Reading Time: 10 minutes Is leadership learned or is there a leadership gene? Country Guide asked the next generation of Canadian ag how they learned to lead and what are the most important leadership skills.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor Agriculture has moved relentlessly forward for centuries. In a practical sense this is thanks to mechanical, scientific and technological […] Read more
Summer Series: The new farm leader
[Leadership] Six lessons from successful farms focused on boosting their leadership skills for 2024 and beyond
Summer Series: Podcast with Samantha Klaver
Reading Time: < 1 minute Join us as we talk with Samantha Klaver, territory sales rep and CrossFit trainer, about her unique challenges and opportunities in Canadian agriculture. (Subscribe to the Country Guide Podcast on Google or Apple so you can catch new episodes as they’re released throughout the summer.)
Summer Series: Leadership skills key to farm success
[Leadership] Two farm families share how they came to see getting stronger at farm leadership as the key to their growth
Reading Time: 6 minutes Being your own boss, making your own decisions, reaping the rewards of your hard work. Self-employment has its perks as a farmer. But as every farmer also knows, self-employment has its risks and its downsides too. You’re the one who’s accountable, you’re the one who has to keep yourself motivated, you’re the one who’s always […] Read more
Summer Series: Best advice from a retired seed grower
[Best Advice] What's your greatest asset?
Reading Time: 2 minutes What’s your greatest farm asset? Lloyd Affleck hesitated when an advisor asked him this question, but the answer was something all farmers should consider.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor Lloyd Affleck is connected. He’s a retired pedigreed seed grower and chair of Canterra Seed’s board of directors and he has served other industry boards and […] Read more
Summer Series: How to set up a peer group
[Best Advice] Peer groups are driving the performance of more farms across the country. How do you get started
Reading Time: 5 minutes You can’t always rely on one-off farm tours to get the info you need to make those critical decisions for your farm. One increasingly popular solution: peer groups. Here’s how to get one started.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor Every farmer gains deep perspective and a wealth of insight during their career. It’s knowledge that […] Read more
Summer Series: How to get disruptive
[Best Advice] On the Charbonneau farm, the business strategy seemed clear. Go vertical. But how?
Reading Time: 7 minutes Here’s how one Quebec dairy farm decided to take the proverbial bull by the horns and make their farm a vertical integration success despite the constraints of the industry.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor Too often it seems we never hear the words “disruptor” and “Canadian agriculture” used in the same sentence. When we’re thinking […] Read more
Summer Series: Podcast with Mark Lumley
Reading Time: < 1 minute Listen in as Mark Lumley from Fairwind Farms shares key moments from his life, how he grew into the agriculture industry, and what he thinks about the future of agriculture and food production. (Don’t forget to subscribe to the Country Guide Podcast on Google or Apple so you can catch new episodes as they’re released […] Read more
Summer Series: ‘Never stop learning’
Reading Time: 2 minutes Sheila Elder and her husband Jeff grow malt barley, canola, soybeans and wheat on their farm near Wawanesa, Manitoba. Elder says the best advice she’s ever been given is “never stop learning.” This advice, she says, applies to all areas of life, but especially farming. “It doesn’t matter how much I learn — there is […] Read more
Summer Series: Bank on growth
[Better Advice] Ideas that performance-minded farmers can take to the bank
Reading Time: 5 minutes Even top-performing farmers need advice. In fact, when farmers fine-tune their operations to maximize yield and profitability, they can plan on needing more financial advice than ever before. This is for some very good reasons. Not only do risks grow with the scale and complexity of the operation, but so do the opportunities, and today’s […] Read more
Summer Series: How to use a situational analysis to set farm goals
[Best Advice] Consider a situational analysis in order to set goals for your farm
Reading Time: 9 minutes Knowing exactly where you’re starting from, and with what resources, leads to more efficient decision-making. Here’s a tool to help you plan for a new process, project or product on the farm.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor Stories in Country Guide often explore the latest, the most innovative and sometimes the boldest in on-farm business […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
