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Guide Business, Management

Job descriptions: The right HR tool for our farms

“Self-efficacy” is a concept worth learning for farmers who want to manage their way to better farm productivity

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Reading Time: 5 minutes “It’s different than self-esteem,” says Sara Mann, of the University of Guelph. “Self-esteem is your overall belief in yourself. Self-efficacy is task specific… it’s the belief that you can actually do your job.” Self-efficacy is an idea whose time is right, says Mann, who has trained over 120 farm owners and supervisors on how to […] Read more
Portrait of a female farmer
Guide Business, Management

Your next employee

The solution to your labour shortage may be just waiting for you to give her a chance

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Reading Time: 5 minutes There’s a labour shortage on Canadian grain farms. And if industry predictions are correct, it’s only going to get worse… a lot worse. Following a three-year study, the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) reported in 2016 that several factors will combine to create a growing shortage of domestic labour for farms. With an anticipated […] Read more
Alberta farmers Robert and Angela Semeniuk use a 10-year capital acquisition plan to keep on target with key production and financial objectives for their farm. The plan forces them to closely look at the impact of land and machinery expenditures on their cash flow… and their creditors love it.
Guide Business, Management

Building a capital plan

The 10-year capital acquisition plan they’ve created for their farm gives the Semeniuks a decision-making boost, plus more resilience

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Reading Time: 8 minutes In early October, Robert and Angela Semeniuk woke to deep snow blanketing their picturesque farm at Smoky Lake, north of Edmonton. Their hearts sank. Silence had descended on a scene that was supposed to be humming with harvest, leaving more than half of their canola in the field. But on that cold, grey fall morning, […] Read more
Filling the youth gap in agriculture
Guide Business, Management

Filling the youth gap in agriculture

Here’s how to inspire and recruit the next generation of ag employees

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Reading Time: 5 minutes What do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s a common question that adults ask young people. Popular answers include pro athlete, doctor or lawyer, or you might just get a shrug of the shoulders and an “I don’t know.” Unfortunately, careers in agriculture and food rarely make it to the top of […] Read more
What’s your cultural intelligence quotient?
Guide Business, Management

What’s your cultural intelligence quotient?

Creating an environment that welcomes and is open to other cultures actually helps boost farm performance

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Reading Time: 4 minutes Along with the country overall, our rural communities are becoming much more culturally diverse. The evidence is that this is a good thing for agriculture. Research shows that diversity enhances innovation in the workplace. As well, agriculture relies on newcomers to fill the growing demand for workers in the industry. However, diversity in the workplace […] Read more
Farmer Leaning on a Gate in a Paddock
Guide Business, Management

The value of learning

AME Management: Learning business management can contribute to self-esteem and confidence

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Reading Time: 4 minutes Farmers sometimes wonder whether additional courses and learning are of great value after taking into account course fees, travel, sometimes hotels, and always valuable time away from your business. Peer pressure can add to the psychological cost if the destinations are at all interesting or exotic. Neighbours may think you are simply taking a tax-deductible […] Read more
Family meetings that work
Guide Business, Management

Family meetings that work

It may seem risky to get the whole family together for a farm meeting. It’s also smart

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Reading Time: 5 minutes Having guided farm families through some of their most challenging periods, Jolene Brown understands why regular meetings fall by the wayside in many businesses. “It’s because of the way the last one ended. Nothing got done, someone took over, somebody cried, people walked out, people had so much work to do and the meeting just […] Read more
Famer and His Son Standing Side by Side Leaning on a Gate
Guide Business, Management

How good are your HR skills? Is it time to upgrade?

If you are going to have employees, you can never run away from being a supervisor,” says HR consultant Leah Knibbs. It’s a role, she says, that pays well when it’s done well

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Reading Time: 7 minutes Not only are our farms getting bigger and more complex, but farm families are also getting smaller as farming couples have fewer kids, just like other Canadians. It’s a demographic combination that has changed the ag labour dynamic, says Leah Knibbs. For many farmers, the days of running the farm by putting the family to […] Read more
Guide Business, Management

Three red flags to watch for on your farm

Is it time to call in an HR consultant to boost your farm’s performance?

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Reading Time: 2 minutes The first warning sign seems like it should be an obvious one. But it isn’t always that simple. This red flag is a farm that can’t keep staff. The trouble is, it’s easy to blame the employees instead of taking a hard look at whether the problem is closer to home, says Leah Knibbs of […] Read more
financial paperwork
Guide Business, Management

Financial analysis and planning

AME Management: These examples show how standardized financial statements can be a powerful source of insight into your operational management

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Reading Time: 3 minutes Past columns in this space addressed aspects of strategic planning and financial management. Experience suggests that their close connection is not always recognized by managers. The intent of this column is to show how financial ratios can affect strategic direction and help focus on plans. The Planning Model We follow Harvard strategist, Michael Porter and […] Read more

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