Reading Time: 6 minutes As chair of the Canadian Young Farmers’ Forum (CYFF), and as a millennial herself, Danielle Lee has heard all the stereotypes about millennial farmers, and she knows the challenges millennials face. Lee’s job is to speak out on behalf of young farmers, and to ensure they grow into a positive force in these trying times […] Read more
The millennial question
Do millennials have the discipline it takes to deliver on their promise?
Eastern Canada agricultural conferences in 2018
Kick-start your 2018 with our guide to this winter’s most important meetings and conferences, covering all the topics you want to get updated on, from agronomics and soil health to market trends and technology
Reading Time: 4 minutes Another new year is within sight, and turning the calendar to 2018 promises to bring a wealth of opportunity for learning and discussion — maybe even a friendly debate or two. Every meeting and conference season brings something new, whether it’s the latest innovations in precision ag or data management, or fresh insights into fertility […] Read more
The little railway that did
These Manitoba farmers show how much can be achieved with superior leadership skills
Reading Time: 14 minutes Remember The Little Engine that Could? It’s a story about optimism, hard work and determination, which pretty much sums up the story of the Boundary Trail Railway Company (BTRC), a producer-owned, short-line railway in southern Manitoba. In 2008, a group of Manitoba farmers, with no clue how to run a railway, signed a piece of […] Read more
Transition to better communication
How better succession planning can lead to better decision-making and less conflict
Reading Time: 8 minutes Too many times, farm succession planning starts with a series of useless, dead-end and sometimes volatile meetings. Someone erupts into tears, someone else mutters some nasty words in anger and frustration and all our hopes crash in flames. No wonder we are afraid of stirring up this toxic mess of emotions. We’re supposed to be […] Read more
Get more for your farm family
Reading Time: 3 minutes I have been the witness to several successful farm operations over the last number of years. I count myself lucky as someone who gets to see what innovation, smart business practice and communication can achieve on family farms. The majority of what I see doesn’t surprise me. And it frustrates me when people act surprised […] Read more
Smart stuff
Do parents really recognize the skills their children are bringing back from college and university, and how those skills can make the farm stronger?
Reading Time: 8 minutes Skip the smiley faces and the acronyms. In the new age of digital soft skills, agricultural schools are embracing the same modes of electronic communication as their students, albeit with a dose of finesse, professionalism and, at times, trepidation. “Don’t use emojis, they’re cute, but they’re not professional,” Mark Fournier of Alberta’s Olds College tells […] Read more
Join the fight for consumer trust
Every farmer should be in the habit of telling non-farmers to check out www.bestfoodfacts.org
Reading Time: 4 minutes Early on the evening of April 13, 1970, Jack Swigert, pilot of Apollo 13’s command module, radioed the now famous phrase, “I believe we’ve had a problem here.” His words immediately set in motion the incredible teamwork needed to diagnose what had happened and to find a solution to a very serious situation. Since then, […] Read more
A different school
For Vance Lester and Sue Echlin, getting a non-agricultural education proved a big help when they returned to the farm
Reading Time: 6 minutes Graduate degrees in ecology and international relations don’t seem the kind of education that would be likely to help on a Canadian farm. But that’s where we might be wrong. For Sue Echlin and Vance Lester, that kind of schooling has been instrumental in their launching a fruit-growing and winery business, and in keeping it […] Read more
Working (and learning) abroad
More young Canadians are looking to gain wider perspectives by working on farms in other countries
Reading Time: 6 minutes Ask almost anyone who has spent time abroad and they’ll tell you it was a life-changing experience. Inevitably, their faces will light up as they talk enthusiastically about how they gained confidence, developed friendships with people from around the world and emerged with a broader perspective. Not surprisingly, this was precisely the reaction I got […] Read more
Flood warning
Will Canada’s land market drown in a torrent of new listings as more farmers get to retirement age? The truth is… nobody knows
Reading Time: 9 minutes We’ve all heard the predictions. They say that with so many of our farmers reaching their 60s and 70s all at the same time, we’re soon going to see the biggest rush of land onto the market that this country has ever witnessed. Will it happen? Will the land market get flooded sometime in the […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
