Reading Time: 7 minutes As remarks go, it was decidedly crude, so even though it was some years ago now that she first heard it, the memory still rankles Beth, especially because she’s so much more aware now how it fit into a pattern. The day had been a workday like any other in any professional agricultural office. There […] Read more
What farm women say…
With all the #MeToo headlines about predators and creeps in entertainment and government, and with so many revelations about fair pay and fair treatment, we wanted to ask, how is agriculture doing? Here’s how it looks from the front lines
Intuition: When it’s the right time for change
A leader needs to be prepared to offer opportunities for the next generation
Reading Time: 4 minutes The best leaders today seem to have a keen sense of when to make changes. They know when to share an example of their own struggle and when to motivate the next generation. It’s their gut instinct — that feeling we all get during times of decision-making. It’s the best leaders who know when to […] Read more
Get there first
Agriculture is constantly moving the yardsticks, which means there’s always a new business opportunity on the horizon. So, asks Rob Saik, founder of Agri-Trend: What are you waiting for?
Reading Time: 7 minutes This fall Country Guide chatted with Rob Saik founder and CEO of Agri-Trend as the innovative coaching company celebrates 20 years in business. He talked about the struggles of being and staying ahead of the innovation curve, the stumbles and wins, and what it was like to sell Agri-Trend to Trimble, the U.S. precision agriculture […] Read more
Getting ‘Thank you!’ right
An honest, well-timed pat on the back can be the best way to boost employee productivity
Reading Time: 5 minutes Happy employees are 12 per cent more productive than unsatisfied employees, according to at least three unrelated studies. Over an eight-hour work day, in other words, a happy employee is going to put in the equivalent of a full hour and a half more productivity than an unhappy employee. Over a month, that’s 30 hours […] Read more
Glyphosate: the real science
Will new studies that confirm the safety of glyphosate actually stop politicians from banning an essential herbicide?
Reading Time: 6 minutes The study published in the November 9, 2017 Journal of the National Cancer Institute is crystal clear. Called “Glyphosate Use and Cancer Incidence in the Agricultural Health Study”, it says: “In conclusion, we found no evidence of an association between glyphosate use and risk of any solid tumours or lymphoid malignancies, including NHL (Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma) […] Read more
The big 4
Where are all the mergers and acquisitions in the crop protection and seed sectors going to leave the individual farmer?
Reading Time: 9 minutes Sorting out who owns who in today’s agricultural supply sector is a bit like looking at that rat’s nest of cords and surge protectors behind your desk. Everyone’s too afraid to touch it because it’s so complicated and intertwined. Besides, it seems to be working, so why bother? Except… Canadian farmers spend billions in seed, […] Read more
Raising your farm’s importance
Making your farm more valuable to your suppliers can move you a big step up the success ladder
Reading Time: 5 minutes In some ways, of course, farming is unique. In other ways, though, it’s got the same concerns as every other business, because like other business owners, farmers must deal with various other businesses all through the year. What can farmers do to improve those business relationships, or at the very least to prevent hiccups in […] Read more
It’s a new market
Get ready for some repair bills, says Case IH vice-president Jim Walker, who predicts farmers are going to have to change how quickly they cycle new machinery through their operations
Reading Time: 5 minutes When Case IH invited farm writers to Ames, Iowa to see their new line of equipment for 2018, the company’s vice-president Jim Walker was also there. At an evening dinner on the last day of the event, he presented his thoughts on the state of the ag equipment industry, and hinted at his strategy for […] Read more
A shareholder plan for farm employees
With family and non-family ownership, Marie-Claude Mainville’s management of this Quebec farm may become a new Canadian pattern
Reading Time: 7 minutes Back in 1979, friends Jan Van Gennip and Orance Mainville decided to join forces to get into the feedlot business. Van Gennip had the farm, Mainville brought his knowledge of cattle and business, and together they formed Fermes Janor. Since then, Mainville (now semi-retired) has been joined by his daughter Marie-Claude, and many partners have […] Read more
What’s for dinner, Canada?
Change is growing a lot faster in our grocery stores than on our farms. So is opportunity
Reading Time: 9 minutes The food that got put on just about any dinner plate in Canada 30 years ago was the same as got put on all the other plates. Every kitchen cooked up meat and potatoes with a side of veg. Yes, basic tomato-based pastas could sometimes be served but they were definitely “ethnic,” while “convenience” described […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
