Prairie farmers have always farmed in a risky climate, dealing with drought, hail, excessive moisture and early frost, to name just a few challenges.

But researchers say the nature of that risk is beginning to change, as shifting global weather patterns reshape prairie growing conditions.

Winters are warmer, snow is melting earlier and, in some areas, snowmelt now happens weeks earlier than it did a generation ago.

The result is a farm environment that is becoming more variable, with longer droughts, occasional flooding in unexpected places and greater swings between wet and dry years.

The outlook isn’t uniformly negative. In some regions, longer growing seasons and more heat units could boost crop potential.

And many experts say farmers are already adapting by improving soil health and water retention and creating flexibility in their cropping systems.

Still, greater climate variability, especially around drought and water supply, means farmers will need to stay informed and continue adjusting both practices and mindset to manage a more unpredictable future.

Weather shifts already underway

The most obvious effect of climate change in the Canadian Prairies is warming winters, says Dr. David Sauchyn, director of the Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative and a professor at the University of Regina.

He says while extreme cold also still occurs, it is becoming less frequent and shorter in duration.

“What has changed fairly dramatically is the frequency of really low temperatures, and especially the duration,” he says. “We still get minus 35, but not for weeks on end.”

Extreme heat isn’t new to the Prairies, he adds (the 1930s remain the benchmark), but seasonal timing is shifting. Earlier snowmelt is altering how water moves through prairie landscapes.

“The key to climate change is its impact on our water supply,” he says, adding that as these conditions continue, farmers can expect snowmelt to occur earlier in the year. “So, come the end of the summer, there’s less water available in the streams and lakes. That’s the major impact of temperature: it’s on the snowpack and the snowmelt.”

In some cases, precipitation that once fell as snow is now arriving as rain, he says.

“We expect rain in winter, which we’re already seeing.”

Hydrologist John Pomeroy says prairie warming has already surpassed global averages.

“In many parts of the Prairies, in some seasons, we passed two and a half degrees already,” he says, with snowmelt now occurring about three weeks earlier than in the mid-20th century.

“We’re getting earlier melts, but we’re also getting mid-winter melts — big ones that just weren’t common at all,” he adds. This increases spring flood risk as ice layers prevent water from soaking into frozen ground.

Rainfall isn’t rising overall, he says, but it’s more concentrated. Multi-day storms, up roughly 50 per cent since the 1950s, are driving more erosion and flooding.

“We were always prepared for spring flooding … but not expected to have flooded fields in July.”

Drought, however, remains the defining constraint, now expanding into parts of the Prairies, particularly the northern and eastern grain belt, which historically saw fewer dry periods.

“The ultimate limitation in our part of the world is drought,” says Sauchyn.

What’s coming next: Hotter, drier, less predictable weather patterns

Looking ahead, researchers say warming on the Prairies is very likely to continue.

Just how much, however, will depend on greenhouse gas management, says Pomeroy.

“We’re probably not heading for what, 10 years ago, we would have called the ‘worst-case-business-as-usual-scenario,’ … But we’re probably headed for three to four degrees of warming overall.”

Because the Prairies are located deep within a continent, warming here could exceed global averages, he says.

“The bad part of that is that it’s most intense in the summer and in the winters.”

In his estimation, summer is getting hotter, sometimes by up to eight degrees in the Prairies and winter is getting much warmer as well.

Earlier models suggested a wetter future, but newer projections point to a drier continental interior. “Hotter and drier is going to be really tough for us,” Pomeroy says.

He also believes that the effects will vary. Dryland farming in the western and southern Prairies may become far more difficult, or even impossible in some areas, while parts of the north and east could see yield gains in some years.

Water supplies will also become less reliable, he says.

“The glaciers will have melted out … by mid-century,” he says, adding that declining snowpacks will reduce late-summer flows and make irrigation more challenging.

Silver linings to changing weather patterns

There is good news too, say experts: prairie agriculture is already adapting, arguably faster than the climate is changing.

Sauchyn says farmers are already adopting soil health and moisture management practices, including the use of cover crops, intercropping, maintaining diversity in the field and limiting tillage.

“All those principles of soil health … that increase and maintain soil moisture and carbon, they seem to be effective adaptations for what we expect from a changing climate,” he says.

Furthermore, he says that we are already seeing how effective these practices can be in response to changing climate patterns.

“Those producers have been really careful about maintaining a cover and improving the soil health. They’re producing a crop even though we’ve had some pretty dry years.”

Sauchyn says there are also notable potential upsides to changing climate patterns for Canadian farmers, especially those in cooler, previously marginal regions.

Warmer winters and a longer frost‑free season mean more heat units and a longer growing season. This can boost productivity and open up new areas to cropping, particularly along the northern and western margins of the grain belt, where short seasons used to be a key limitation.

Sauchyn also notes that, over time, more of the increased precipitation is likely to come in winter and spring, aligning with crop water needs, even as drought remains the ultimate constraint.

“Despite our climate change forecasts, it will be possible to both prevent crop losses and take advantage of a warming climate.”

Adapting to uncertainty: What comes next

Although Sauchyn, who comes from a farm family himself, says he never tells farmers what to do, he will share what the science reveals in terms of effective management strategies.

Based on his research, he believes maintaining soil structure and water storage will remain especially important, as well as continuing to adopt soil health and moisture management practices.

Pomeroy also believes that it will be critical for farmers to be adaptable in their cropping decisions and management strategies.

“Producers have to be very, very flexible in what they plant in different years,” he says. “When you get a wet cycle, take advantage of it, get bumper crops … but then be ready for those dry cycles.”

He says farmers may also increasingly rely on better forecasting tools and weather data to guide decisions, and that more variable precipitation patterns could also encourage greater interest in water storage and irrigation where feasible.

He also believes there will be a role for governments to play in supporting farmers through these challenges. This should include continued federal funding for research developing crop systems suited to warmer, more variable conditions. It could also mean providing financial support for farmers if and when times get tough.

“There’ll just be years where you can’t do much of anything,” he says. “Governments have to be ready with those financial instruments that helps them in that.”

Because climate volatility will affect entire regions, co-operation between farmers, researchers and policymakers will also be essential, he says.

“Farmers won’t be able to do that alone.”

Change is the name of the game

Prairie agriculture has never been static, and climate change is simply the latest force reshaping how farmers work the land.

What’s different now is the pace and unpredictability of that change.

The future will likely bring sharper extremes, according to experts, but it will also bring new opportunities in some regions, along with tools and practices that can help farmers adapt.

