Reading Time: 6 minutes Gender bias is complicated. It can be intentional, but it can also be subconscious or structural, such as when it’s embedded in organizational policies or societal norms. And it often goes unseen by those who don’t experience it themselves. Although the number of women working in leadership positions in agriculture is increasing, women are still […] Read more
How women lead with confidence in agriculture
Summer Series: While women working in agriculture is certainly not as rare as it used to be, gender biases haven’t kept pace with the change. But with the help of peers and industry learning opportunities women are confidently stepping into leadership roles
Succession on the farm: Where to begin?
Summer Series: Thinking of farm transition as a short-term, quick deal that we must get right because we only get one chance can prevent us from even starting the process — and starting it off right
Reading Time: 3 minutes I recently polled farm managers about what big projects they were planning for this year. Half the respondents said succession was a priority; however, many indicated that they don’t know where to start. I look at it like this: if you’ve taken your child to the field, or they work alongside you, then you have […] Read more
Editor’s Note: Competent, not boastful
Reading Time: 2 minutes Like every other issue of Country Guide, our pages show Canada’s farms are getting more and more individualistic. That’s a good thing. It’s a professional thing. And it won’t stop If you’re having a bad day, you’ll find our January 2023 issue of Country Guide a pretty easy target. That’s okay. For example, Richard Kamchen […] Read more
Pandemic planning: Write it down, add it up
It's the big lesson of 2020. A business plan is practically guaranteed to up your game, make you more money, and keep you happier and healthier. So what are you doing this winter?
Reading Time: 6 minutes The number gap is stark. In fact, it’s hard to think where you’d find one that’s wider: 88 per cent of farmers who have a written business plan say their plan has so many benefits (both to the farm and to themselves as farmers) that it more than pays for itself. Yet only 21 per […] Read more
Pandemic planning: Groundwork
What will Canada's food system look like as we roll toward 2021? And how will you be able to build on those changes to make the family farm more resilient, more sustainable, and a better business?
Reading Time: 8 minutes Resilience has two halves. The part that automatically comes to mind is the way a truly resilient business can take a punch without shutting down. It can survive a bout of bad weather, bad markets, a black swan. But there’s something else too. It isn’t just that a resilient farm keeps breathing. It’s that a […] Read more
Deere to buy German road construction firm
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Deere + Co. said on Thursday it would buy privately held German company Wirtgen Group for about US$4.88 billion to expand its road construction operations as it looks to cut down its dependence on its slowing farm business. Deere’s share rose 3.1 per cent to US$126.29 in premarket trading, and were set to […] Read more
Editor’s Note: They aren’t even close to knowing
Yes, there are lots of fascinating and even important numbers in the 2016 ag census, but it’s the professionalization of farming that is really driving its evolution
Reading Time: 2 minutes Let me start with a complaint, just because the scene I’m going to describe is so fresh in my mind and it was so galling. I was in a meeting and the people I was meeting weren’t neophytes. They know something about agriculture, or at least they say they do. In fact, they’re already making […] Read more
Editor’s Note: We’re making the connection
Reading Time: 2 minutes Finally we’re actually moving into an agriculture that knows exactly how to integrate business management for better, more profitable decisions in the field. I know that many of you have been following our series of financial management columns written by the faculty and teachers at AgriFood Management Excellence, the group that offers the advanced CTEAM […] Read more
Five big ideas to help take your farm in the right direction
It's time to be a game changer. Choose the right business priorities and make your move
Reading Time: 11 minutes The year is at half-time, and you’re the coach. Most of the crop is in the ground, the spring rush is coming to an end, the team is winded. It’s a time when you can make a difference. You can be in charge; you can draw up new plays, analyze your strategy and motivate your […] Read more
Would your farm business benefit from an advisory board?
Reading Time: 3 minutes A number of farm businesses have already appointed or are considering either a board of directors or an advisory board to help them define and execute on their strategy. In this article, several considerations in developing an advisory board are addressed. How does it differ from a board of directors? Why have one? How do […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
