Reading Time: 2 minutes The future of farming seems obvious. At least, it can seem like that if we don’t look very hard. The only thing that’s certain is this: Farmers keep passing every test they face. A decade is such a short time. Most farmers expect to be at the top of their game for something like four […] Read more
Editor’s Note: Another historic year for the farm
Editor’s Note: Getting together on a plan for 2021
Reading Time: 2 minutes Agriculture is getting more and more diverse and the gaps between our farms are growing, which is why we need a higher percentage of farmers getting involved in farm organizations. Here are two questions we almost never ask in our Country Guide interviews. What farm organizations are you involved in? And how much emphasis do […] Read more
Opinion: No pedestal required
The more I learn about leadership, the more I see that the best opportunities for our farms start when we empower others
Reading Time: 4 minutes Social research professor Dr. Brené Brown reminds us that: “Connections are why we are here. It is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives.” In agriculture and agri-business we tend to connect on a very deep level, driven in part by shared values and interests. As a community, our congregating is visible in every […] Read more
Giving our business to India
If we won’t grow our own organic food, these small farmers are more than ready to step in. In fact, they already are
Reading Time: 6 minutes Once again my perception of our agricultural industry has been rocked by international travel. This time it was a visit to India in December that challenged my perception of organic production and marketing. First on my list was a cashew processor in Mangalore on India’s west coast. Canadians might be taken aback when they see […] Read more
Editor’s Note: Deciding you want a better future
Reading Time: 2 minutes Farming is evolving faster than any of us realize, with farmers solidly in charge. To see how, just read the stories our latest issue and apply their messages to an entire industry. A few weeks ago, our broader Country Guide team hired a bus and invited the agency people who make the ads, write the […] Read more
A Canadian farmer in China
Unfortunately for our markets, what I saw convinced me that China’s plan to feed itself has a real chance of succeeding
Reading Time: 7 minutes Every decision we make is influenced by our perception of the world around us. This is especially true in farming. Whether it’s which crops to plant or when to sell, many of our management decisions are based more on our personal perceptions than on hard facts. But what if our perceptions are wrong? This question […] Read more
Editor’s Note: ‘Big’ plans for summer in the city
Swift Current is still a fine place. Brandon is too, and so are London, Kingston, Lethbridge and Prince Albert, along with an atlas full of other small cities across Canada. But…
Reading Time: 2 minutes … they just don’t come up to the mark, at least in this one important way. Even Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Edmonton fall short, partly because you feel too comfortable in them. Nor does even Calgary make the list, although that’s OK because Ottawa doesn’t get on it either. Canadians have built three of the world’s […] Read more
Farming in a troubled economy
It looks like a weak dollar isn’t so good for agriculture after all
Reading Time: 5 minutes Farmers almost universally accept the premise that a drop in the Canadian dollar is bullish for our agriculture because our commodities are priced off the U.S. This increases our prices domestically and also makes us more competitive both in the U.S. and in regions where commodity transactions are made in American dollars. But is this […] Read more
Selling our consumers
While farmers strive to educate consumers, marketers bend the rules
Reading Time: 5 minutes On January 7, the New York Times covered the news that Campbell Soup would become the first major U.S. food company to come out in support of mandatory GMO labelling. It was the same day that Campbell’s CEO Denise Morrison sent a letter to her employees, saying the policy change came from the company’s focus […] Read more
Editor’s Desk: Stacking the odds
Reading Time: 2 minutes Increasingly, the science that has the greatest potential to make a difference in agriculture is psychology. In recent years, we have come to appreciate the role of psychology in commodity markets, and in land markets too. We also think we have learned a lot about the psychology of succession planning, and even the psychology of […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