In many ways, that adaptation is already underway. Canadian farmers are improving soil health, refining water management and making more flexible cropping decisions, steps that not only respond to today’s challenges, but that build resilience for the future. Supported by ongoing research and innovation, these changes will help position prairie agriculture to remain productive and competitive, even as conditions evolve.

The climate may be changing, but so, too, has farmers’ capacity to respond to it — and that may be the greatest advantage for Canadian agriculture.

How and where climate change could benefit prairie farming 

While climate change brings real risks, experts say it also creates new opportunities — especially along the northern and western edges of the prairie grain belt, where cold and short growing seasons have historically limited production.

Key potential benefits:

Longer growing seasons = more crop potential

Warmer temperatures are already extending the growing season across the Prairies. Research shows the frost-free period in Canada has increased by more than 20 days over the past century, with measurable gains in growing degree days and heat units. According to prairie climate change and adaptation expert Dr. David Sauchyn, the expanding window between last spring frost and first fall frost is “mostly good news for farming,” allowing crops more time to mature and potentially boosting yields.

New areas opening up to cropping

Warming temperatures are increasing heat units in cooler regions, allowing crops to expand northward. Studies show rising growing degree days have already made it possible to grow crops like corn farther north on the Prairies, where it was previously not viable. Dr. Sauchyn says, as the climate continues to change, there could be increased potential for productivity in these regions. “In the past, the limitation has been heat units … that problem is going to be alleviated,” he says.

Expanded crop options, including winter crops

Milder winters and more winter and spring moisture could make crops like winter wheat more practical, similar to systems that are already common in the northern United States, says water and climate change expert Dr. John Pomeroy. This could also open the door to other new crops.

Higher yield potential in some regions

In some areas, especially in the northern and eastern Prairies, longer growing seasons and increased precipitation have the potential to support higher yields in many years. More heat units and growing days can improve crop development — if moisture is sufficient.

Greater viability for irrigation and intensification

More heat units and longer seasons could make irrigation economically viable in new areas, supporting higher-value crops and increased productivity.

Bottom line: Climate change may shift where and how crops are grown, but in some parts of the Prairies, it could significantly expand what’s possible.

The post How to manage crops in shifting weather patterns appeared first on Country Guide.

Why would a farmer want to enter into a long-term land conservation agreement with a non-farm organization?

Also called conservation easement agreements, these voluntary, legally binding agreements between a landowner and a land trust organization or government agency permanently restrict certain uses of that land — which can sound kind of scary and, well, permanent.

But conservation agreements can help an agricultural landowner protect their land from development and can also be used as a part of their succession or exit plan.

“The landowner still gets to retain ownership of the land, so they can have some protections put in place, and they know that if they pass the farm on or sell the farm, it won’t get converted into non-agricultural uses,” says Joel Enman, farmland protection and stewardship program manager at Ontario Farmland Trust.

“In Ontario we see a lot of risk of urban sprawl and also aggregate extraction that, depending on how deep the pit is, can breach the water table which affects the local aquifer, so a lot of landowners are worried about that.”

For others, recognition of the habitat value is a driving motivator for a conservation agreement.

“One of the main reasons is that they (landowners) want to maintain that habitat value and ensure that the family is able to protect the wildlife habitat affiliated with those parcels,” says Carol Graham, conservation program manager with Manitoba Habitat Conservancy.

“Sometimes it is in reaction to seeing a lot of land conversion occurring and they recognize this is a mechanism to conserve what habitats are remaining on the landscape. Some use it in recognition of the best use of the land and realize the option to generate revenue from that habitat by entering into a conservation agreement.”

Manitoba Habitat Conservancy is one organization that can offer to purchase a piece of land, but a lot depends on the landowner’s wishes and priorities.

“Landowners come to us and indicate what portions or which habitats they’re most interested in conserving, and based on funding available, we can provide for payment for that habitat,” Graham says. “Wetlands and species-at-risk habitat, which typically is grasslands, are priority habitats that receive support from funders. Or they (landowner) may choose to donate the habitat interest and receive a tax receipt, creating opportunity to conserve additional habitat types. In either case, terms of the agreement are the same.”

A number of tax advantages to land easement agreements

Not all land trusts or conservation organizations have the funding available to compensate landowners by purchasing habitat interest under an agreement. However, there are some enhanced tax incentives for land under conservation easements that can be beneficial, especially for retiring farmers and the next generation. These include the Ecological Gifts program, a federal tax incentive program that waives capital gains tax for qualified farm property when farmers register an easement on it.

This incentive doesn’t just apply to farmers (who also qualify for a one-time, lifetime capital gains tax exemption upon the disposal of farm property).

“Under a conservation easement agreement, if the land does qualify for the Ecological Gifts Program, meaning that it’s ecologically sensitive … the capital gains tax (can be waived) at the time of protection,” Enman says.

There are situations where landowners donate the property directly to a land trust or other conservation organization that then manages the land. However, even when the landowner retains ownership, they can receive a charitable tax receipt for the appraised value of the conservation interests that can be used against their income tax.

“For a standard easement agreement that’s able to be used over five fiscal years, and any property that qualifies for the Eco Gifts Program, those tax benefits can be used up to 10 years so that’s also an incentive,” Enman says.

Flexibility built in to land easement agreements

Every conservation easement agreement is unique because every property is unique.

Some components are common to most agreements, building in flexibility for current and future landowners in how the land is used.

At the Ontario Farmland Trust there are typically two easement styles. For some farms it makes the most sense to create a single protected zone which applies standard protections that sit across the whole property, including preventing future severances of the property and aggregate extraction. There is also a style of easement which delineates zones of protection.

“We typically have three zones that have increasing levels of restrictions on the land,” Enman says. “We have the farmstead area which is the area that’s typically around the building cluster close to the road that will allow for some non-agriculture development if somebody wants to develop a secondary residence or a pool or a woodworking shop in the future.”

The agricultural zone that includes the fields and pastures allows for normal agricultural practices. The third and highest level of restriction includes wetlands, native grasslands, forested and other natural areas that the landowner wants to ensure are fully protected and cannot be converted into agricultural or other uses in perpetuity.

“The intention, at least of the Ontario Farmland Trust, is to protect farmland forever, so we want easement agreements to be restrictive enough that the farmland doesn’t get lost in the future, but flexible enough that future changes in farming practices will still be acceptable and usable by the farmer because we want to make sure that these lands continue to be farmed,” Enman says.

Instead of putting a large area of land under a conservation agreement right off the bat, it can be done over time on multiple parcels of land.

