Kelly and Christi Friesen (center) and their children at Rebellion Farms in the Peace region of Alberta.

Summer Series: Building a new farm

[Best Advice] There’s always good luck and bad. For the Friesens, though, building the farm is too important to stop

Reading Time: 9 minutes Forced to pivot as they were starting up their farm, the Friesens did what most farmers excel at: finding solutions, workarounds and innovative approaches. Read on to find out what the rest of us can learn from their story.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor It was the summer of 2015 and Christi and Kelly Friesen […] Read more


To help insulate a farm business in unpredictable times it needs internal strength, but what does that look like?

Summer Series: How fit is your farm business?

[Best Advice] Financial fluency helps the farm prepare for anything

Reading Time: 6 minutes Financial fluency can help your farm prepare for anything. To protect your business in unpredictable times it needs internal strength, but what does that look like? Here’s how to understand the dynamics of your business and to find out if it’s fit enough to handle risk.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor A growing number of […] Read more

Too few farmers have succession plans, even among high performers, says one chartered professional accountant.

Summer Series: Do sweat the details

[Best Advice] Accounting advice to get more competitive

Reading Time: 5 minutes When it comes to farm accounting, it’s increasingly about the details and it’s the farmers who notice them who come out on top. Here are the top four tips to get more competitive.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor Blair Sanderson sees it time and again. “The difference between a good producer and a great one,” […] Read more


A joint venture can be a great way to test a business relationship.

Summer Series: What is a joint venture?

[Best Advice] Practice becoming increasingly useful for getting the next generation started

Reading Time: 3 minutes A joint venture can be a great way to test a business relationship. It can also be a way to help the next generation get started. Follow this best advice for setting up and running a successful joint venture.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor Corporations, partnerships and joint ventures are the three most common business […] Read more

Grandson Curtis Lappage joins Robert and Betty Green in a farm family meeting. A major focus is to build a framework so young members develop leadership.

Summer Series: How to prepare for business meetings

[Best Advice] Getting serious about family meetings is helping this farm score current and future gains

Reading Time: 6 minutes During family farm meetings it’s important for everyone to take off their family hat and address each other in a professional manner. Follow these tried-and-true tips and tricks for successful family business meetings. – April Stewart, CG Associate Editor At one of their first business meetings on their farm, Betty Green served coffee and cake […] Read more


April Stewart, Country Guide Associate Editor.

What’s your ‘best advice’ for the farm?

Reading Time: < 1 minute The theme of our Summer Series for May is best advice – and what a pair of loaded words! Because what seems like “good” advice to one person might feel outdated or unapplicable to another. And advice taken in good faith from someone you respect and admire might not turn out as you had hoped.  […] Read more

Farm family coach Elaine Froese says identifying values is a crucial exercise for young farmers and she encourages them to think about how to explain these to the older generation.

Summer Series: Top transition tips for young farmers

[Best Advice] How the next generation can help farm transition be successful

Reading Time: 3 minutes How can the incoming generation help farm transition be successful? Follow these top transition tips below!– April Stewart, Associate Editor Glacier FarmMedia – Transitioning management and ownership of a farm business from one generation to the next can present many challenges. While there are numerous resources to support farm founders in assessing their business and […] Read more


“It can be really challenging to define your goals,” says MNP’s Kim Gerencser, “but without it, the planning process is doomed to fail.”

Summer Series: A practical guide to writing your farm business plan

[Best Advice] This eight-point plan can help put you on the right path

Reading Time: 6 minutes Farm business planning is always a popular topic of discussion among advisors and management gurus. But statistics still show a slow uptake by farmers. Those using a written business plan, however, are reaping the benefits. Follow the eight steps below to get started.– April Stewart, Associate Editor. If you’re an avid Country Guide reader, you […] Read more

Deep listening is harder than many of us think, says a mediator and farm family coach.

Summer Series: It Pays to Listen Better

[Best Advice] Know somebody who’s missing out on great advice because they don’t hear what they’re told? Could it be you?

Reading Time: 5 minutes Being a good listener is harder than it sounds. And some of the ways we respond to others prevent us from being present and truly connecting with them. Active listening is a high-value risk management tool, partly because listening is such a big part of conflict resolution. The good news? With practice, you can learn […] Read more