Reading Time: 5 minutes At 32, Reece Curwen farms with his family 500 kilometres south of Perth in Western Australia, where the farm produces canola, barley, wheat and sheep on 8,000 hectares. Yet although the farm is so geographically distant from Canada, when it comes to the people management side of farming, it might be right next door. As […] Read more
Grow your people
On a global tour, Nuffield Scholar Reece Curwen finds the top farms always treat employees as an investment, not a cost
Stretch your horizons
Here’s why taking an agri-tourist vacation might be your business’ best investment all year
Reading Time: 4 minutes Many farmers — because they prefer being busy, productive, active and physical — steer clear of the beachy, all-relaxation style of vacation, knowing it will leave them feeling more frustrated than rejuvenated. But don’t let yourself off the hook so fast. Not going on a beach vacation is one thing. Not going on a vacation […] Read more
Admitting you have a mental health problem
Learn to look in the mirror… really look. Dealing with stress and anxiety may never be easy, but it helps if you’re alert for these warning signs
Reading Time: 6 minutes For several years, Wayne Black couldn’t see what was happening. He drove himself to be better as a farmer and then, when he became a sales manager at a central Ontario farm input dealership, he was always striving for the highest results for his customers. But early in 2018, he began to notice that he […] Read more
Outward-looking business
AME Management: It takes discipline, but an outward focus pays off in more business
Reading Time: 4 minutes Have you ever been disappointed that people who work for you don’t take initiative to do what you want done? You don’t feel comfortable getting away for a week because things won’t get done the way they are supposed to? You and the generation ahead of or behind you have ongoing tension that stands in […] Read more
Their pattern of growth
On this farm, it isn’t the grand vision, it’s knowing how to make the individual battles count that drives farm success
Reading Time: 7 minutes The margin between good, great and outstanding in farming is not wide. In fact, it’s quite small, but it does make a difference, and their strategy of maximizing those gains has propelled Dallas Vert and Natasha Pospisil to the podium as Alberta’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2019. The Kirriemuir, Alta. couple crops 11,300 acres of […] Read more
Business opp
Entrepreneurs see big bucks in the campaign to reduce food waste
Reading Time: 4 minutes In recent years, farmers have been repeatedly urged to produce more food to feed a world population that is expected to hit almost 10 billion people by 2050. At the same time, food waste is a growing concern, leading some to argue there’s already enough food being produced in the world, and the real solution […] Read more
A turn at Summerhill
Running this family-owned independent Toronto grocery is amazingly like making a success of a mid-sized Canadian farm, which is why co-owner Christy McMullen is rarely standing still
Reading Time: 7 minutes Chicken pot pie is on our radar the moment I arrive. I’ve heard raves about it, and it’s not long before I spot it. When I pick one up, I quickly understand something about this store’s reputation. At over 1.5 kg, this not your typical meat pie. Nor is this your typical store. Summerhill Market […] Read more
The two sides of Denmark
They share so much, but under it all the Peterson and Dall farms have made some very different choices
Reading Time: 9 minutes Two farmers; two philosophies. Jorgen Popp Peterson and Mogens Dall are hog farmers in southern Denmark. Both are 55 years old. Each has adult children, both wives work off-farm, and each man is also heavily involved in politics, and on agricultural councils as well. But amid the similarities, there is this great difference. One farms […] Read more
The Goal Tree
Big corporations use this decision-making system. Should you too?
Reading Time: 7 minutes We all know what it’s like to sit at the kitchen table with the whole family and to ask yourself, “Should I bring it up now? We’re all together… is this the right time to talk about the next big step for the farm?” Agriculture prides itself on its family foundations. But sometimes, those family […] Read more
Into the future
Celebrated ag tech guru Scott Shearer sees a profitable path ahead, together with some potential bumps
Reading Time: 4 minutes While it’s not exactly as futuristic as 2001: A Space Odyssey, it’s no longer such a big stretch to imagine the day when a single operator anywhere in the world can remotely control 25 to 30 tractors, and when our crops effectively send us emails letting us know what they need. As professor and chair […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