“If you have a 600-acre farm made up of four different parcels, the easements could correspond with each one of those parcels,” say Enman. “If it makes the most sense tax-wise to do two parcels one year, then two parcels five years later, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing.”

Steady demand for land conservation agreements

Interest in conservation agreements has held steady over the past 25 years or so since they were introduced, and for Manitoba Habitat Conservancy, with over 200,000 acres of wetlands, grasslands and other habitats under agreements across the province, there is usually more demand than available funding.

“We are not noticing any indication that interest in conserving habitat with a conservation agreement is declining,” Graham says. “You do see trends: different regions have demonstrated high interest in the conservation of habitat and are not as intimidated by the presence of an agreement. Having the ability to talk directly with someone with an agreement, like a neighbour, has helped communicate the benefits, which has probably led to a lot of the success we’ve had in the province.”

Although a conservation agreement restricts what can be done on the land in terms of removal of protected habitat, it doesn’t prevent farmers from using it to make an income or for recreation.

“Agricultural activities such as haying and grazing are permitted, and farmland surrounding the habitat can remain as farmland,” Graham says. “We are often asked about recreational use, such as hunting, which is also permitted on conservation lands at the landowner’s discretion. How your land is being used today can continue to be used in that manner with the agreement on it.”

It is important to remember that the agreement stays on the title of the land, so if the land changes hands either by intergenerational transfer or sale to a third party, the new owner will be subject to the agreement. Some farmers may be concerned that will affect the value of the land itself.

“There appears to be less concern by those interested in purchasing land with a caveat on title,” Graham says. “Sometimes there is a worry about restricting opportunity in the future, but we have developed a good partnership with local industry to allow for a balance between conservation and economic development.”

Things to consider before you enter into a conservation easement agreement 

• Be aware of who is on the title of the land because every party will have to sign off on the agreement. Make sure anyone who should not be on the title (e.g., a deceased person) is removed from the title.
  
• If there is a mortgage or line of credit secured by the property, the lender will need to give permission for an easement to be registered, so make them aware that you are thinking of doing this.
  
• What is the landowner’s vision for the future conservation of the land? If there are multiple landowners on the title, do their visions all align? Make sure you discuss this ahead of time.
  
• Make sure your children, grandchildren and any other family members who might have an interest in the property are involved in the discussion. They will inherit the property and the restrictions in the future, so they should be a part of the process.
  
• Seek legal and financial advice so that you know how to manage the terms of the agreement and can make sure it meets the family’s expectations, especially if the land will stay in the family.
  
• Ensure your family’s interests are not compromised by the conservation agreement. Build in options to allow for things like construction of a house or cabin on a certain portion of the land to allow for flexibility in the future.
  
• Do it in stages. You don’t have to commit to all or nothing. Consider doing a certain number of acres at a time over several years to make sure you are comfortable with the agreements.
  
• Be patient. It can take time for an agreement to be completed because there is a lot of administrative and legal requirements behind it.
  
• Shop around. There are many organizations offering conservation easement agreements, so if the first one you speak with doesn’t fit what you want, try another one that may be better aligned with your vision for protecting the land.

To learn about term conservation agreements, visit https://www.producer.com/news/conservation-easements-with-limits-have-appeal/

The post Farmers don’t need to fear conservation agreements appeared first on Country Guide.

Planting decisions

“A decent amount of Canadian canola oil goes into the U.S. for biofuels, so this is the crop that could be impacted if there is a U.S. trade issue,” says Darren Bond, a crops farm management specialist for Manitoba Agriculture.

Most producers’ acres are locked in due to rotation requirements and, depending on the producer, only 10 to 20 per cent of their land could be considered swing acres, he says.

More important than U.S. trade when switching acres between crops is high fertilizer costs, which were high even before the Middle East conflict, Bond adds.

Leigh Anderson, a senior economist at Farm Credit Canada (FCC), says that farmers are talking with their agronomists and crop input suppliers to plan these decisions.

“These plans could include changing what crops they plant, adjusting fertilizer use or revising yield targets that make economic sense in the current environment,” he says.

Fertilizer

Bond says how producers manage fertilizer this year will be key to their profitability. Effectively using the 4Rs (right source, right rate, right time, right place) will ensure getting the most out of fertilizer.

“There is a difference between being cost effective and cheap,” Bond says. “Cost effective is where every decision is analyzed and only outputs that provide an adequate return receive investment. Cheap is just cutting expenses because something seems too expensive.”

Taking steps to achieve maximum yields, while cutting expenses that provide little to no return, will be the keys to success in tight margin years, says Bond.

Expanding operations

Bond adds that whether producers pursue or hold off on expanding acreage will largely depend on their management and equipment capacity.

“If there is capacity that is currently not being used to its fullest potential, then expanding acres makes sense,” he says.

High costs and tighter margins tend to result in less land sold.

“Landowners may choose to rent out acres for a few years and wait until better margins return before putting land on the market,” Bond explains. “Producers may choose to rent land over purchasing it because the cash outlay is much smaller, and land rental contracts are for much shorter durations than a mortgage from a land purchase, leading to much less risk with land rental situations.”

Anderson adds that purchasing land in 2026 will come with careful consideration of price and timing.

“Some operations will prefer to wait and see where land values will settle while others may move more quickly should adjacent land become available, or simply because it fits their strategic business plans,” he says.

Producers should be aware of the external environments that can affect their businesses when it comes to deciding whether to buy or rent more land, but that shouldn’t be at the top of the list.

“Their focus should be on things they actually control, like marketing grain, managing equipment costs and understanding their costs of production,” Anderson says.

Livestock operations

External factors will affect livestock operations as well, but more so by weather than economic news, Anderson says.

“Cattle producers are awaiting spring weather to see pasture and hay conditions which will impact their ability to expand,” he says. “Meanwhile, the hog sector has faced a challenging winter for disease pressures, which has pressured supply.”

Anderson notes that Canada’s livestock herd expanded according to the January 1 inventory estimates released by Statistics Canada. StatsCan reported the Canadian cattle herd rose on January 1, 2026, in the first year-over-year increase since 2018. During the same period, StatsCan data shows that Canadian hog inventories fell due to higher international exports and slaughter in both Eastern and Western Canada.

Bond notes that beef margins are currently decent, but there remains a two-fold challenge when it comes to expansion, especially in the cow-calf industry.

