Reading Time: 8 minutes The Baron family farm is close to the Manitoba town of Carberry in more ways than one. The farm is located right on the edge of the town, halfway between Brandon and Portage la Prairie, and the Barons have called it home since their grandparents homesteaded here in the 1930s. That makes some very deep […] Read more
Rural communities take the charitable lead
Once again, the generosity of farmers is proving vital in rural Canada. This time, it helps to get good financial advice
What the future farm could look like in 2030
Future farm: Maybe it seems more like fiction today, but every year brings this picture of the future closer
Reading Time: 6 minutes Big change is coming. In the words of Shrek, “Change is good, Donkey!” It’s also inevitable, which farmers probably know more than anyone else. There are, of course, differing opinions about what farming will look like 10 years from now. Will farms be larger? Probably. Will weather be more unpredictable? Almost certainly. Will technologies like […] Read more
When college grads come home to the farm
If your kids come back from college and just end up behind the wheel of a tractor, you're missing some serious opportunities
Reading Time: 9 minutes On a sun-dappled morning in mid-September, 80 young men and women assemble in a large auditorium at the University of Manitoba’s campus. They’re here for a day of orientation as they begin two years of study towards their agricultural diplomas. Among them is 18-year-old George Meggison. He’s following in the footsteps of two sisters, as […] Read more
Retired farmers show they have a lifetime to share
Support for these farmers stopped the moment they left the farm, until Jill Rennie developed this innovative dementia support group
Reading Time: 8 minutes Retiring from the farm can have a massive impact on farmers’ mental and physical health. It can seem the lucky ones are those who can still live on the farm site, do a few odd jobs, run some errands or help out at busy times. Indeed, the ones who end up moving away from the […] Read more
La Route des Saveurs (The Flavour Trail)
In both languages, it spells an unbelievable farm success
Reading Time: 8 minutes Some 350 million years ago, a massive meteorite plummeted out of the heavens, slammed into Earth and gouged out a giant bowl-shaped crater that today is the remarkably beautiful, fertile region of Charlevoix, Que. Wedged between the picturesque north shore of the mighty St. Lawrence and the stunning Laurentian Mountains, this UNESCO-designated biosphere is just […] Read more
Gone to school
Guide Canada: For a growing number of Millennials, the place to learn about agriculture doesn’t have a conventional farmer anywhere in sight
Reading Time: 5 minutes “I’m energized every time I walk into this building,” says Tony Doyle. “And so is everyone else. They know we’re doing something unique here.” The building Doyle is talking about is the Centre for Food at Durham College in Oshawa, the city on the eastern edge of Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe that has been best known […] Read more
Help wanted
If the door is open for more women to take on more farm roles, it’s because we need them
Reading Time: 9 minutes Undoubtedly, some of the momentum that’s creating more opportunities for more women on Canada’s farms can be traced to various women’s movements over the past century. But not all of it. Not surprisingly, we should be praising the generations of farm parents who have provided great role models too. And yes, let’s admit that some […] Read more
Promises to yourself
When the pressure is on, farmers get amazing things done. Now, a new technique called WOOP can help you score when the pressure is off as well
Reading Time: 5 minutes Farmers are good at getting things done under pressure. When the crop needs to get in the ground or the hay has to be baled before the rain, farmers follow through. But when there’s no deadline, farmers can fall prey to procrastination just like everybody else, says Carleton University professor Dr. Tim Pychyl, who also […] Read more
Drowning in rain
How do you shed water in wet years yet conserve water in dry? Farmers in this small Saskatchewan watershed wrestle with the kinds of issues that may soon engulf the country
Reading Time: 11 minutes In the farmyard that once belonged to Nick Schmidt, lake water now laps towards his grain bins, outbuildings and corrals. A vintage car sits in water nearly up to its bumper. Looking at the scene, Dwight Odelein, a local farmer and nephew of Schmidt, recalls that 20 years ago, the water was five or six […] Read more
‘Super Keen’
Ag education is hot, and enrolment is booming from coast to coast
Reading Time: 8 minutes It’s inspiring for anyone in agriculture to talk to the principals and deans at ag-related academic institutions across the country. More than ever in history, young Canadians are pursuing careers in ag. In a nutshell, it’s because there are jobs in agriculture after school — good jobs that offer exciting and interesting career paths for […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
