Reading Time: 2 minutes When COVID-19 first struck, who could have guessed that the biggest lesson it would teach us is how dangerous it is for Canadians to stop interacting with and appreciating each other. It’s being called the winter of our discontent. What name will we give to its summer? What, individually, are you going to do to […] Read more
Editor’s Note: Summer in the new Canada
Editor’s Note: It’s too early to say the battle for gender equality is won
Reading Time: 2 minutes Agriculture’s progress on the gender front has been uneven. Country Guide’s, I have to admit, has been uneven too. So yes, let’s celebrate women’s gains, but remember that more must be done. I wondered recently if Guide should do an issue where all the farmers and all the business advisors, in fact where all the […] Read more
Editor’s Note: Who should own the land?
Reading Time: 2 minutes Some problems must be solved before they become problems. For Canada, a question that will soon require an urgent answer is, who should own our farmland? There’s a whole world full of things that you and I can disagree about. One thing we can’t, though, is that farmland is an increasingly precious commodity whose management […] Read more
Editor’s Note: The best choices in 2022?
Reading Time: 2 minutes We used to say the worst choices get made in the best times. To farmers’ credit, that’s no longer true. But do we know what the best choices this winter will turn out to be? I sometimes think there isn’t a farmer in the country who wouldn’t like to sit in my seat from time […] Read more
Editor’s Note: Big decisions are coming fast in 2022
Reading Time: 2 minutes Farming isn’t a business. Oh no, hold on just a minute! Of course it’s a business. How could Country Guide ever say it isn’t? Ask any farmer what’s on their “must do” list for 2022. Right at the top will be production. It has to be. Farming is all about producing more, producing more efficiently, […] Read more
Editor’s Note: A different start for a different world
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canada’s agricultural colleges and universities deserve loud praise for the energy they have poured into re-imagining post-secondary ag education. But not everything is new. In fact, the whole farm education sector has responded impressively at a time when it must seem that everything is in constant change. Technology has changed how programs can be delivered, […] Read more
Editor’s Note: Getting real about what 2021 means
Reading Time: 2 minutes The worst thing about agriculture is that it goes in cycles. Or so an uncle used to say. “And the worst thing about cycles,” he said, “is that wherever you are in one, it feels like it’s going to stay that way forever.” So maybe Uncle Lyle wasn’t as scientific as Bonnie Whitehead, who launches […] Read more
Editor’s Note: Farmers to the rescue
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canada is hungry for heroes. Statues are tumbling, poverty is intractable, our country is more racist than we knew, politicians falter. Who can lead us to the Canada we dream of? You can tell what people value because values are motivators. They show in what we pursue. Do farmers value Canada? There’s a better way […] Read more
Editor’s Note: Can you see it from here?
Reading Time: 2 minutes Farming is breaking through. It always used to be said — with justice — that most bad decisions on the farm get made in good times. Not anymore. In fact, it’s the exact opposite Of course, you can’t say anything in agriculture that’s absolutely universal. So, while I’m optimistic that on most farms the coming […] Read more
Editor’s Note: The incredible summer of 2021
Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s the way of things. A thought leads to a theory. An insight leads to a vision. And a great summer leads to an action plan. Welcome to a year like we’ve never seen before. We’ve always thought summer is for field work, winter is for business management. This year, more than ever, that’s changing. […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