“One is that it is very expensive to expand one’s cow herd, whether it be through retention (lost revenue) or purchase,” he says. “Secondly is that cow-calf production is very labour intensive, with many looking at the time and dedication that is required for an expansion, and simply deciding it’s not worth it.”

Equipment replacement

Producers will also take a hard and long look before purchasing equipment so that they don’t overextend themselves, according to Bond.

Used equipment might be more attractive in a year like this. It comes down to a cost-benefit analysis between the two situations, Bond says.

“Used equipment comes with a lower price tag, which is the biggest attraction,” he points out. “However, new equipment comes with warranty, a longer lifespan and dealer support.”

Weighing these options, while considering risk tolerance levels, will be the largest element in how farmers choose to equip themselves. Some will decide to hold on to their iron for an extended period.

“That fear of overextending oneself will keep iron on the farm longer until the margins improve,” Bond says.

Thanks to falling commodity prices, higher operating costs and lower profits, Anderson says that farmers are cautiously approaching their equipment replacement decisions, placing greater emphasis on their price per acre equipment costs.

“Farmers are looking for cost-saving measures, including delaying purchases and planning to further reduce equipment costs,” Anderson says, adding that FCC expects overall used equipment sales to outperform new ones.

Click here to read part one in this series.

The post Economic indicators your farm should keep an eye on appeared first on Country Guide.

Now that your parents are aging, the roles have been reversed. How can you tell your dad, for example, that you no longer want him to drive the tractor because you’re worried about his safety or the safety of others?

When aging parents work in conditions beyond their physical and mental capabilities, it can lead to potentially dangerous situations — and in turn, some awkward conversations or conflict.

Increased risk of injury or death

Statistics show that farmers over the age of 60 are at a significantly increased risk of injury and death. They may experience a loss of physical and cognitive abilities including strength, flexibility, reaction time, agility, balance, sight and hearing. Declining physical capacity can also lead to depression and feelings of isolation and worthlessness.

It’s a common situation, admits Elaine Froese, a Boissevain, Man. farm family coach. “I can think of two cases right now where an 82-year-old is having trouble letting go and a 92-year-old is still showing up at the farm quite a bit,” she says.

After a lifetime spent farming, she explains that parents, and men in particular, can struggle with, “‘Who am I if I can no longer show up at the farm?’ There’s a lot of pride, stubbornness and independence in agriculture and a mindset that ‘they are going to die with their boots on.’”

Farm families need to have a conflict resolution system in place to talk about the hard things, says Froese. Too often conflict is avoided instead, which can have serious consequences. “There’s a hole in the shed, but no one is fessing up to who did it.”

There are still lots of things they can do

Froese says older farmers have a wealth of experience that should be respected and sees an opportunity to acknowledge that by giving them the status of the “wise elder.” If they want to continue to be informed of decisions on the farm, is it possible for them to attend meetings or can the younger generation have coffee with them regularly to let them know what’s going on?

Older farmers may be angry about the limitations they are experiencing due to age, illness or injury, but having honest conversations can help to navigate these emotions and to come up with creative solutions, continues Froese. A good place to start, she says, is by asking what role the elder farmer wants to have. “Ask, ‘What does a good day on the farm look like to you?’”

Take the other person’s perspective, listen well and ask them to consider the risk to others and themselves if they cannot do the job safely, she says.

The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) recommends conducting a safety analysis (click here for tips) for specific jobs to determine if the individual has the capacity. Consider factors such as training, experience, and physical and cognitive abilities. Brainstorm suitable tasks such as feeding the calves, sweeping the shop floor or mowing the lawn.

It may be possible to create safer conditions by upgrading the work environment or by adapting jobs to fit changing abilities. Some examples of improvements include investing in machinery with more safety features; installing better lighting, non-slip surfaces and handrails; limiting work hours; and planning for teamwork.

Consider ways to ensure the elder farmer feels seen and heard while keeping them safe, suggests Froese. Can they “graduate to the buddy seat” so they can enjoy the experience of harvest or planting? Can you take them for a drive to see the crops while playing their favourite music? Can family members get them interested in other activities or hobbies?

Froese says too often the person who takes over the farm is saddled with the responsibility of taking care of the senior generation which isn’t fair. She recommends making the larger family beyond the farm aware of issues and letting them know how they can be supportive. “It may take a family meeting to ensure that non-farm family members have a reality check.”

Draft a business continuation plan

Having been in this situation herself, Froese warns that when there’s a family member whose health is declining substantially, it’s important to have them assessed to find out what care options are available. “Don’t procrastinate,” she says.

Len Davies, a succession planning coach in Ridgetown, Ont., also sees this situation frequently and agrees communication is the key to a smoother transition of roles. A written succession plan, or what Davies says is better called a “business continuation plan,” can provide clarity.

He explains that when you call it a succession plan there’s an implication that Mom and Dad are done. “But that’s too final. A business continuation plan sees everyone working together, which I feel makes it easier for dads and moms to let go.”

In that plan, the roles and responsibilities of each person are set out. “In 2026, here are Dad’s jobs, Mom’s jobs, the kids’ jobs.” This is repeated each year until the parents are doing very little, he explains. If more detail is needed, job descriptions can be created for each of the family members involved in the operation.

Davies says weekly or bi-weekly operational meetings, along with strategic meetings three to four times per year, keep everyone on track. To ensure clarity, set up an Excel spread sheet that lists the date, the job, who’s doing it and who’s the backup.

If needed, there can be criteria that the younger generation must meet before the transfer of responsibilities takes place, such as the completion of a financial management course.

Davies says it can be hard for parents to let go, but putting the transfer of roles and responsibilities on a written timeline gives you something to refer to when disagreements arise. “By putting it in black and white, nobody can move the goal posts. When it’s written down, you can say ‘remember, we agreed.’”

Succession doesn’t happen all at once and a business continuation plan accounts for the transition of management, labour and ownership, continues Davies. It also makes the distinction between labour and management clearer.

However, he says it’s important to remember that the plan is a working document that should be reviewed regularly and revised as necessary. “You can never have too much communication during succession.”

How to conduct a job safety analysis

The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) recommends conducting a safety analysis for specific jobs to determine if an individual (this applies to everyone on the farm not just the older team members) has the capacity. Consider factors such as training, experience, and physical and cognitive abilities.

For each job:

• Break down the job into individual tasks.
• Determine the minimum ability required to safely perform the task.
• Identify the potential hazards associated with each task.
• Identify the personal risk factors of the person performing the task.
• Determine the actions to take to eliminate or control hazards and address personal risk factors.

