Reading Time: 7 minutes One of my first jobs was working as a mechanic’s helper at a farm equipment dealership in the late 1970s. Among my duties was using an F-250 Ford pickup and gooseneck deck trailer to pick up and deliver equipment. I even recall delivering a combine on that unit. Granted, it was a smaller, older machine […] Read more
Summer Series: Old machines,new technology
[Change Management] Can retrofit kits mean it’s cheaper and smarter to say no to trading in?
Summer Series: Podcast with Cody Snyder
Reading Time: < 1 minute Cody Snyder is a seasoned traveler who found his way back to the family farm. In this episode, Cody tells us how travelling the world has changed his outlook on business and his career. Listen in at country-guide.ca. If you missed our last episode where we featured Cody’s dad, Graham, you can catch up on […] Read more
Summer Series: Stress in a volatile world
[Change Management] When the world spins so erratically, can you stop yourself spinning too?
Reading Time: 4 minutes “There is nothing left in the tank,” says Beverly Beuermann-King. She sees it regularly. “People get tapped out … One more thing can throw them over the edge.” The phenomenon is what Beuermann-King works on as a resiliency and stress expert, and even if that sounds like a trendy new specialism it has actually been […] Read more
Summer Series: Smarter training
[Change Management] Even the best employees are only as good as they know how
Reading Time: 6 minutes Training new and existing employees about the ever-changing tasks on the farm is essential if you hope to build and maintain a great farm team. But how much should you invest in training? Are you already there, or could your farm make big strides in its efficiency if you stepped up your training initiatives? Such […] Read more
Summer Series: Bringing DEI to the farm
[Change Management] Building diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives into your farm pays off. Here are five tips for getting it right
Reading Time: 4 minutes Farm leaders know that in a tight labour market, policies that promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) will help them attract and retain the best talent. Those not making headway on these critical issues will be left behind. That, by the way, is from a business prof, not a sociologist, and in addition to his […] Read more
Summer Series: Your next decision
[Change Management] Can you take the same path as Kristjan Hebert? Should you even try?
Reading Time: 9 minutes Agriculture already has so many buzz phrases meant to show you’re smart. There’s “Do more with less,” there’s “Work on the business, not in it,” and, of course, there’s “What got you here today won’t get you to where you want to go tomorrow.” It isn’t that they’re wrong. It’s that they’re too much like […] Read more
Summer Series: Podcast with Graham Snyder
Reading Time: < 1 minute “It’s not a job it’s a life” In our latest episode from our Country Guide we speak with Graham Snyder on what hard work means to him and how he farms as a family. Graham Snyder has been working on farms his whole life. From cash crop farming to tillage and combining the Snyder family […] Read more
Summer Series: Pivot, and then pivot some more
[Change Management] Why would this family abandon mainline commodities, and then dig in even deeper
Reading Time: 11 minutes Just making one of these moves would be a huge step for any farm, let alone both of them. First, the Haskett family switched their farm from hogs to goats. Then, years later, they pivoted their market strategy too, launching their own new brand. In this article, we dive deep into how the family made […] Read more
Summer Series: What are they thinking?
[Change Management] Like the Munn-Venns, those new small-acreage farmers down your road may have a surprisingly sophisticated approach to decision-making
Reading Time: 11 minutes This isn’t a typical Country Guide scenario. Three years ago, Karri and Trefor Munn-Venn saw a 25-acre vineyard in Quebec’s picturesque Outaouais region and they bought it lock, stock and barrel — despite having zero farming experience. For established farmers, it could look as if the Munn-Venns had turned their backs on sensible decision-making the […] Read more
Summer Series: Preparing a business plan for your farm
[Change Management] Whether the change you’re looking at is big or small, the experts insist a business plan will make it more successful
Reading Time: 5 minutes A business plan is like a road map for your farm. You can plan your route, set a destination and track progress. But without a map or a plan, how does a farm business owner know what success looks like? Or what you’re capable of achieving? And, most importantly, how do you decide which changes […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
