Reading Time: 5 minutes In a time when many volunteer-driven events are struggling, a Terry Fox Run in Wilmot Township near Kitchener, Ont., has increased the money it raises in support of cancer research by more than tenfold in the past five years. Community involvement has been the key to this growth, says event co-organizer Nigel Gordijk. For the […] Read more
It takes a community
A new generation of volunteer projects and fundraisers are succeeding by reaching out to the countryside
Guide Health: For healthier hair, focus on overall health
Hair loss, or even a change in the “healthiness” of your hair should be checked by your doctor
Reading Time: 2 minutes You are born with all your hair follicles, about 100,000 on your scalp, and you are not able to gain any more. There are actually two types of hair on your body. Vellous hair is the fine soft hair that covers the majority of your body, including the longer courser terminal hair that grows on […] Read more
Rebalancing the workload
Unfair division of labour takes its toll on farm couples
Reading Time: 5 minutes Even though more than 80 per cent of women now work outside the home, the bulk of child care and household chores still fall to women. The most recent stats show that women are doing twice as much child care and one-and-a-half times as much housework as men. Is it really so different on the […] Read more
Down on the farm
Farming is a mental health challenge. It isn’t your fault. The numbers prove it. So maybe this is the right moment to talk about whether you’re one of the many who would benefit from some help
Reading Time: 7 minutes Every farmer knows that the sun can’t always shine. That the rain sometimes comes too early, too late, too hard, or not at all. That markets can fall, costs can jump, crops can fail, and even the best thought-through decisions can prove painfully, expensively, brutally wrong. It isn’t easy being a farmer. No matter how […] Read more
Guide Health: Your drugs and technology
There has been considerable change as to how medications are administered over the years
Reading Time: 2 minutes Technology seems to be everywhere these days, and your drugs are no exception. At one time drugs were dispensed as powders in powder papers. You would open up the folded paper, dump the powdered drug into a beverage, and then drink the beverage. Now there are tablets, capsules, liquids, and even suppositories, which are all […] Read more
Thriving in nature’s landscape
As they approach their retirement years, more farmers are reaping the benefits of working to enhance nature
Reading Time: 5 minutes Farmers are intimately connected to the land. Intuitively, they have always known that if they take care of the land, the land will take care of them, but life for young farm families is busy, and with the pressures of mortgages to pay and children to raise, environmental stewardship isn’t always as front and centre […] Read more
Guide Health: Vital first aid for your first aid kit
Pre-packed first aid kits are convenient, but you should tailor them to your activities
Reading Time: 3 minutes Because most of us never really plan on needing them, it’s very easy not to think about that dusty box behind your workbench or the one tucked away in the trunk of your car. Giving your first aid kits just a bit of attention, however, can help make sure your kit does its job if […] Read more
A sense of place
Every place has a story to tell, but be in the moment to enjoy it
Reading Time: 4 minutes We’ve all been struck sometime, visiting a place where the buildings and landscaping just seem to feel right, where there is a sense of harmony and flow. Creating that sense of place doesn’t just happen, says Stratford, Ont. architect Krista Hulshof, who specializes in designs for rural properties. Every place has a story to tell, […] Read more
Guide Health: Keeping your eyes in tip-top shape
You can't stop aging, but there are things you can do to keep your vision from premature deterioration
Reading Time: 2 minutes You only get one set of eyes, and you want to maintain their good health throughout your lifetime. As you age, your risk for macular degeneration, cataracts, and even glaucoma increases, and you may not even be aware of these until your vision changes. By then, it might be too late. The macula is a […] Read more
Top HR issues for farmers
Concerns about employment standards and employee performance are driving more farmers into HR training
Reading Time: 6 minutes When human resources consultant Janice Goldsborough first gets a telephone call from a farmer, it’s usually with questions related to employment standards. “They might be asking about whether they have to pay overtime, the rules around statutory holidays, or is their farm even covered under employment standards; those are typically the kind of questions that […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