Adapted from casa-acsa.ca/wp-content/uploads/CASA-2024-Job-Safety-Analysis-ENGLISH-FINAL.pdf

The post When — and how — it might be time to tell dad “No” appeared first on Country Guide.

We could almost title this week’s newsletter ‘things you don’t like, but that are good for you’.

For example, not many people enjoy the annual struggle to find seasonal employees for the upcoming busy spring-summer-fall seasons. In fact, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find willing hands to work on Canadian farms. In the article ‘Exploring non-traditional labour markets to source farm employees’ contributor Helen Lammers-Helps explores the factors behind this phenomenon and offers some tips for sourcing labour.

Another icky-but-necessary topic is financial planning of your assets when you die. For instance, special taxation rules apply to RRSPs/RRIFs upon your death. Jessi Brockman, a lawyer with Stevenson Hood Thornton Beaubier LLP, explains how you can be proactive about this now.

In ‘Managing highs and lows: How optional inventory adjustments (OIAs) fit into farm strategy’, Doug Hewko, CPA, CA, a chartered accountant and partner at KPMG Canada, explains what OIAs are and how they can help you manage when income volatility is a fact of life in Canadian agriculture.

And a word that makes us automatically think “yuck!’ is ‘bitter’. As Cultivating Wellness columnist Kathlyn Hossack explains, bitter flavour profiles might not always taste great but the foods that contain them offer many health benefits. Learn more in ‘Bitter is not always bad.’

Happy Easter and Passover to all who celebrate(d)!

Farm families work together to break new ground and nurture growth. As each member grows, our Farm & Family team wants to know how we can help YOUR farm and family grow further. Share your thoughts with Farm & Family editor astewart@farmmedia.com

The post Farm & Family – April 3 edition appeared first on Country Guide.

“Both the market and policy volatility are unprecedented since at least (the) Second World War. It is not only unprecedented for Canada, but for the world,” says Larry Martin, principal of Dr. Larry Martin & Associates, an agri-food consulting firm.

Market influences

In a chart showing monthly ranges of U.S. corn futures contract prices since 1974, Martin points out larger differences from the peaks to the troughs during periods over approximately the last 15 years. Variations within a month are larger as well.

“This is a major part of the more volatile environment in which farmers operate,” he says, but notes that there remain periods of time — such as 2013 to 2020 — when they stabilize again. “We can put any commodity chart up and get a similar result.”

Martin cites increasing incomes of populations around the world as a major cause of market volatility, as well as a trend to trade commodities on a just-in-time basis.

The variation in canola prices over the last five years shows significantly greater volatility for farmers, according to Derek Brewin, professor and head of the University of Manitoba’s agribusiness and agricultural economics department.

He notes canola started in a trough around $450 per tonne ($10.23 per bushel) in the summer of 2019. It then climbed up to $1,200 per tonne ($27.27 per bushel) in May 2022. It’s moved around a lot since then, but generally on a downward trend until recently, Brewin says.

“But volatility does not always suggest an equal chance for devastating troughs and bonanza price spikes,” he says. “As a storable good, most grains and oilseeds see persistent price floors.”

If prices fall too low, buyers start to worry that producers will switch their land to other uses, Brewin says.

“But we occasionally see large crop failures on larger areas — North America in 2021 — and we get concern(ed) about supplies that identify consumers willing to pay much more than they normally do when they are just attracting supplies from the least demanding buyer that sets that floor price over time.”

Brewin says that the low prices of the summer of 2025 represented net losses to the average Manitoba farmer, and that current prices likely are a major relief. Drought concerns could send prices rising again, but a bumper crop could push them back down to last year’s lows, he says.

Crop price spikes damage livestock in the opposite direction, Brewin says.

“Every crop price spike represents a cost spike to the feed sector. I think they face a floor much lower than crops — especially if the herd is on a shrinking trend,” he explains. “When herds are shrinking, it represents a number of farmers forced out of business. We have not seen cropland abandoned the way beef herds have been dropping.”

Broken trade rules

Governments breaking trade rules they’d previously agreed to are also contributing to price volatility.

“Government actions are caused by politicians who either don’t understand or don’t care about the consequences of their actions,” Martin says.

He says countries agree to rules under the WTO and then break them, pointing to India as a notable offender “opening up trade when prices are high, then closing it when they fall. Canadian pulse growers felt that one.”

Canada is not innocent, nor is the U.S. — even before Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office.

“Biden and Trudeau broke all the rules on dumping when they shut off Chinese exports of steel, aluminum and EVs,” Martin says.

The Donald, however, takes rule breaking to another level: “Trump does it virtually every day,” he says.

War, fuel and fertilizer

Trump joining Israel to attack Iran only added rocket fuel to an out-of-control tire fire.

“The Iran war is unfolding against a global trading system already strained by Trump’s tariff,” said global financial institution ING.

S&P Global Inc., the parent company of S&P Global Ratings (previously Standard & Poor’s), said the war raised “farm-to-fork food inflation risks on fuel, freight, fertilizer disruptions.”

As Laura Rance-Unger noted in her piece, “Iran war catches Prairie farmers in the geopolitical crossfire — again”, over 40 per cent of a grain farmer’s annual operating costs go to fertilizer and fuel, and the conflict has made a war zone out of the Strait of Hormuz, where about 20 per cent of the seaborne oil and up to one-third of global trade in urea passes through.

The effects on fertilizer purchases

Through anecdotal information he’s gathered from discussions with Manitoba input retailers, provincial farm management specialist Darren Bond has found 80 to 85 per cent of Manitoba producers have either purchased their fertilizer prior to the fighting or locked in the price, thus insulating them from the price increases associated with the Mideast conflict.

“However, the impact will most likely be felt in the fall 2026 fertilizer application period, especially if the conflict drags out for a longer period of time,” warns Bond.

Another risk is that producers won’t buy fertilizer this autumn in the hope prices will decrease over the winter, and delay application until spring 2027.

“This could severely stress the supply network, potentially causing supply issues,” Bond says.

Another risk is farmers slashing fertilizer applications due to high prices.

“Broad-based cuts to fertilizer could result in disappointing crop yields. That’s why it’s very important to soil test and apply appropriate amounts of fertilizer,” Bond emphasizes. “Protecting yield will be what pulls many producers successfully through these tighter times.”

The effects on investment and growth

Global volatility and uncertainty make it much harder to undertake business forecasting and cause more volatility in production margins, which thereby make debt servicing riskier, Martin says.

“More volatility in prices, margins and incomes means people will likely invest less and growth will slow,” he says.

