Reading Time: 9 minutes It’s a common scenario: Farmer Bill has been renting land from his neighbour for years but the time has come and he is ready to sell. He wants Bill to have first refusal on the land, but Bill has just financed a new barn and bought a new combine, so he’s too over-extended to raise […] Read more
Investment model offers opportunity for farm expansion
Could Joelle Faulkner’s partnership concept work on your farm?
Managing your business through stress and rough times
Make your point | Being innovative when problem solving is an essential skill
Reading Time: 3 minutes Feeling a little grumpy and stressed these days? Seems it’s been that kind of year so far. In an age of mental health awareness, it’s no surprise to learn that stress can easily mess with your mental and physical health. Feeling foggy, distracted or listless can ultimately lead to less-than-optimal decisions as your focus is […] Read more
‘Good in Every Grain’ campaign bridges urban-rural divide
This Grain Farmers of Ontario campaign means consumers meet farmers where they’d never expect to see one
Reading Time: 4 minutes Three tickets for a whisky. Not rye. It’s a downtown Toronto event, the currency is sample tickets, at a buck a piece. Seems reasonable. Besides, there’s a sign that has caught my eye. It announces, “Sample Ontario Corn Whisky: Neat, On the rocks, Whisky sour cocktail.” In a way, it’s the kind of sign I […] Read more
Building an organic oat supply chain for the future
In English, this Quebec farm’s name means to make speed upwind. No wonder
Reading Time: 6 minutes Surrounded by her parents, sister and brother, Virginie Lepage has a strong grip on Ferme Olofée, Quebec’s biggest organic oatmeal producer and processor. How big, you ask? In other words, how big can an organic oatmeal operation be? Well, annual sales are $9 million. That should answer some questions. This clearly is a young entrepreneur […] Read more
Tapping into a new source of farm workers
Traditional labour supplies are running short. Why that may not be a bad thing
Reading Time: 5 minutes With farms getting bigger and with rural populations getting smaller, it’s no surprise you’re having trouble finding local employees with the farm skills and the experience you want. That doesn’t mean you have no options, however. The solution may be to look beyond candidates with ag experience and to begin to look in other sectors […] Read more
How much will that new farm technology really pay?
New tech can work wonders, but is your economic analysis a bankable guide to how it will perform on your farm?
Reading Time: 9 minutes Like everything else in farming, it’s getting more complicated to decide which technologies to invest in for the farm. Actually, make that “much more complicated.” An effective technology strategy is a key success factor, says Purdue University professor Michael Langemeier, “Early adopters of technology often reap above-average profits.” Plus, says Langemeier, it can keep them […] Read more
The power of mentorship in agriculture
Mentorship is emerging as agriculture’s key strategy for keeping Canada a world-class place to farm. What could be in it for you?
Reading Time: 8 minutes To be at the top of their game in the 2020s, today’s young and mid-career farmers must excel at growing crops and raising livestock. That’s hard enough, given all the new technologies that neither they nor their parents have ever seen. And that’s just a start. To secure their futures in a world with a […] Read more
Want to be a more successful farmer? Find a mentor
How you can harness the power of mentorship
Reading Time: 4 minutes Research shows the five-year survival rate for small and medium enterprises jumps from fewer than half to more than 70 per cent if mentors are involved. That’s according to Virginia McGowan, a certified mentor who witnessed this powerful transformation while running a mentorship program for a group of 70 female entrepreneurs in Charlottetown, P.E.I. The […] Read more
The booming bioeconomy — Part 2
In part one of this feature, we introduced the bioeconomy and how Canada is working to become a world leader. In part two we look at specific sector developments from coast to coast — there are lots of them!
Reading Time: 7 minutes It’s a surprise to most of us. What’s the hottest bioeconomy subsector on the planet? Replacements for plastic. Worldwide demand for biodegradable products is urgent and it’s growing, especially to replace single-use plastic items like straws, utensils, cup lids and plastic bags. The race is on. France banned plastic cups in 2016, and Queen Elizabeth […] Read more
Does Canada have enough young farmers?
The country has lost 70 per cent of the farmers in its under-35 category in just 25 years
Reading Time: 17 minutes There are encouraging signs all across the country. At the University of Manitoba’s School of Agriculture convocation this spring, 58 graduates took home their two-year diplomas. At Ridgetown Campus of the University of Guelph in Ontario, 267 crossed the stage in late May, and at Olds College in Alberta, another 81 diplomas were handed out […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
