A group of farmers are discussing in the field, using a tablet. Two men and one woman. Team work in agribusiness.

You don’t know what you don’t know

We’ve all confidently stated a ‘fact’ only to be proved wrong. But by practicing self-awareness and self-reflection you can not only manage the fallout, you can learn from it, too

Reading Time: 3 minutes When you returned home to the farm after college, university or trade school, no doubt you felt a great sense of accomplishment. And rightfully so. You earned this achievement! You invested time, personal stress and money in equipping yourself to enter “the real world.” Maybe you also felt that you crossed a finish line, that […] Read more

“To get a return on a $6,000 or $7,000 program... it’s a big payback.” – Jamie Christie.

Summer Series: Skills training that can make you a better farmer

[Make It Count] It’s a whole new world. For Jamie Christie, mid-career education means driving farm growth by adding skills no one used to think are needed on the farm. Which should be on the top of your list? And where to find them?

Reading Time: 9 minutes First, you could get process-minded about it. If you recognize it would pay to get serious about adding an education focus to your farm, there’s a logical way to get started. Make a list of the current skills that everyone involved in the operation has, then assess where there are knowledge gaps and training needs. […] Read more


‘Mobile skills lab’ to promote careers in ag

‘Mobile skills lab’ to promote careers in ag

Saskatchewan equipment manufacturers receive government funding aimed at finding more workers

Reading Time: 3 minutes A new high-tech “Careers in Ag Mobile Skills Lab” will begin a summer tour of Saskatchewan at Ag in Motion July 16 to 18 to help develop a “talent pipeline” for ag and ag equipment manufacturing.




Woodchurch High School pupils Megan Pitt and Corey Gibson, 13, prepare their sheep for judging as they compete in the Young Handlers class at the Westmorland County Show near Kendal, Britain, September 14, 2023. Photo: Phil Noble/Reuters

Urban school farm opens world of opportunity to British teens

Students from the underprivileged community have won acclaim at ag fairs, and some have gone on to be farmers, vets

Reading Time: 2 minutes The rural life of rearing rare breed sheep and nurturing alpacas is a world away for many urban teenagers. Yet a British school near Liverpool has opened its pupils to a wealth of jobs in agriculture and the benefits of nature with its own farm.


High schoolers from Iowa got hands-on journalism experience interviewing producers at Canadian Western Agribition. Pictured: Jake VanderHeiden, Hannah Grantz, and Katlin Truelsen, with Lexie Girodat of Rocking G Land and Cattle out of Gull Lake, Sask. (Becky Zimmer photo)

At Agribition: Iowa school group looks in on Prairie ag

Media program students, alumni gather participants' stories

Reading Time: 3 minutes Fresh faces and new blood were injected into the usual cadre of journalism veterans this week at Canadian Western Agribition. Students from Iowa’s CAC Media Group ventured to Regina for hands-on agricultural journalism experience. Hannah Grantz, Jake VanderHeiden and Katlin Truelsen, students from high schools across Clinton County in eastern Iowa, interviewed, photographed and videotaped […] Read more

Brenna Mahoney, general manager of Keystone Agriculture Producers, speaks during a panel discussion at the Agriculture Enlightened conference in Winnipeg on Oct. 26. (Geralyn Wichers photo)

Think outside the agriculture box for labour, ag and tech leaders say

Agriculture in the Classroom is reaching non-farming students with inspiration for ag jobs, panelists say

Reading Time: 2 minutes Ag and tech leaders encouraged employers to think outside the agricultural box when looking to hire workers in order to expand the labour pool.  “I’m one of the lucky ones,” said Brenna Mahoney, general manager of Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP).  Mahoney entered the industry with no agriculture experience. She had training in human resources and […] Read more


The constant input of farmers has been key to the program, which recently finished its third cohort of attendees.

Training fills the gaps between agriculture and technology

Program aims to match tech specialists with farmers and industry employers

Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Say there’s trouble with the automated GIS and mapping features on the tractor, but you can’t find a tech with enough knowledge to offer help. It’s a simple example of the kind of employment gaps that keep farmers up at night, and that prevent their adoption of new technology, said the manager of an […] Read more

(Video screengrab from University of Guelph/OAC video via YouTube)

OAC to offer new master’s program in plant agriculture

New program would run alongside research-based degrees

Reading Time: 2 minutes Ontario Agricultural College is seeking approvals to offer a new master’s degree in plant agriculture, which would designate plant science professionals operating at a grad-school level but not on the traditional research-based path. OAC said Wednesday its proposed new “master of plant agriculture” (MPAg) program would allow recent graduates and professionals to “quickly upgrade education […] Read more