This can come from either internal or external capital rationing: internally when producers feel they need a higher return on capital before investing because of the extra risks; externally when lenders or equity partners go through the same analysis and decide to extend less capital, Martin explains.

“It also results in much more mental and emotional stress, which can affect decision-making,” he adds.

What else can farmers do?

Among the ways farmers can help themselves is to become ever more savvy with modern farming contracts.

“Without the CWB, grain companies are increasingly able to take more advantage of farmers by offering inferior contract terms, duration, price, blending, etc.,” says James Nolan, a professor in the department of agricultural and resource economics at the University of Saskatchewan. “What this means is that in the post-CWB era, I wonder if farmers should also be taught how to negotiate over contracts, which is a skill unto itself that can be improved through exposure and teaching — which we really don’t do.”

Another area for farmers to concenrtate on: staying well informed about world events that can affect their margins.

“The world is now so well connected that farmers can no longer rely on local or regional information to support their decisions,” Nolan says. “They need to try to stay current with global news and try to stay ahead of all business reports that can be reasonably and logically tied to future demand for foods and commodities.”

He concedes that can be a lot of information to process “pushing the farming industry even more towards larger and more complex operations in equilibrium.”

“We still don’t really know what comprises the minimum efficient scale for Prairie farming. Right now, I wonder if this level of cost minimization for commodity farming now lies well beyond 25,000 acres,” Nolan says.

Finally — if possible — build a financial portfolio that includes the stocks of so-called “opponents,” such as railroads and/or grain companies, he says. Why not hedge your risks by supporting the business entities that share the pie with you, he asks.

The post Growing your farm business in an era of economic volatility appeared first on Country Guide.

In March 2020, Janis Harris finally took the leap. After more than a decade of slowly building a flower-growing side business, she left her job as an optician to run the farm full time.

Weeks later, the COVID-19 pandemic shut the world down.

Instead of the fresh start she had imagined, Harris found herself navigating cancelled events and markets, shifting demand and an uncertain future. The experience became an unexpected crash course in resilience, and one that continues to shape how she runs her farm today.

Harris and her husband, Mark, own Harris Flower Farm, a fresh-cut flower operation located north of St. Thomas, Ont. Together they grow more than 40 varieties of flowers, including bulbs, annuals, perennials and flowering branches. Today the farm supplies seasonal cut flowers for farmers markets, online customers, weddings and local events from mid-February through December.

“In the beginning we started small by planting 3,000 gladioli bulbs,” Harris says. “Over time, we’ve expanded to nearly eight acres of flowers, along with a series of heated and unheated greenhouses.”

“A lot of things are out of our control, but there are always opportunities.”

Janis Harris

Before the pandemic, Harris sold most of her flowers through an on-farm flower cart, roadside stands and local farmers markets. She also provided arrangements and bouquets for weddings and had begun building a seasonal flower subscription.

But when COVID-19 hit, Harris, like many farmers and small business owners, had to rethink her entire business model. The lessons she learned, from diversifying sales channels to building stronger connections with fellow flower growers, are now helping her navigate a new era of political and economic uncertainty.

Farming in an uncertain environment

When shutdowns began in the spring of 2020, the timing couldn’t have been worse for a flower farm. “At the time, I had 25,000 tulips blooming in mid-March and nowhere to sell them,” Harris says. “I also had 30 weddings booked, and every one of them postponed to a later date.”

Harris knew she had two choices: close her doors and wait out the uncertainty while her flowers went to waste or get creative. She chose the latter.

Determined to find new markets for her blooms, Harris began exploring alternative sales channels. At the same time, she reached out to commercial flower growers who had lost their markets entirely when events and retail outlets shut down.

By partnering with fellow growers, Harris was able to combine her flowers with a wider variety of blooms to create affordable bouquets. She called them “cheer bouquets” and sold them at her local grocery store and through her website, offering local delivery. The response was immediate.

Each time Harris posted a new batch online the bouquets sold out within minutes. It quickly became clear that during a time of isolation and uncertainty flowers had taken on new meaning for many people.

The cheer bouquets not only helped Harris move her own flowers but also supported other growers. She featured the farmers from whom she sourced flowers on her social media channels, sharing their family photos and stories to raise awareness about the flower industry and the people working behind the scenes to keep it going through the pandemic. “I saw it as an opportunity to help my customers understand where flowers actually come from and who they are supporting when they purchase local, Ontario-grown flowers,” explains Harris.

Today, e-commerce represents 25 per cent of Harris’s business. She says that while she felt forced to move her business online during the pandemic, she quickly saw the value of the opportunity and has continued to build her online presence. “Today we are our own little flower shop,” says Harris. “Orders come in from all over the world, and we’ve expanded to serve events like funerals and birthdays.”

Despite the uncertainty and business challenges, 2020 turned out to be a great sales year for Harris because of the pivots she made. In addition to her new online sales channel, she was able to maintain her flower cart sales and even opened the farm up to welcome customers. On Mother’s Day weekend, cars lined the road leading to the farm as visitors waited their turn to enter, some for nearly an hour, to purchase flowers. Later that summer she also opened up the farm to visitors to purchase flowers and walk through the flower fields.

“We needed to figure out how to sell our flowers,” Harris says. “But in the process, we built a whole new customer following and gave people a chance to get outside and experience a little joy during a very difficult time.”

Adapting the farm’s business approach

The pandemic forced Harris to adapt quickly, but the lessons didn’t end when restrictions lifted. Today, as farmers and business owners face rising costs and ongoing economic uncertainty, many of the strategies she developed during that uncertainty are still guiding how the farm operates.

“I quickly learned that I can’t have all my eggs in one basket,” she quips. “I need multiple revenue streams and different ways to market my flowers. I also learned the importance of continuity and consistently showing up for customers who appreciate the stability and know they can rely on me.”

Harris says one of the biggest lessons from the pandemic was how much people value connection. “That’s something the pandemic really taught us,” she reflects. “And what better way to connect with someone than with flowers, or a visit to a flower farm?”

While interest in flowers and locally grown blooms surged during the pandemic, Harris says she’s uncertain how the current economic climate may affect sales this year. Drawing on lessons from that time, she’s already preparing to adapt by offering smaller, more affordable bouquets for customers watching their spending this year.

“I still need to sell flowers and maintain profitability, but if I can find ways to continue providing flowers to our customers, I will,” she says. Harris adds that she’s already ordering tulips in bulk to help keep costs down and plans to offer mixed bouquets with fewer premium blooms to keep the price of the flowers manageable for her customers.

