this week’s episode of Awkward Ag, Patti Durand answers a letter signed by “Trying to Find Balance” who asks Patti what they can say to other farm team members who make them feel guilty about trying to find a work-life balance. Do you need some advice on how to have an awkward conversation with […] Read more
Manitoba agronomist and farmer reflects on career in agriculture
Summer Series 'Making the Future': Exploring the perspectives and experiences of young up-and-comers in various sectors of Canada’s agriculture industry
Reading Time: 3 minutes In the final instalment of our Making the Future series Country Guide spoke with Beth Martel from St. Leon, Man. (Click here to read part one, part two, part three and part four.) Beth Martel grew up in Wales, U.K., and moved with her family to Manitoba in 2001, where they purchased a mixed cattle […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
