Reading Time: 6 minutes When the words “transition process” come up, they often provoke a sigh or maybe even a shudder. Nor should anyone pretend that transitioning your farm business will be anything but a lengthy process, or that it won’t involve difficult conversations and decisions. But as always, if you’re equipped with the right tools and methods, the […] Read more
On offer
Two new transition services show how the advisory sector is evolving. How do your advisors compare?
Family farms: Recognition + Appreciation > Return on Assets
AME Management: Keep track of good old-fashioned sweat equity
Reading Time: 3 minutes Income is important in a multi-generational farm business, but sometimes the key that actually unlocks a farm’s prosperity has more to do with long-term clarity and its members’ sense of opportunity. Therefore, if you are the second generation (SG), you must ask yourself: “Do I have a career path to ownership? Or am I just […] Read more
Help wanted
If the door is open for more women to take on more farm roles, it’s because we need them
Reading Time: 9 minutes Undoubtedly, some of the momentum that’s creating more opportunities for more women on Canada’s farms can be traced to various women’s movements over the past century. But not all of it. Not surprisingly, we should be praising the generations of farm parents who have provided great role models too. And yes, let’s admit that some […] Read more
The gluten advantage
With $1 million on the line, this Quebec farm is betting big money on small markets
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s a two-hour drive straight north from Quebec City to get to Tournevent’s Farm, owned by Guillaume Dallaire and Audrey Bouchard at Hébertville in Lac Saint-Jean near Saguenay. At this time of year, it can be a cold trip, but even in the summer when Country Guide first visited, it can feel a long way […] Read more
No one in the family to take over the farm
Where there’s no clear successor, more farmers are looking for ways to sell to a young or new farmer from outside the family. It’s rarely easy, but new listing services and new financial strategies may mean it’s possible
Reading Time: 9 minutes We all know a farm in this situation. Mom and Dad always thought one of the children would stand up at some point and say, “I want the farm.” Now, the time has come for the parents to make retirement plans, and none of the kids is standing up. Or maybe it’s the flipside. Mom […] Read more
Is Hawaii the canary in the cornfield?
There is a lesson for us to learn from the island paradise, so get ready for some uncomfortable reading
Reading Time: 7 minutes Since 2012, U.S. grain prices have trended down significantly. Canadian farmers have been somewhat shielded from the price drop by a corresponding slump in the Canadian dollar. However, current prices combined with last year’s weather-related yield and quality losses are resulting in negative margins for many producers. Coffee shop analysts are quick to assign blame […] Read more
Farmer Barbie?
Is Farmer Barbie just another way to keep our daughters out of the business of farming, or is something more serious going on?
Reading Time: 6 minutes Next time you check out the toy aisle you might be surprised to find a Farmer Barbie doll on the shelves. She comes ready to farm dressed in a plaid shirt, denim overalls and rubber boots, with a red tractor, pink trailer, and an assortment of farm animals. Farmer Barbie is one of a line […] Read more
Travel plans
They farm better because they travel, say Alex and Kelty and Jordan and Alyson McKay. Besides, it makes life so much richer
Reading Time: 8 minutes After catching the travel bug before they were old enough to drive, Alex and Jordan McKay made seeing the world a priority during their early 20s and 30s. With the encouragement of their parents, they took every opportunity to travel they could. There had to be compromises, naturally. With a thriving farm business to run […] Read more
Ten ways to know if you’re partnership material
If it seems that you’re hearing more about farmers entering business partnerships of various kinds, you are right. And it isn’t just in your neighbourhood. It’s all across the country. Whether it’s a loose partnership with another farmer to share resources, or it’s a new venture operating from the farm, or even an off-farm business[...]
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Use science to be a better agvocate
To capture someone’s interest you need to find a way to connect on an emotional level
Reading Time: 3 minutes As a farmer, you use science every day. On a day like today you might even use it to calculate how much snow load your barn can withstand, or to improve the success of your agvocacy efforts. Research shows that to build successful farmer-consumer relationships, we need to connect with people emotionally by telling our[...]
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A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
