Reading Time: 5 minutes Countless surveys show the same results. The world has changed. In today’s post-Covid-19 times, we all want more. Or, to put it more accurately, we all want to do more. If you aren’t keeping up on the field called corporate responsibility it might be a good time for a long, hard look in the mirror. […] Read more
Realizing the good idea
Everyone wants a chance to do something good for their community. How do you make that happen? Here is FMC’s plan
Editor’s Note: Another historic year for the farm
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
Hanson Acres: Getting away, maybe for good
When friends announce their surprise plans, it has a way of making everyone think
Reading Time: 4 minutes Jeff stomped his boots on the step before he opened the door, then stomped again inside the porch to shake the rest of the snow loose. “March is coming in like a lion,” he shouted down the hall to his wife Elaine. “It’s snowing so hard out there I could barely see the road. And […] Read more
The on-farm intern advantage
Could the innovative internship strategy on these diverse farms help conventional farms too?
Reading Time: 5 minutes Edda Boettcher has hired several local high school students for part-time help at Capella Meadows, a certified organic vegetable farm and goat dairy in Brussels, Ont. When it came time to add a position for the 2022 season, Boettcher decided to offer an internship instead of traditional employment. “The people we could have hired didn’t […] Read more
As globalization fades new strategies needed
Reading Time: < 1 minute Don’t expect a return to normal geopolitical conditions — at least not if you think the past several decades were normal. That was Janice Gross Stein’s message March 8, in an opening address to the Canadian Crops Convention. The noted political scientist and founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy […] Read more
Former OFA president to lead CFA
Keith Currie acclaimed to replace Mary Robinson
Reading Time: 2 minutes A former president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture is taking the helm of Canada’s largest general farmers’ organization. Keith Currie of Collingwood, Ont. was acclaimed as the new president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture this week during the CFA’s annual general meeting in Ottawa. As CFA president, Currie replaces Mary Robinson of Albany, […] Read more
Charting Canada’s agricultural path forward
Reading Time: < 1 minute John Stackhouse is a senior vice-president of Royal Bank of Canada and author of the Farmer 4.0 report that delves into the transformation of agriculture. Stackhouse was a participant in a panel discussion on innovation and resilience in agriculture at the Canadian Federation of Agriculture annual meeting in Ottawa on March 7. He sat down […] Read more
Elevating the farm business
It’s the story of Canada’s young farmers. Crucial decisions at the start of their farm careers have enabled Michelle and Nick Hoffsuemmer to make even bigger decisions later on
Reading Time: 7 minutes Like other farmers who market and deliver their own grain, Nick Hoffsuemmer always knew a lot about contracts, delivery requirements, discounts, grades and all the assorted things that most farmers who sell their crops to the local elevator get to know. But Hoffsuemmer didn’t expect to end up getting into the elevator business. When he […] Read more
The path to attracting workers
Reading Time: 2 minutes [UPDATED: Mar. 6, 2023] Farm labour was a hot topic at the annual meeting of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture in Ottawa March 6 and 7. Jennifer Wright, executive director of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council, led a panel discussion that delved into the size and scope of the issue and some of the […] Read more
Hanson Acres: It never gets that cold – not really!
“Won’t it be too cold for ice cream?”
Reading Time: 5 minutes The air compressor was running so Mark Edwards didn’t hear Elaine Hanson come into the Hanson’s shop. But once it shut off, it made him jump to find her standing right behind him, waving a piece of paper and yelling. He frowned, then started to grin. “You must’ve picked up the mail,” he nodded. Elaine’s […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