Tariffs are also weighing on Harris and cutting into her bottom line. While she has shifted to sourcing as much as possible from Canadian suppliers, including plant plugs from New Brunswick instead of the U.S., some materials still need to come from south of the border. Between tariffs and the exchange rate, her margins are being squeezed.

Harris says she’s also drawing on lessons from the pandemic to become more resourceful on the farm. She’s saving more flower seeds to reduce her reliance on U.S. suppliers and looking for additional ways to control costs.

One of Harris’s ongoing challenges is learning when to say no. As a young farmer, especially while navigating the pandemic, she felt pressure to say yes to every opportunity to keep the business afloat. Now, however, she’s approaching the farm with a renewed focus on long-term sustainability. That means building a more manageable workload while still staying flexible and responsive to customers.

Six years after the world shut down, Harris still doesn’t know exactly what each season will bring. But she says the pandemic changed the way she approaches uncertainty and gave her confidence that whatever comes next the farm can adjust and keep growing.

“A lot of things are out of our control, but there are always opportunities,” Harris says. “Like any farm, there are good years and bad years. In the end, it all balances out, even during a global pandemic or economic uncertainty.”

The post Ontario flower farm keeps growing even among uncertainty appeared first on Country Guide.

Faced with higher living costs and changing lifestyles, consumers are eating out less, cooking more at home, replacing meals with snacks and putting a sharper focus on value and nutrition.

And for Canada’s farmers and agri-food sector, the changes bring both risks and opportunity.

Canada’s restaurant and food service sector is a $124-billion industry, which sources approximately 68 per cent of its food and beverage from domestic suppliers. When restaurant traffic slows, the impact is felt throughout the supply chain.

At the same time, experts say that evolving consumer habits are creating new demand for the products, production methods and innovation that the Canadian agri-food industry is uniquely positioned to offer.

Current trends

The most immediate change is happening in restaurants.

According to a recent report, three quarters of Canadians are eating out less often. The primary reason for this is economics, says Sara Hamdy, research analyst with Restaurants Canada.

“More than 40 per cent of Canadians just can’t afford to dine out month to month as much as they’d like to,” she says.

According to the same report, even higher-income households are cutting back.

“Canadians who are dining out once a week or more are shifting to … maybe two or three times a month rather than four times or more,” says Hamdy.

At the same time, restaurant operators are facing their own cost pressures, with food costs cited as a top concern for the year ahead, Hamdy says.

Another emerging trend for Canadian consumers is a rise in snacking. About 65 per cent of Canadians report replacing full meals with snacks at least once a month, according to the Restaurants Canada report — a trend driven by both rising food costs and busier lifestyles, says Hamdy.

“This is a trend that we noted in a way that Canadians are adjusting to the increase of cost. They’re just not able to afford a full meal anymore, so they’re cutting back into snacks.”

Younger consumers in particular are gravitating toward portable, lower-cost options that fit a “grab-and-go” routine, she says.

But these changing eating patterns have not affected consumers’ desire for value, which dominates Canadian food choices today, says Ashley Kanary, director of Global Agri-Food at Export Development Canada.

After the pandemic, many consumers returned to simpler eating habits and became more conscious of prices, he says.

“When people looked at ways to save money, food was one of the first things that came out pretty hot.”

However, at the same time, consumers didn’t want to cut back on quality or health, he says.

These factors combined helped fuel strong growth for private-label grocery products, which now rival or outperform national brands in quality while offering savings of 15-20 per cent.

“When I look at those trends, that has not slowed down at all,” Kanary says. “If anything, globally, private-label products are outpacing all branded product growth, no matter where you go.”

But value shopping also doesn’t mean consumers have stopped treating themselves, he says.

“Even as people tighten their budgets, the indulgence factor is still there. In private label, everybody’s raised their game, and those products are as good, or even sometimes better than the national brand themselves. People are saying: ‘If I can get something that tastes better for 20 per cent less, I’m absolutely okay with that.’”

Beyond affordability, nutrition trends also continue to shape consumer behaviour, he says, with one of the strongest long-term shifts favouring higher-protein foods.

The challenge now, he says, is raising the taste profile in high- and added-protein products. “The desire … is to get things to taste great,” Kanary says. “People have always struggled getting around the added taste and or bitterness that protein-added causes.”

One final trend with long-term implications is sustainability, Kanary says.

Retailers and food companies are increasingly expecting suppliers to meet environmental standards, from emissions reductions to compostable packaging, but without charging more for the associated products.

“Sustainability expectations are rising, but consumers aren’t willing to pay a premium for it,” he says.

“They’re actually saying: ‘I want you to become sustainable and don’t charge me extra for that. We just need you to get better and raise your game.’”

Canada’s advantages

Despite the constraints these evolving eating habits cause for food supplies and producers, Canada is well positioned to meet many evolving consumer expectations for food, specifically around protein, sustainability, value and convenience.

“We feel that protein overall is where it’s at and Canada has amazing strengths in protein,” Kanary says, mentioning Canada’s pulse, poultry, seafood and beef industry as examples of high-quality protein sources.

He also believes Canada could have a competitive advantage in terms of rising sustainability expectations — provided companies can deliver results without higher costs.

“There’s an opportunity for Canadian companies to be leaders in sustainability on a global scale and I believe Canada is really strong in this area,” he says. “The key is to keep that momentum going, but not at any cost.”

Changing eating habits are also driving demand for portable, convenient options that still deliver quality and nutrition, another area where Canada is gaining ground as our food manufacturing sector expands its role in value-added products.

Food and beverage processing is now Canada’s largest manufacturing industry, with shipments topping $156 billion in 2023, according to Statistics Canada. Much of that growth is coming from ready-to-eat and snack categories, while Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada reports rising exports of consumer-oriented products such as processed foods. This points to growing opportunity for Canada to capture more value beyond the farm gate while supplying the convenient, high-value foods today’s consumers want.

Going forward

Some of the current eating trends for Canadians — fewer restaurant visits and more snacking — may ease as household budgets recover.

But several underlying shifts appear more durable, including greater price sensitivity, demand for convenience and flexibility, stronger interest in protein and functional foods, and rising sustainability expectations.

For Canadian farmers and processors, the key takeaway is that demand is not shrinking, but it is changing. Growth opportunities are increasingly tied to value-added processing, efficient production. and the ability to supply ingredients that fit portable, affordable and nutritious food formats.

