Reading Time: 3 minutes The Farm Whisperer: Secrets to Preserving Families and Perpetuating FarmsBy David Specht, with Taneil SpechtAdvising Generations LLC If you’re comfortable with whatever plan the government might have in store for your farm business in the event of your untimely death, or if you don’t care whether the farm stays in the family, of if you’re […] Read more
The Farm Whisperer
Guide Books Review: Secrets to Preserving Families and Perpetuating Farms
Guide Health: Nasal sprays and allergies — just a squirt!
Nasal sprays are good options as they deliver medication directly to nasal tissues
Reading Time: 2 minutes Statistically, seasonal allergies (technically known as allergic rhinitis) affect about one in four Canadians, although many more individuals may be affected; they just don’t seek treatment. Also known as hay fever, seasonal allergies occur when plant pollen is breathed in and the body’s immune system is activated to fend off the foreign particles or allergens. […] Read more
Drop the Ball
Achieving More by Doing Less
Reading Time: 3 minutes I was going to start this column with“This one is for you, ladies!” as the main audience for the book is certainly women. But honestly, as Tiffany Dufu’s book Drop the Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less suggests, everyone could benefit by occasionally dropping that ball — especially during these harried, upsidedown times. It’s particularly […] Read more
Meeting the growing need for food banks
Canada’s food banks are finding innovative ways to cope with escalating demand
Reading Time: 5 minutes Food bank usage increased more than 20 per cent nationally during the pandemic, with children now making up about a third of food bank users. That’s according to 2021 HungerCount, a report by Food Banks Canada which says a volatile combination of higher food prices, rising housing costs and low incomes has created a “perfect […] Read more
Making impossible conversations possible
Guide Books Review: How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide
Reading Time: 3 minutes How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical GuideBy Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay (Da Capo Lifelong Books) If you have never had a difficult conversation, you are not human. Whether it’s with parents, siblings or kids, or even with those distant family members you only see once a year, it just happens. No one […] Read more
Guide Health: The importance of triglycerides
Cardiovascular disease is associated with high triglyceride levels
Reading Time: 3 minutes Everyone knows about cholesterol. A lot of us also know about high density lipoproteins (or HDL) and low density lipoproteins (or LDL), but a third type of cholesterol is often overlooked; the triglycerides. Cholesterol is a waxy substance that accumulates in blood vessels. There, it can cause the narrowing and blockages that increase the risk […] Read more
Guide Health: Health literacy about more than just literacy
Good health literacy is linked to better health
Reading Time: 3 minutes Literacy is the ability to read and write, as well as to understand what is written. In general, 99 per cent of adult Canadians are considered to be literate, but on closer examination we can see there are different levels of literacy. About a quarter of Canadians have difficulty dealing with printed material; they are […] Read more
More listening, please
We’ve all felt it. When someone listens — really listens — it brings us to life. So shouldn’t we all get better at listening to others?
Reading Time: 6 minutes Being heard feels good. It’s like a massage,” says Cheryl Weber Good. “Our need to be heard is so big … to know that someone is sharing our journey and that we are not alone.” Weber Good, who farms near New Hamburg, Ont., with her husband, serves as a listening companion. “A listening companion is […] Read more
Think Like a Monk
Guide Books Review: Train your mind for peace and purpose every day
Reading Time: 3 minutes Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose EverydayBy Jay Shetty (Simon & Schuster) You might be surprised to learn how many lessons for farmers can be found in the wisdom of monks. After all, a monk’s life and a farmer’s life could hardly be more different. One is all about de-stressing; […] Read more
Meeting room
Across Canada, rural communities are re-imagining lonely church buildings into vibrant community hubs
Reading Time: 5 minutes It’s more than a massive loss for religious groups. With more than 5,000 churches expected to close in Canada in the coming decade, it’s a huge loss of infrastructure for the community-at-large. Located in the centres of their communities, churches frequently provide a home for daycares, seniors programming and educational workshops, as well as for […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
