GFM Network News

More News →

Opinion — page 2

All of the gains farmers have made in no-till are likely in jeopardy if their access to glyphosate is eliminated.
Guide Business, Opinion

A new attack on glyphosate

Earlier this fall, some food companies were calling for a ban on glyphosate

By
Already by October 1, 2018, over 200 products sold under 17 different brand names were displaying the Glyphosate Residue Free symbol on their packaging. And another 50 brands representing hundreds more products are in the process of securing Glyphosate Residue Free certification. Farmers can expect increasing backlash over their use of glyphosate because of this […] Read more
Tom Button is editor of Country Guide magazine.
Guide Business, Opinion

Editor’s Note: In 2018, we know what really works

Who thinks of financial management when we have those road-trip discussions about which innovations should get how much credit for making today’s agriculture so great?

By
If it was a scientific technology that was adding as much capability to today’s farms as effective financial management, we’d all be quick to sing it’s praises. We’d also have a pretty clear sense of how much value it was adding to the farm. It’s an interesting exercise to think about it in terms of […] Read more
The right recipe for success? Talking with someone who knows your business and the businesses you are in, but is at arm’s-length from the emotion.
Opinion

Opinion: Winning with help from a mentor

By
The editor at Country Guide asked, “After meeting someone who could be a potential mentor, what makes a farmer pursue a full mentorship? When do they make the decision, and why? What is the impact of the relationship for themselves and their business? How do we relate this to leadership?” I didn’t have the answers […] Read more
Canada’s claim of being the world’s premium agricultural producer is questionable in the minds of many consumers.
Crops, Guide Business, Opinion

Canada’s agricultural brand has fizzled

Canada used to be known as the top producer of the world’s best food. Now, if we’re lucky, we’re considered second-rate

By
As you sit in the cab of your combine, swather or truck this harvest season, a point to ponder is how Canadian agriculture will be remembered by the next generation. I think back to my grandfather’s farming days when Canada was considered part of the “bread basket of the world.” Grain buyers depended on the […] Read more
Tom Button is editor of Country Guide magazine.
Marketing, Opinion

Editor’s Note: The way we think about markets

As new crops of young farmers help fill their families’ bins this year, will it be agronomic skill that decides if they succeed, or the farm’s asset strength? Or will it be marketing?

By
All of us complain about our memories, I’m told. None of us complain about our common sense. At least, I think that’s how it goes. We aren’t always as humble as experience tells us we should be about our mental judgments or our mental aptitudes, and for good reason. We can sound awfully good when […] Read more
Tom Button is editor of Country Guide magazine.
Opinion

Editor’s Note: Six ingredients of an ideal farm successor

By
Several articles in our May/June issue of Country Guide examine what may be the toughest question of all. Does your farm’s next generation have what it’s going to take to succeed in 2050? Fortunately, science can help. I’ve suggested before in this space that as farms continue their likely evolution in asset value and in […] Read more
Tom Button is editor of Country Guide magazine.
Opinion

Editor’s Note: The right way to end the winter

By
It wasn’t a phone call that I had expected to get. The caller wasn’t from what you’d call our target audience. But then, he had been good enough to call, and after all, he did have a point. The call actually came from a Home Hardware franchisee who had taken over a small-town store not […] Read more
Guide Business, Opinion

Advisor vs. adviser

Are you sure you should trust the person who is advising you on your financial future?

By
Life, business and farming are all becoming increasingly complicated. As a result, individuals in every walk of life, including farmers, are turning to advisers for help. The public has an expectation that these advisers are highly trained, that they are experts in their field, and that they will work in the best interests of the […] Read more

Upcoming events

AgCanadaTV

AGCanadaTV: In Case You Missed It – Your National Ag News Recap for the week ending March 15, 2019.

Sponsored By:
More Videos →

Daily Newsletter

You'll receive current daily news every morning free, as well as market updates and special features.