At the same time, Canada’s strengths in high-quality protein production, strong environmental performance and an expanding food manufacturing sector position the industry to compete in both domestic and export markets.

The pressure, however, will be on cost competitiveness. Consumers and retailers are expecting better performance on price, quality and sustainability at the same time, putting greater emphasis on efficiency and innovation throughout the supply chain.

The direction of demand may be shifting, but the long-term outlook for Canadian agriculture remains strong. The farms and agri-food businesses that succeed will be those that focus not only on production, but on understanding how and where their products fit into a food system that is becoming more value-driven, more convenience-focused and more closely tied to consumer expectations.

The post The changing landscape of Canadian food demand appeared first on Country Guide.

Trust, teamwork and resilience: three ingredients every farm family knows they need to run a farm. But wait until you read the whole extra level to which this Ontario farm brought these three critical elements in contributor Jeanine Moyer’s article about the Schneider family.

Something else we know we need, but as farmers and/or parents we often don’t get enough of — sleep! The Fit to Farm column offers tips and tricks for getting a better night’s sleep.

Since we’re on the topic of critical components of farming, what about farm finances? Many of you can find it a real drag, so Craig Macfie CPA, PAg has broken down farm budgeting into seven manageable steps.

And we’ll leave you with some comfort for the body and the soul: a recipe for chicken pot pie. Contributor dee Hobswan-Smith re-introduces us to this North American classic as she explores the work — in food and art — of famed chef Jacques Pépin in the First, We Eat column.

Farm families work together to break new ground and nurture growth. As each member grows, our Farm & Family team wants to know how we can help YOUR farm and family grow further. Share your thoughts with Farm & Family editor astewart@farmmedia.com

The post Farm & Family – March 27 edition appeared first on Country Guide.

The experts tell us that the creation of memories is complex, involving many different parts of the brain. One way they classify memory is into working and long-term memory. Working memory is whatever is held in your consciousness right now. This type of memory is short-lived, lasting only 15-30 seconds and is limited to approximately seven things. Many factors such as emotion, sleep, stress and context have an impact on whether or not short-term memories are encoded and stored with the potential to be recalled later.

Fortunately, whether we are young or old, Dr. Myra Fernandes, a faculty member of Cognitive Neuroscience in Psychology at the University of Waterloo, says there are strategies for improving memory.

One way to make information more memorable is to construct a story about it or create a relationship between the words or things you are trying to remember. HOMES, for example, is a mnemonic to help remember the names of the Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior).

Another trick is what Fernandes and other memory experts call the “production effect.” Saying the items that you are trying to remember out loud as you go about your day or writing them down will make them easier to remember.

Another strategy is the Drawing Effect. If you’re trying to remember a new procedure Fernandes recommends saying it out loud but also imagine a picture of it in your mind’s eye or draw a sketch of it. Keeping a diary is helpful for retrieving memories and a sketch diary is even better, she says. “As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. This boosts memory more than any other technique and even works for those living with dementia.”

Carrying out a related motor action to strengthen muscle memory is another effective method for improving retrieval, continues Fernandes. “And if these three techniques are used together, that is, if you say it out loud, draw a picture and carry out a motor action, the amount you retain is increased by 30-50 per cent.”

Environmental clues can also be used to improve memory and recall. If you note that you parked your car by the stop sign, for example, Fernandes explains that you will have an easier time remembering where your car is. Paying attention to what you want to remember is a simple but often overlooked step in this busy world. She says that if you are distracted because you are on your phone you’ll be less likely to remember where you parked.

While our brains are remarkable they are not very good at “remembering what we have to remember” like tasks in the future. Being organized, provides a system where the brain and memory can work better and be more successful, says Pam Paquet, a Chilliwack, B.C. therapist and executive coach. However, no two people are the same so the system needs to recognize and acknowledge individual personalities.

“People need to do what works for them and the level of organization that they want.”

Paquet regularly works with managers and executives to help them improve memory and cognitive function. She says emotions and stress are often the culprit.

“When people are in a heightened state, problem-solving, concentration, focus and memory are all somewhat impaired. Sometimes tackling the stressors which affect emotional regulation is needed to help cognitive functioning.”

Self-care, regular exercise, eating a healthy diet and getting plenty of sleep “are not a guarantee but the minimum basics to put the odds in your corner,” says Paquet. Unfortunately, she says self-care is difficult for many people because they can’t define it for themselves or they don’t take the time to implement it.

Paquet adds that giving the brain breaks by practicing mindfulness and meditation is also useful. Carey-Ann Oestreicher, a certified leadership coach in Oakville, Ont., has personally experienced the benefits of mindfulness and meditation for improving memory and other cognitive abilities.

Fourteen years ago she suffered a serious brain injury and was introduced to mindfulness during rehab. It was life-changing, she says. “Mindfulness grows your capabilities, helps you to be open to innovation and gives you peace of mind.”

She admits that if she hadn’t experienced the benefits of mindfulness and meditation first-hand, she probably would have thought it was “too out there.” Her positive experience is also backed by research. She says researchers have found that mindfulness grows the grey matter in our brains, especially the prefrontal cortex that’s responsible for focus, clarity, decision-making and short-term memory.

These tools also helped her to be resilient when her husband died of cancer a few years later at the age of 46, leaving her the sole parent of two young children. She now coaches executives, entrepreneurs and farmers on both the traditional elements of leadership as well as “mindfulness, clarity of mind and ‘groundedness’ in the midst of stress and uncertainty.”

Growing up in small town rural Ontario and coming from a long line of farmers, Oestreicher has witnessed the many moving parts farmers must navigate on a daily basis, many of which are out of their control. She says mindfulness and meditation are useful tools for better managing the anger, fear and frustration that result when things aren’t going well.

She explains that mindfulness is the ability to be present in the moment and helps prevent anxious thoughts about “what if…?” Meditation is a tool that can get you into a mindful state. “It is an activity where one often focuses on their breathing as a way to calm the nervous system and ground them.”

When you feel frustrated, Oestreicher explains that “stress takes your brain for a wild ride for 90 seconds, decreasing your ability to make good decisions.” When this happens, her advice is to “feel what you’re feeling” but then you always have a choice as to where you go from there. “Avoid the temptation to make up storylines about who did what which works us up further and takes us from the grounded place we want to be in.”

Instead, she suggests getting into mindfulness. “Do some deep breathing. Go outside and connect with nature. Maybe take a fast walk to get rid of some energy. That’s when the solutions come that you wouldn’t have had.”

Click here to watch a brief meditation demonstration with Carey-Ann Oestreicher.

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