Reading Time: 8 minutes In 2008, Nicole Rogers was living in Dubai and working as a trade attaché for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada when she connected with several investors in the Gulf region who wanted to purchase Canadian farmland. The investors wanted large tracts of arable land in the Prairies to grow wheat and pulses that can’t be grown […] Read more
A focus on value, not price
Agriprocity’s Nicole Rogers is in the U.S. selling an export market plan most farmers north of the border balked at
Editor’s Note: A historic year for the family farm
Reading Time: 2 minutes Across the country, 2020 has demonstrated once again that the family is the right management unit for Canada’s farms, in part because it is so amazingly adaptable. In fact, there’s every reason to think the family will see us through future changes too. It’s November already, and already you can feel the calendar beginning to […] Read more
The many sides of grief
Grief can be caused by many kinds of loss. Here’s why it’s so important to recognize that
Reading Time: 4 minutes We know that grief is a natural response when a loved one dies. What we may not realize, though, is that we may also grieve, sometimes for years, from non-death losses too. Losing the family farm, getting divorced, living with a debilitating illness, being estranged from one’s child, the turmoil of the COVID-19 pandemic… all […] Read more
A food hub that grows
Regional food hubs are tackling the shortcomings of direct-to-consumer farming
Reading Time: 5 minutes A proposed $36 million food hub in eastern Ontario may be the model for a more regionalized Canadian food system that will benefit farmers and consumers as they emerge from the disruption of COVID-19. “We know that food sovereignty is on the mind of everyone,” says Carole Lavigne, director of economic development and tourism in […] Read more
What lies ahead in a post-COVID world?
Young farmers around the world weigh how the pandemic has had an impact on them, and how it’ll change how they pursue success
Reading Time: 5 minutes The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged farmers worldwide. Now, only time will tell which of its impacts will be with us the longest, and which will have the greatest impact. Already, though, knowledgeable and influential young farmers across the globe have a sense of what may be next, and certainly what’s necessary for the road ahead. […] Read more
Former federal ag minister Don Mazankowski, 85
Long-time Alberta Tory MP deemed a 'minister of everything'
Reading Time: 2 minutes A private memorial is planned for long-time Alberta MP Don Mazankowski, whose work in the cabinets of prime ministers Brian Mulroney and Joe Clark included a stint as Canada’s minister of agriculture. Mazankowski, the MP for the east-central Alberta riding of Vegreville from 1968 to 1993, died late Tuesday at age 85, his family said […] Read more
Saskatchewan agriculture minister cruises to election win
NDP's ag critic trailing, with mail-in votes still to come
Reading Time: 2 minutes Another incumbent agriculture minister easily held his seat as Saskatchewan’s governing Saskatchewan Party scored another decisive majority in Monday’s provincial election. David Marit, MLA for the southwestern riding of Wood River since 2016, held his seat by a spread of 5,177 votes over the New Democrats’ challenger, teacher Roger Morgan, with 459 mail-in ballots remaining […] Read more
Tips on planning a lasting legacy
Seven things you need to know about including charitable giving in your estate plan
Reading Time: 5 minutes When retired farmers Scott and Laura-Lee Lewis of York, P.E.I., shared their plans to bequeath $500,000 from their life insurance policies to two local charities, their generosity made national headlines. In a 2019 article in The Charlottetown Guardian about their planned giving, the couple said, “As business owners, we felt giving an insurance policy was […] Read more
Working with change, instead of fearing it
Non-farm family businesses are in the throes of succession planning too. With the help of Chris Clarke, here’s how they’re elevating their team skills for superior succession planning — and why it’s driving their business performance as well
Reading Time: 5 minutes By now, every farmer has encountered more than a few articles on succession planning, and maybe the thought of even one more doesn’t seem all that appealing. Indeed, you’ve probably read the first few paragraphs of quite a few of these stories and paused, wondering if you’ll learn anything new. Well, this article is a […] Read more
Britain to protect pork pies, whisky with new scheme after EU exit
Reading Time: < 1 minute London | Reuters — New rules to guarantee the authenticity and origin of traditional British foods, such as Stilton cheese and Melton Mowbray pork pies, after the end of the UK’s Brexit transition period, were set out by the government on Thursday. Britain left the European Union at the end of January and an 11-month […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
