Reading Time: 9 minutes On most farms, it’s among the big decisions of an entire lifetime. Do you buy that farm down the road and take on all that risk? Or do you watch someone else farm it and mutter, every time you drive, “That could have been mine”? Either way, it’s harder than anyone outside of agriculture might […] Read more
Making a smarter deal for farmland
If farmers are so sharp at land buying, who do so many pay too much?
Transitioning the farm beyond the family
Maybe keeping the farm in the family isn’t an option for you. Or maybe you’ve seen the statistics and you believe Canada simply doesn’t have enough young farmers, so today’s farmers must open the door to more new entrants. Well, it’s never going to be easy, but check out these creative ways to have your cake and eat it too
Reading Time: 10 minutes Non-family farm transitions are certainly different than traditional family succession plans, and they definitely have their difficulties. But it turns out they aren’t impossible. In fact, non-family transitions are becoming much more common and much more successful. But they do require new strategies, and new ways of thinking. How common are they? “A significant number […] Read more
‘That will never work!’
Mark Brock was told it’s a waste of time for independent farmers to try to collaborate with other farmers. Then he did the research
Reading Time: 10 minutes Consolidation is the name of the game in Canadian business, and especially in Canadian agriculture. The pressure is on everywhere to grow bigger. If you’re a farmer, that means buying your neighbour’s land to grow your economy of scale, and it’s the same if you’re a processor, an input dealer, a chain of accountants or […] Read more
Feeding the farmer
As global population estimates get scaled back, our sense of priorities is beginning to change
Reading Time: 6 minutes Will the world’s farmers really have to double their food production by 2050? Media reports say it’s true, and many farm sources seem to repeat it almost daily. But not all experts agree. Dr. Mitch Hunter, research director at American Farmland Trust, has analyzed the newest figures and suggests that food demand will likely increase […] Read more
Have a plan in place before it’s too late
What every farmer needs to know about health care directives
Reading Time: 5 minutes When the topic of estate planning comes up, the first notion that pops into our heads is how we will divide our assets after we’re gone. That’s important, of course, but an estate plan also include important documents like a health care directive that might be essential while you’re still alive. A health care directive […] Read more
Canadian Pacific to buy Kansas City Southern in bet on trade
Biggest North American rail deal ever valued at US$25 billion
Reading Time: 4 minutes Reuters — Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) agreed on Sunday to acquire Kansas City Southern in a US$25 billion cash-and-stock deal to create the first railway spanning the United States, Mexico and Canada, standing to benefit from a pickup in trade. It would be the largest ever combination of North American railways by transaction value. It […] Read more
Editor’s Note: Knowing the value of the job ahead
Reading Time: 2 minutes Success at business is success at putting your values into action. In farming, that’s good for the world, and it’s going to continue that way as long as family farming survives. One of my personal distractions this spring will be planting sugar maples and white oaks that we’re acquiring with the help of the local […] Read more
Hanson Acres: “Where did she go? I just saw her a minute ago!”
Sometimes it’s a dog’s life on the farm, but only if you’re very, very lucky
Reading Time: 5 minutes Dale’s heart was beating louder than the seed cleaning plant motor. In full panic mode, he shouted again, but still no response. He could feel the sweat on his forehead turning his toque damp. He spun in a slow circle, looking around the yard. No traffic was going by on the road. That at least […] Read more
A place to do business
A farm office may be a profit-making next step for your farm, whether you’re specialized or commodity-based
Reading Time: 5 minutes It’s a familiar story. Almost 50 years ago, when Lynn and Ute Thacker started farming with Lynn’s brothers in Bow Island, Alta., their “office,” if you could call it that, was their kitchen table, and their filing system was a cardboard box. They were producing spearmint and then added dill and finally dry leaf and […] Read more
Creating a better place to work
Use new findings in psychology to create spaces where you and your family will thrive
Reading Time: 5 minutes It’s a basic human need to have a space where you feel comfortable, safe and secure. Having a place to rest, refresh and revitalize can help us cope with the extraordinary challenges of farming and the pandemic. While we can’t control everything in our environments, if we pay attention to what we can control we […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
