Reading Time: 2 minutes Sheila Elder and her husband Jeff grow malt barley, canola, soybeans and wheat on their farm near Wawanesa, Manitoba. Elder says the best advice she’s ever been given is “never stop learning.” This advice, she says, applies to all areas of life, but especially farming. “It doesn’t matter how much I learn — there is […] Read more
Summer Series: ‘Never stop learning’
Summer Series: Want a super farm business? Build your ‘superteam’
[Team Building] Top tips from the frontline on creating and optimizing a business management team for your farm
Reading Time: 6 minutes The words can be heard all across the country. “Our accountant, lawyer and bank manager are key players in decision-making on our farm,” says Luanne Lynn, who is currently past president of Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers Program (she and husband Philip were Outstanding Young Farmers in 2005). The Lynns have a cash crop operation in […] Read more
Summer Series: How to use a situational analysis to set farm goals
[Best Advice] Consider a situational analysis in order to set goals for your farm
Reading Time: 9 minutes Knowing exactly where you’re starting from, and with what resources, leads to more efficient decision-making. Here’s a tool to help you plan for a new process, project or product on the farm.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor Stories in Country Guide often explore the latest, the most innovative and sometimes the boldest in on-farm business […] Read more
Summer Series: Building a new farm
[Best Advice] There’s always good luck and bad. For the Friesens, though, building the farm is too important to stop
Reading Time: 9 minutes Forced to pivot as they were starting up their farm, the Friesens did what most farmers excel at: finding solutions, workarounds and innovative approaches. Read on to find out what the rest of us can learn from their story.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor It was the summer of 2015 and Christi and Kelly Friesen […] Read more
Summer Series: What is a joint venture?
[Best Advice] Practice becoming increasingly useful for getting the next generation started
Reading Time: 3 minutes A joint venture can be a great way to test a business relationship. It can also be a way to help the next generation get started. Follow this best advice for setting up and running a successful joint venture.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor Corporations, partnerships and joint ventures are the three most common business […] Read more
Summer Series: It Pays to Listen Better
[Best Advice] Know somebody who’s missing out on great advice because they don’t hear what they’re told? Could it be you?
Reading Time: 5 minutes Being a good listener is harder than it sounds. And some of the ways we respond to others prevent us from being present and truly connecting with them. Active listening is a high-value risk management tool, partly because listening is such a big part of conflict resolution. The good news? With practice, you can learn […] Read more
The art of giving and seeking advice
How good are you at giving advice? Better yet, how good would your family and your farm connections say you are at taking it?
Reading Time: 6 minutes We all like to know the answer, so when a farm discussion comes up and it’s obvious that a family member, employee or partner is struggling, it feels good to help, especially if the solution seems clever or obvious to us. But if you value those relationships and if you value your reputation, the experts […] Read more
Is it time to get a farm management coach?
[The Rent Shake-Up: Leadership] If you've considered this question, Kelly Dobson says, “Congratulations, you’ve self-identified as a leader.”
Reading Time: 4 minutes Let’s say that you have a good sense of what success would look like for you and you’re pretty sure you’re made of the stuff it will take to achieve it, but it’s just not happening. Could a coach help? Kelly Dobson describes himself as a “professional capital ‘C’ Coach with a graduate degree.” Coaching, […] Read more
Editor’s Note: The sweet spot
Reading Time: 2 minutes We know that our January 2, 2024 issue of Country Guide only begins to explore the “sweet spot” questions that you ask yourself every day. This was inevitable, we all know, because questions about right-sizing have moved to the forefront for today’s farm management… right-sizing the farm, right-sizing the equipment inventory, right-sizing the amount of […] Read more
Farmer Coach: Reflections on year one
Reading Time: 2 minutes When Ryley Richards learned out about Farmer Coach, he signed up. So far, he says, it looks like a good choice. The 41-year-old manages his family farm an hour south of Regina along with father Rod and three full-time crew members, plus a few additional hands at busy times. Over the years, the farm has […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
