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
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
The farm isn’t just a great place to grow up
Summer Series: Farms of the future won’t look like they did just a few decades ago. Is the industry doing enough to sell the next generation on careers in agriculture?
Reading Time: 3 minutes Growing up I wanted to farm. I laugh now because what I defined as farming when I was young is not even identifiable in today’s operations: sleeping behind the seat of grandpa’s combine, driving the farm truck when I couldn’t reach the pedals and sitting shotgun in the grain truck with no air conditioning. This […] Read more
Making space for a new generation of ideas in Canadian 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: 4 minutes In part four of our Making the Future series Country Guide spoke with Eugénie Officer from Hemmingford, Que. (Read part one here, part two here and part three here.) Officer grew up on a small apple farm in southwestern Quebec. After studying history and agriculture at the University of Guelph, she joined Farm Credit Canada […] Read more
Can slowing down farm succession really work?
Summer Series: Designating more time to the farm transition process can mean less stress and more choices
Reading Time: 4 minutes When I ask farmers to guess how long it will take to complete a transition plan, they usually say one to two years. The reality is that it takes much longer. In a 2017 survey by Business Development Canada (BDC), five out of six entrepreneurs believed that the transition process can be completed in two […] Read more
When it looks like there aren’t many options for farm growth what’s a growing family to do?
Summer Series: Here’s how farm families can navigate a common sticky farm succession situation — and still want to have Christmas dinner together
Reading Time: 4 minutes Keeping the farm in the family is something really special. But figuring out how to share it with siblings and cousins who want to be part of the business? That can get tricky. Especially if the farm is only so big and growth is limited. “Every farm and family dynamic is different, and the more […] Read more
Encouraging people from outside agriculture to come on in
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: 4 minutes In part three of our Making the Future series, Country Guide spoke with Emily McGovern from South Surrey, B.C. (Read part one, here.) McGovern, 24, works on developing special content for marketing projects for Glacier FarmMedia, the parent company of Country Guide. She has a BA in linguistics and publishing from Simon Fraser University and […] Read more
Adapting, innovating and thriving in Saskatchewan agriculture
Summer Series 'Next Gen': Country Guide sat down with several 2024 Outstanding Young Farmers (OYF) to learn about their experiences and plans for the future. In this instalment, we spoke with Saskatchewan regional winners Erika and Cyle Stewart
Reading Time: 5 minutes Cyle and Erika Stewart have embraced their ability to pivot and take a new approach to ranching on more than one occasion. They moved their cow herd and entire ranch operation from British Columbia to Saskatchewan in 2017, successfully navigated droughts, and are now focused on finding new ways to improve the management of their […] Read more
Youth focused on keeping Quebec’s dairy industry strong
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 part two of our Making the Future series, Country Guide spoke with Béatrice Neveu from Rawdon, Que. (Read part one, here.) Twenty-two-year-old Neveu is a dairy farmer who milks 60 (mostly) Jersey cows alongside her dad, Steven. After completing the three-year Farm Management and Technology program at Macdonald College in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Que., she returned […] Read more
Outstanding Manitoba farm couple harnesses innovation and data
Summer Series 'Next Gen': Self-proclaimed data junkies and winners of the 2024 Manitoba Outstanding Young Farmers award, Paige and Marcus Dueck, talk about the changes they’ve made on their farm, how they’ve harnessed technology to work for them and what leadership means
Reading Time: 4 minutes For over a decade Paige and Marcus Dueck have embraced their passion for farming while striving to innovate and expand their Kleefeld, Man., dairy operation. Today, they are proud to say they’ve doubled their milk production during their short tenure and have optimized robotic technology to create a successful and balanced lifestyle for their young […] Read more
Ontario farmers partner for success
Summer Series 'Next Gen': Country Guide sat down with several 2024 Outstanding Young Farmers (OYF) to learn about their experiences and plans for the future. In this instalment, we spoke with Ontario OYF regional winners Matt Bergman and DJ Wassenaar
Reading Time: 5 minutes Ontario business partners, Matt Bergman and DJ Wassenaar, have been farming together for 10 years. Their focus on integrating unconventional and innovative practices, combined with embracing calculated risks, is one of the reasons they were awarded the Ontario Outstanding Young Farmers (OYF) award in 2024. As young farmers who are eager to grow their operation, […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
