Reading Time: 4 minutes Some people just fall into the world of agriculture — and consider themselves lucky to have stumbled into such a happening industry. Kelsey Owen-Cooper is one of those people. Owen-Cooper grew up in rural Ontario, surrounded by farm influences. Her grandparents grew up on farms, her father worked on a local dairy (frequent visits to […] Read more
The wildly adaptable side of next gen agriculture
Summer Series 'Next Gen': Millennials are not all about avocado toast. This generation is not afraid to question the way things have always been done in the ag industry if it means building a stronger future
VIDEO: Trying to find work-life balance on the farm
Reading Time: < 1 minute In this week’s episode of Awkward Ag, Patti Durand answers a letter signed by “Trying to Find Balance” who asks Patti what they can say to other farm team members who make them feel guilty about trying to find a work-life balance. Do you need some advice on how to have an awkward conversation with […] Read more
VIDEO: Managing ‘not-so-good’ vibrations
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: Taking awkwardness out of farm family discussions
Reading Time: < 1 minute Country Guide and Patti Durand from Brightrack Consulting are excited to bring you AwkwardAg! Patti will be here all summer to answer your questions about those awkward family business conversations you’ve been meaning to have but are hesitant to start. She’ll offer tips and tricks for how to say the right thing, when to say it […] Read more
Which child will you pick to take over the farm?
Here’s help to identify and develop the right leader from your farm’s next generation
Reading Time: 6 minutes Across Canada, the biggest decision today’s farmers will make is choosing who will lead the farm tomorrow. In our fast-paced, fast-evolving agriculture, making the right choice will be critical to success, and maybe survival. In past, there wasn’t that much choice. The family farm got handed down from one generation to the next by way […] Read more
Bold strides: Finding balance between generations
In our continuing series on farm families that are embracing change with their bold decision-making, we feature a family in the midst of launching their ‘G2’ to ‘G3’ farm transition plan, fully aware they must navigate the needs of both the entering and the exiting generations if they hope to ensure the farm and family remains in harmony for years to come
Reading Time: 4 minutes The DeJong family operate a diverse agriculture business an hour east of Toronto at Baltimore, Ont., and the farming brothers, Rod and Chris, have their own farming ventures — Knollcrest Poultry and Knollcrest Swine respectively — which they operate alongside their wives Nancy and Amy. Despite being focused on their individual farms, the brothers also […] Read more
Family farms are finding their way
It’s more than the legalities. The culture of Canada’s farm families is evolving too, and on many farms it’s keeping up quite nicely, thanks
Reading Time: 6 minutes Brett Meinert, of Shaunavon, Sask., knew early on that his son Barclay was hoping to take over the family farm. “He bought land three days after he was old enough to own land, when he was eighteen years old,” Brett says. “We knew at that time that he was going to farm — there was […] Read more
Your first family meeting
It’s agreed. There are so many great reasons to start holding family meetings. The question is, how do you get started? Here’s help
Reading Time: 5 minutes The verdict is in. Family meetings do two things. They build stronger families, and they build stronger businesses. They empower the farm plan for the future in an orderly and constructive way. They help it take transitions in stride, and let it escape painful and costly conflict by addressing issues that inevitably arise in any […] Read more
Having farm meetings that work
These strategies can make family meetings a core part of your farm culture
Reading Time: 5 minutes We’re too busy.” If that’s your reason for putting off holding family business meetings on your farm, you’re not alone.Agricultural business advisors hear their clients say it time and again to explain why they haven’t started holding farm meetings. Except as excuses go, this one doesn’t really hold water. Too often, in fact, it’s a […] Read more
Family Through Succession: Meet the Hunter family
One farm — seven individuals. Each with their own hopes, needs and ambitions. It’s a typically unique Canadian farm, just like yours. And yes, there is a way forward
Reading Time: 6 minutes In launching this series of columns on farm succession, our goal is to offer the readers of Country Guide something unique, something we feel you will be able to relate to and learn from. We want to introduce you to the Hunter family. Of course names will be changed to protect identities of our clients, […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
