Reading Time: 4 minutes Our series on farm resiliency has been a fascinating one to write. We have spoken with several farm families about the challenges they faced and overcame during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how it affected the ag community. We focused on the positives — stories of families and communities coming together to get last year’s crop […] Read more
Resilient farmers vs. COVID-19: How one Ontario farm got so resilient
Rather than focussing on pandemic problems, the next generation brings solutions to the table
Next level farm management
Business planning practices are driving success on these three farms
Reading Time: 8 minutes There are two halves to farming — production and business. They are correlated, of course. You can’t really succeed in one if you aren’t also up to scratch at the other. That said, we’ve always known that every farmer brings their own mix of management skills and energies to the table, which means every operation […] Read more
A higher commitment
This independent farm in Kent County provides a valued service to private sector companies
Reading Time: 6 minutes The history of agriculture in Ontario’s Kent County is filled with superlatives. Its rich past includes decades of prosperity for area growers, who fed processors like Campbell’s and Libby’s with a variety of produce for over a century. Farm organizations such as the Ontario Wheat Producers’ Marketing Board and the Ontario Soybean Growers also called […] Read more
What type of person are you?
Across the business world, personality testing is growing exponentially. Now, it’s coming to the farm
Reading Time: 3 minutes We’ve met them all before. In fact, many Canadian farmers don’t even have to drive down the lane to meet them all. Australian agronomist Cam Nicholson says farmers can be divided into four basic types: Dependables are the reliable types who defend the status quo. Doers work fast but don’t always finish every job. Pioneers […] Read more
Farm opportunities on your mind
Canada’s farmers tell us the new directions they’re planning for their farms
Reading Time: 12 minutes Not so long ago, all the buzz was about unleashing Canada’s full agricultural potential on a world that desperately needs our farmers to produce more and more. Global population was booming, more countries were more prosperous, and consumers everywhere were changing and improving their diets. Now our country needs Canada’s farmers to succeed too. Whether […] Read more
Telus’ farm and food sector acquisitions take new shape
Canadian telco giant launches new Telus Agriculture unit
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canadian telco and info tech giant Telus has consolidated its recent — and ongoing — acquisitions in farm tech, ag data management and supply chain management into a single new business unit. The Vancouver company, one of Canada’s “big five” telecommunications firms, on Thursday formally launched Telus Agriculture, billed as “a new business unit dedicated […] Read more
Resilient farmers vs. COVID-19: Burnham Family Farms
Here’s how family and community relationships powered these farmers through the pandemic, getting seed in the ground and creating a resolve for the future
Reading Time: 5 minutes In the battle against the pandemic that is gripping our industry and reaching across the globe, the resiliency of farmers continues to be showcased. In our last article, we explored the innovations employed by our ag community that demonstrated their ability to adapt and get the job done. “Another year, another challenge,” was the basic […] Read more
How might penguins offer farm advice? Read on
Guide Books Review: Our Iceberg Is Melting. Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions
Reading Time: 3 minutes What is more urgent than a melting iceberg? Not much, say scientists. No matter where we live or what work we do, all of us have got to expect a devastating series of cataclysmic ripple effects as long as the world’s ice continues to melt. But the penguins have a plan. At least, the penguins […] Read more
Thinking ‘tomorrow’
Saskatchewan grain producer Kristjan Hebert looks for COVID-19 insights to make his operation even more productive
Reading Time: 4 minutes While Kristjan Hebert’s working life hasn’t changed drastically through COVID-19, the pandemic has helped refine his ideas on how the grain industry could move forward from here. Mainly, it’s convinced him even more than before that farming is a people business. “I still feel that people are our number one asset,” he says. “If we […] 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
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
