Reading Time: 5 minutes A business plan is like a road map for your farm. You can plan your route, set a destination and track progress. But without a map or a plan, how does a farm business owner know what success looks like? Or what you’re capable of achieving? And, most importantly, how do you decide which changes […] Read more
Summer Series: Preparing a business plan for your farm
[Change Management] Whether the change you’re looking at is big or small, the experts insist a business plan will make it more successful
Summer Series: Long-distance farming
[Change Management] For Michael Carter, when a family can make the right changes at home, their odds of success with expanding across provincial borders and hundreds of kms away go up and up
Reading Time: 9 minutes The idea sounds right for the times. If you can’t expand at home, either because land is so expensive or because there just isn’t any for sale, look further afield. Maybe two hours away, maybe four, maybe even in a different province and so far away you basically have to set up a whole new […] Read more
Summer Series: Manitoba couple reinvents their farm
[Change Management] What does it take to survive when you run into a production problem so serious it threatens your whole farm? The Hoffords were about to find out
Reading Time: 11 minutes At first, going organic seemed the perfect choice for Ryan and Amy Hofford, a young couple intent on taking over the family farm after the early passing of Ryan’s father. Organic had everything going for it. The young couple could cash-flow its low-input approach, they’d excel at its hands-on marketing and they’d be on a […] Read more
Summer Series: Measuring success on the farm
[Change Management] We talk a lot about farm success. But how do we know if we’re getting there?
Reading Time: 6 minutes When asked to define “success,” most farmers will tell you it’s about more than money. Family often comes up. High yields and good soil health are top of mind too, and health, safety and employee relations can be as well. We know these non-financial factors are important. Still, when the farm team gathers at the […] Read more
Summer Series: Implementing changes that matter
[Change Management] Maybe there used to be one tried-and-true path to farm success. Today, for farmers like Craig and Jinel Ference, it’s about seeking new ideas and getting creative about how to integrate them
Reading Time: 12 minutes Right now, we’re focusing on streamlining, simplifying and making things more efficient,” Craig Ference says. “That’s kind of our next expansion … making what we have a lot better. Improving our production, our land and our cattle to get a better gross margin from our current asset base.” Yup, that’s a farmer. The same or […] Read more
Summer Series: The uneasy middle
[Change Management] Canada’s mid-sized farms are under pressure. But don’t write them off quite so fast — at least not all of them
Reading Time: 8 minutes Of course any story on what’s ahead for Canada’s mid-size farms is going to start with a forkful of numbers. And of course, if you’re a mid-size farmer, those numbers aren’t exactly a joy to read. Instead, let us reprint part of an email from our in-box at Country Guide, just one of the more […] Read more
Summer Series: Opportunities ahead
[Change Management] What’s in store for Canada’s farms in 2024? The news is good, mostly
Reading Time: 10 minutes Land is up. Inputs are up. Commodities are volatile. And that’s just a start. Climate change is getting real. Interest rates are too. And the international scene is chaos. Does it all add up to good news for your farm in 2024? Bad news? And what can you do to keep your farm on the […] Read more
Summer Series: 7 trends in agriculture for 2024
[Change Management] The long term is clear. The world will need Canadian farmers to feed a global population expected to reach 9.8 billion by 2050. But what about the short term, like next summer?
Reading Time: 6 minutes High interest rates, skyrocketing input costs, labour shortages, climate change … the exact mix varies from country to country but farmers around the world are facing threats to their ability to grow more food, which means farmers everywhere are looking for opportunities to improve production, preserve profits and protect the environment. What does it all […] Read more
Summer Series: Grow your farm manager
[Leadership] Leaders are made, not born. That much is clear. But how exactly do you make such a concept pay off on your farm?
Reading Time: 3 minutes There’s only so much time in a busy farm owner’s day. Here’s how can you help your farm manager develop their leadership skills, so you can focus on the big stuff.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor Dr. Stephen Brown says: “You are not a leader until you have produced a leader who can produce another […] Read more
Summer Series: Do you have the tools to be a better farm leader?
[Leadership] Becoming a more effective leader will position you to adapt to the challenges and opportunities coming your way
Reading Time: 6 minutes The words “leadership” and “management” are often used interchangeably, but there are important differences – and by focusing on leadership, you can ensure you’re putting your energy and resources in the right areas of your farm business.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor “Management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things.” It’s a […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
