Reading Time: < 1 minute Are you getting bad vibes from someone with whom you usually feel quite connected? It can be tough for everyone to always jive with everyone else when you work and/or live together day after day. But if there is in fact something wrong and you’d like to get to the bottom of it, Patti Durand […] Read more
VIDEO: Managing ‘not-so-good’ vibrations
Closing the on-farm generation gap
Generations have always squabbled about issues and viewpoints, but the generational communication gap can be filled with curiosity and empathy
Reading Time: 4 minutes The clash between generations over outlooks, opinions, values and beliefs dates to ancient times. In fact, this disparity of perspective has a name: the generation gap. Each generation is shaped by the predominant forces at play during their formative years. Acknowledging these influences can improve communication among the generations, says River Falls, Wisconsin leadership development […] 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
AgriCommunication plan to seek farmer-consumer dialogue
Ag exhibitions among expected beneficiaries
Reading Time: 3 minutes The federal government has put up new funding toward improving consumers’ awareness of the “strengths” of Canada’s ag sector — and to improve farmer awareness of what those consumers want and expect. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Thursday announced an $8 million, three-year funding envelope for the first of two streams of what’s now called […] Read more
Say it by mail
Send your thoughts in actual writing. It makes them become a keepsake
Reading Time: 4 minutes When you go to the mailbox and find a handwritten envelope among the bills and flyers, chances are it’s the thing that will draw your attention. A handwritten card or letter is a rare treat in this time of instant messages, texts and emails. While being able to Zoom with our family and friends during […] Read more
Fraser: In ag marketing, emotions need to start trumping facts
Emotional transparency 'actually goes a long way'
Reading Time: 3 minutes Go to an agricultural event and someone will inevitably point out how bad farmers are at getting their message to consumers. As annoying as it is, those comments underscore an increasingly important theme in Canadian agriculture: communication. It used to be enough to grow and market your crops, but that has changed dramatically over the […] Read more
Continuous communication
There are three simple steps to establish a family business code of conduct
Reading Time: 4 minutes There is a change in how families communicate today. I see the evidence in my daily work. You probably see it around the farm tables, in the barn, or with your accountant. Different discussions are happening now. Discussions are being driven by different players — sons-in-law, spouses, children — people coming into a farm family […] Read more
The ‘write’ way
With big stakes at play on today’s farms, it’s more important than ever to make sure what you write sends a clear message
Reading Time: 4 minutes We’ve all had occasions when we’ve read something and we were left muttering, “I have no idea what that person was trying to say.” Not only does poor writing not accomplish the goal of communicating the intended information, it also wastes the time of both reader and writer. The number one goal of good writing […] Read more
Tough talk
How to respond to questions you don’t want to answer
Reading Time: 3 minutes In the age of social media, consumers are feeling empowered to ask more and more questions, which means that answering questions about farm practices has become another “to-do” on your already supercharged list. Farmers not only play an important role in the food conversation, they can be said to have a duty to participate in […] Read more
Editor’s Note: How we talk among ourselves
Reading Time: 2 minutes Again I’ve been told our farm business focus means Country Guide has stopped writing for real farmers, which is to say that if you read us, you’re no longer playing for the home team. To be honest, the charge doesn’t come up all that often. I had expected it to come up more. Still, it’s […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
