Reading Time: < 1 minute Are you getting bad vibes from someone with whom you usually feel quite connected? It can be tough for everyone to always jive with everyone else when you work and/or live together day after day. But if there is in fact something wrong and you’d like to get to the bottom of it, Patti Durand […] Read more
VIDEO: Managing ‘not-so-good’ vibrations
Youth motivated to find answers to today’s agricultural challenges
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 This is the first in a series of articles exploring the perspectives and experiences of young people who are finding their passion, flexing their skills and contributing their insights and innovations to various sectors of Canada’s agriculture industry. They shared with Country Guide what excites them about the industry, what they think about its future […] Read more
Saskatchewan flower grower experiments with crops to find best bridal bouquets
Summer Series: Part two of our series following Saskatchewan’s Shifting Blooms along their business decision trail throughout the growing season
Reading Time: 3 minutes After four years running a flower farm, Kristen Raney is getting to know her business clientele better each year. Experimenting over the years with the sandy soils of her Clavet, Sask., farm means that she’s feeling confident this summer’s brides and grooms will love what she has to offer. She supplied her first 2025 wedding […] Read more
VIDEO: Owning your influence in the community
Summer Series: Farmers are leaders in their communities, whether they realize it or not. Here’s how and why you should embrace that influence
Reading Time: 3 minutes A few years ago, I made a simple decision that would end up changing the way I see leadership. I signed up to get involved in my son’s rec hockey organization. At the time, I was excited. I wanted to be part of something meaningful, to give back, to support him and the other kids. […] Read more
Riding the tariff rollercoaster
What are producers doing to minimize the risk created by ongoing trade uncertainty?
Reading Time: 3 minutes Farmers are accustomed to roller-coaster years. But the current geopolitical windstorm is something else entirely. On his cattle operation near Birtle, Man., Tyler Fulton is making good use of livestock price insurance and has filed his annual application for AgriStability, a margin-based, federal business risk management (BRM) program that helps Canadian producers manage large income […] Read more
Producers aren’t panicking over tariffs and trade threats
Tariffs & Trade: In the face of extreme market uncertainty, protectionist tariffs and geopolitical risks from around the world, Canadian producers aren’t rushing to change their crop and farm plans for the upcoming season — but they may put some major purchases on hold
Reading Time: 6 minutes The Manitoba Canola Growers Association (MCGA) surveyed its members this spring to get a sense of how trade uncertainty was affecting their decisions. “While trade is certainly weighing heavily on them it’s not the only factor. There are many factors that go into considering what producers choose to seed each year,” says Delaney Ross Burtnack, […] Read more
Ground rules for farm family communications
Summer Series: For better business results learn how to shift from talking and listening to each other as family members to making decisions together as business partners
Reading Time: 5 minutes Establishing meeting ground rules can help your family find ways to communicate that work for your farm. Here are some ideas you can incorporate into your farm’s communication code of behaviour. Setting rules for how your farm will meet about business can be a difficult cultural shift for the whole farm and family, but it’s […] Read more
VIDEO: How to go from managing to mentoring
Summer Series: How you lead matters. Subtle but powerful shifts in your leadership style can make a world of difference to your employees and, consequently, to your farm business
Reading Time: 2 minutes There’s a moment every leader remembers: that moment when someone looks at them differently. Not because of what that leader did, but because of how they did it. That’s mentorship. There have been a few times in my career where I’ve had glimpses of a true mentor. Those moments stand out. But the most impactful […] Read more
Leaders need support, too
Summer Series: Today’s ag leaders shoulder a heavy mental and emotional load. Despite their stoic leadership skills team members must remember that sometimes their leader needs support, too
Reading Time: 4 minutes “Leaders are expected to remain composed, to offer reassurance and to be a safe harbour for their teams… it can be draining,” says Jennifer MacTavish, a Guelph, Ont., executive coach and mediator. This can lead to burnout, especially during times of uncertainty. MacTavish, who spent 20 years in leadership roles with agricultural industry associations, has […] Read more
Agronomists share tips for evaluating new crop products and tech: Pt. 3
Summer Series: There is always some new product or technology coming around the corner. How do crop consultants filter out the noise and arrive at a reliable recommendation for their clients?
Reading Time: 4 minutes With new products, new production practices and new technology converging on the agriculture industry at a frenetic pace in recent years, independent agronomists and crop advisors are feeling the pressure to provide clients with recommendations — sort the wheat from the proverbial chaff — about what might or might not work on an individual farm. […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
