Reading Time: 4 minutes Let’s say that you have a good sense of what success would look like for you and you’re pretty sure you’re made of the stuff it will take to achieve it, but it’s just not happening. Could a coach help? Kelly Dobson describes himself as a “professional capital ‘C’ Coach with a graduate degree.” Coaching, […] Read more
Is it time to get a farm management coach?
[The Rent Shake-Up: Leadership] If you've considered this question, Kelly Dobson says, “Congratulations, you’ve self-identified as a leader.”
Right for your farm too?
Reading Time: 3 minutes As more farms like Jackknife Creek Cattle & Land find success with their direct-to-consumer ventures, many experts believe it’s a good time for others to do the same. Food veteran Jo-Ann McArthur says Canada is ready and waiting. “Is it a good time? Absolutely,” she says. McArthur, president of Toronto-based Nourish Food Marketing, says now […] Read more
Farmer Coach: Reflections on year one
Reading Time: 2 minutes When Ryley Richards learned out about Farmer Coach, he signed up. So far, he says, it looks like a good choice. The 41-year-old manages his family farm an hour south of Regina along with father Rod and three full-time crew members, plus a few additional hands at busy times. Over the years, the farm has […] Read more
If you really want it
Can Canada’s farmers launch better business ventures by following Nelson Gibson’s lead at APH?
Reading Time: 6 minutes Two minutes into the conversation, you begin to see the parallels between Nelson Gibson’s job and the job that more Canadian farmers see ahead for themselves. On the farm, that job is ahead partly because of how the land market is curtailing farm expansion plans, and partly too because of the new levels of equity […] Read more
Planning the pullback
[Better Advice] Learning from David Hansen’s graceful exit from Canterra Seeds
Reading Time: 7 minutes Note: On October 2, 2023, Canterra Seeds appointed Brent Derkatch as its new president and CEO. Derkatch has been working with Canterra since 2001, most recently as the director of the pedigreed seed business unit. When a key employee leaves your farm operation, how much notice is best? If they leave too abruptly, you might […] Read more
Training fills the gaps between agriculture and technology
Program aims to match tech specialists with farmers and industry employers
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Say there’s trouble with the automated GIS and mapping features on the tractor, but you can’t find a tech with enough knowledge to offer help. It’s a simple example of the kind of employment gaps that keep farmers up at night, and that prevent their adoption of new technology, said the manager of an […] Read more
Inflation, interest rates, input costs catch up to meat sector
Canada's meat industry hits hard times
Reading Time: 4 minutes There’s been a torrent of bad news in the meat sector in the last two months. Tyson Foods reported its first quarterly loss since 2009; HyLife’s processing plant in Windom, Minn., declared bankruptcy; Smithfield Foods is closing 40 sow farms in Missouri; Olymel announced the permanent closure of its Vallée-Jonction hog plant in Quebec; and […] Read more
Taking a direct mindset to farm marketing
Three winners at Outstanding Young Farmers share the insights that turned their ideas into successful businesses
Reading Time: 6 minutes More Canadian farmers are selling more of what they produce directly to consumers than ever before. Customers are keen to shop for locally made products and many are looking for agritourism experiences. While direct farm marketing has grown in popularity in recent times, it isn’t new to everybody. Some farmers have years of experience in […] Read more
Talking up the farm story
It’s called brand theory and it’s the cornerstone of marketing for businesses around the world. Now it turns out it works on the farm too
Reading Time: 8 minutes A brand isn’t a Nike swoosh. It’s what the Nike swoosh makes you think. On the farm, it isn’t a yellow deer jumping across a green background. It’s all the ideas — the thoughts, feelings and expectations — that that deer calls up. Few jobs are more studded with brands than farming. Farmers fill their […] Read more
A plan for successful farm meetings
The Spurrs are driving even more growth and efficiency by continuing the family meetings that helped them get to a transition plan
Reading Time: 9 minutes The story gets repeated time and again. A farm family invests time and money in a professional farm advisor to help them sort out a transition plan and how to implement it. Finally, almost incredibly, after a series of family meetings that started out nervous but eventually get surprisingly productive, everybody gets on board with […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
