Reading Time: 7 minutes Hiring farm business advisors isn’t a new concept, but the creative ways some of them are approaching consulting is worth a second thought.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor Today’s farm operations are growing ever more complex. There are crucial production, financial, human resource, marketing and other management decisions to be made, and it is impossible […] Read more
Summer Series: Building a better farm business
[Best Advice] Is Trish Fournier creating the new template for how Canada’s farms will inject cutting-edge financial skills and strategic business acumen into their mid- to large-size operations?
Summer Series: Lessons for young farmers on farm transitions
[Best Advice] As they get going on their farm transition journey, there's something all young farmers have to learn
Reading Time: 7 minutes Where can young farmers turn for help to figure out which pieces of the leadership puzzle to learn and when? And on top of all the facts and processes you must master as you step into an on-farm leadership role, how can you accumulate enough of the right insights and skills required? These three young […] Read more
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Summer Series: Advice for Young Farmers
[Best Advice] If there was one piece of advice you wish somebody had given you (and that you had listened to) when you were just starting out on the farm, what would that be?
Reading Time: 5 minutes Once they’ve been in the biz for a few years, some farmers wish they hadn’t followed certain advice. Others wish they had. And others are happy with what they’ve accomplished based on advice they’d still follow if they had to do it all again. Here, a few farmers share what they’ve learned and offer their […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
