Reading Time: 3 minutes From the time we are born stories help us learn important lessons. Every day I look around for stories that can help me understand what is or isn’t working on our farm. It might be small anecdotes or maybe a line from an employee or a supplier that sticks with me. If I can understand […] Read more
How to develop a leader’s mindset at every stage of your career
Summer Series: Leadership looks different at every stage of your farm career. And the stories you hear, the ones you seek out or the ones you tell yourself all effect how you lead
VIDEO: A week in the life of a flower farmer
Summer Series: Operating a business that is at the mercy of the weather means it’s always a gamble whether the hard work will pay off. Sticking to a daily routine helps flower farmer Kristen Raney stay on top of a busy wedding season — and hopefully beat the odds
Reading Time: 4 minutes July sun beats down on Kristen Raney as she works in her Clavet, Sask., flower garden. Weeding and watering are constant this time of year and so, from June to August, this flower farmer, blogger and writer maintains a strict routine to keep up with the demands of weddings, artisanal markets and the farm stand […] Read more
VIDEO: Trying to find work-life balance on the farm
Reading Time: < 1 minute In this week’s episode of Awkward Ag, Patti Durand answers a letter signed by “Trying to Find Balance” who asks Patti what they can say to other farm team members who make them feel guilty about trying to find a work-life balance. Do you need some advice on how to have an awkward conversation with […] Read more
Manitoba agronomist and farmer reflects on career in agriculture
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: 3 minutes In the final instalment of our Making the Future series Country Guide spoke with Beth Martel from St. Leon, Man. (Click here to read part one, part two, part three and part four.) Beth Martel grew up in Wales, U.K., and moved with her family to Manitoba in 2001, where they purchased a mixed cattle […] Read more
The farm isn’t just a great place to grow up
Summer Series: Farms of the future won’t look like they did just a few decades ago. Is the industry doing enough to sell the next generation on careers in agriculture?
Reading Time: 3 minutes Growing up I wanted to farm. I laugh now because what I defined as farming when I was young is not even identifiable in today’s operations: sleeping behind the seat of grandpa’s combine, driving the farm truck when I couldn’t reach the pedals and sitting shotgun in the grain truck with no air conditioning. This […] Read more
Making space for a new generation of ideas in Canadian agriculture
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 In part four of our Making the Future series Country Guide spoke with Eugénie Officer from Hemmingford, Que. (Read part one here, part two here and part three here.) Officer grew up on a small apple farm in southwestern Quebec. After studying history and agriculture at the University of Guelph, she joined Farm Credit Canada […] Read more
Can slowing down farm succession really work?
Summer Series: Designating more time to the farm transition process can mean less stress and more choices
Reading Time: 4 minutes When I ask farmers to guess how long it will take to complete a transition plan, they usually say one to two years. The reality is that it takes much longer. In a 2017 survey by Business Development Canada (BDC), five out of six entrepreneurs believed that the transition process can be completed in two […] Read more
When it looks like there aren’t many options for farm growth what’s a growing family to do?
Summer Series: Here’s how farm families can navigate a common sticky farm succession situation — and still want to have Christmas dinner together
Reading Time: 4 minutes Keeping the farm in the family is something really special. But figuring out how to share it with siblings and cousins who want to be part of the business? That can get tricky. Especially if the farm is only so big and growth is limited. “Every farm and family dynamic is different, and the more […] Read more
Encouraging people from outside agriculture to come on in
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 In part three of our Making the Future series, Country Guide spoke with Emily McGovern from South Surrey, B.C. (Read part one, here.) McGovern, 24, works on developing special content for marketing projects for Glacier FarmMedia, the parent company of Country Guide. She has a BA in linguistics and publishing from Simon Fraser University and […] Read more
Adapting, innovating and thriving in Saskatchewan agriculture
Summer Series 'Next Gen': Country Guide sat down with several 2024 Outstanding Young Farmers (OYF) to learn about their experiences and plans for the future. In this instalment, we spoke with Saskatchewan regional winners Erika and Cyle Stewart
Reading Time: 5 minutes Cyle and Erika Stewart have embraced their ability to pivot and take a new approach to ranching on more than one occasion. They moved their cow herd and entire ranch operation from British Columbia to Saskatchewan in 2017, successfully navigated droughts, and are now focused on finding new ways to improve the management of their […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
