Reading Time: 5 minutes Finding the time is our greatest challenge,” Jennifer Peart acknowledges from their farm at Jerseyville, Ont., where she and husband, Charlie Anderson, are committed to making their business management as strong as their production capability. It isn’t easy. It isn’t simple. But the couple find they’re making gains by defining who is responsible for what, […] Read more
The greatest challenge for this farm operation
Their business schedule and clear must-do’s drive farm growth
Bryt Farms positions itself for growth in dairy industry
Whether it’s a classic expansion or a leap into the unknown, the pressure is on
Reading Time: 6 minutes “So many people told us ‘You can’t do it’. I think that just lit a fire underneath us and made us work harder.” Which is what Dave and Jennifer Bryson of Dobbinton, Ont., have done, proving all the doubters wrong. But they did something else too. The Brysons developed a decision-making model that keeps them […] Read more
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
Summer Series: Watch your grain inventory adjustment
[Make It Count] With the winter’s drop in grain prices, it’s important to track your inventory adjustment to avoid cash-flow and financing surprises
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canola prices, as just one example, are down approximately 25 per cent from late 2023. Wheat is down 15 per cent, meaning producer paycheques have decreased with the markets this winter. That’s not all there is to watch for, however. Given that many farms have post-harvest year-end dates, a significant amount of inventory on 2023 […] Read more
Summer Series: The learning curve of farm diversification
[Make it Count] Change is certain. Now, these two farms leverage it to diversify and grow their farms even more
Reading Time: 6 minutes The reasons farms diversify are as varied as the types of farms. The options are equally numerous. Maybe it’s to enhance or grow the operation or to add more income streams. Or the owners come across an opportunity too good to turn down. So, how does someone decide when to diversify and what option to […] Read more
Summer Series: Only farmers know real risk
[Leadership] In a world that crashes from crisis to crisis, Ontario farmer Amy Cronin went on a global search for farmers who excel at risk management. Here’s what she learned
Reading Time: 5 minutes In a world that crashes from crisis to crisis, Ontario farmer and Nuffield scholar, Amy Cronin, went on a global search for farmers who excel at risk management. Here’s what she learned. – April Stewart, CG Associate Editor If it’s a new and even more volatile world for farmers (which it is) and if success […] Read more
Who owns the land?
Farms are consolidating, and non-farmers are getting aggressive
Reading Time: 5 minutes It isn’t always easy to get a clear picture of how the pattern of farmland ownership is changing across Canada, particularly in the Prairie provinces. In Alberta, land titles data is expensive to purchase and in Manitoba, the provincial government has to give permission for access, even for research purposes, and that can take several […] Read more
Elevating the farm business
It’s the story of Canada’s young farmers. Crucial decisions at the start of their farm careers have enabled Michelle and Nick Hoffsuemmer to make even bigger decisions later on
Reading Time: 7 minutes Like other farmers who market and deliver their own grain, Nick Hoffsuemmer always knew a lot about contracts, delivery requirements, discounts, grades and all the assorted things that most farmers who sell their crops to the local elevator get to know. But Hoffsuemmer didn’t expect to end up getting into the elevator business. When he […] Read more
‘I’m a Canadian farmer’
In a summer of so much change, with regional differences as big as ever and the differences between farm sectors seeming to multiply, who really knows what “I’m a farmer” means?
Reading Time: 12 minutes There’s absolutely no such thing as a “typical” Canadian farm, let alone a typical farmer. Big statistics describe Canada’s farmers as a whole, though they tell only a small part of the story. For starters, there aren’t many of you around anymore, and fewer with every passing decade: 271,935 at last count. But you take […] Read more
Does your farm team have the skills your farm needs the most?
Summer can be the best time of year to ask
Reading Time: 9 minutes First, let’s start with something everyone can agree on. Investing in developing the skills of the farm team is vital for the continued success of every farm. It’s documented by Farm Management Canada’s Dollars and Sense study too, and by the finding that the number one practice of Canada’s top farmers — in other words, […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
