Reading Time: 11 minutes It’s shoulder-to-shoulder people, with barely enough space to bring a forkful of Peruvian spicy creamed chicken to my mouth. It’s great. So is the next taster I try, a vegetarian burger garnished with Peruvian chili aioli. The burger is made from pressed Canadian cottage cheese. Next are tables with cocktails, kombucha and Canadian cheese paired […] Read more
Three chefs take centre stage
Restaurant owners know disruptive change is coming, and that farmers have to be involved. But do they speak the same language? Hmmm, we sent a reporter
Hanson Acres: What the heck is that smell? And where is it coming from?
Some days, life in town sounds like it would just be so easy
Reading Time: 4 minutes Dale Hanson muttered curses to himself as he walked across the farmyard, crossing from his house to the shop. The bright sun and cloudless blue sky were not enough to cheer him up. With the warm almost-spring air, he hadn’t bothered with a jacket, and now he was chilly as well as aggravated. He cursed […] Read more
Your first family meeting
It’s agreed. There are so many great reasons to start holding family meetings. The question is, how do you get started? Here’s help
Reading Time: 5 minutes The verdict is in. Family meetings do two things. They build stronger families, and they build stronger businesses. They empower the farm plan for the future in an orderly and constructive way. They help it take transitions in stride, and let it escape painful and costly conflict by addressing issues that inevitably arise in any […] Read more
Guide Health: Drug contamination
As drug standards get stricter, recalls will become more common
Reading Time: 2 minutes Whether it’s a prescription drug or nonprescription remedy, when you take a medication, you would like to think that it will be effective and not cause you more problems. While adverse effects or even interactions with other drugs or foods are by far the most common reason for problems, drug contamination has recently been mentioned […] Read more
Adulting 101
Got a teenager who will soon be off to school? Do them a favour with these life lessons
Reading Time: 5 minutes While farm kids learn many things that their urban counterparts never get to experience, it’s also possible that in the busy-ness of life on the farm, some skills needed for independent living can get overlooked. It’s just easier to keep getting their meals for them, doing their laundry for them, helping them sort their money […] Read more
Who’s getting educated?
It’s time for ag suppliers to get as good as farmers at technology, and to treat us with the respect we have earned
Reading Time: 6 minutes Technology and big data have changed nearly every facet of agriculture. My tractor performance is continually monitored, not only by the operator but by the manufacturer. If the operator slips the clutch or stalls the tractor while under load, I can expect an immediate notification on my cell phone. If it’s anything more serious, a […] Read more
Analyzing your farm’s cash flow
Next Steps: Ready to tweak your farm performance? These cash-flow strategies may be the ticket you’ve been looking for
Reading Time: 7 minutes The last three of our Next Steps columns (see the ‘Related Articles’ links further down) covered the why, the when, and the what for ratcheting your farm business up a notch or two. The next logical topic to explore is the “how” of making your plans a reality, i.e. cash flow. I’m not going to […] Read more
Food apps could be a game-changer for nutrition
These incredible new apps may become the next big disruptors in the food industry. You’ll probably subscribe too. But will they be good for the farm?
Reading Time: 5 minutes Among the many emerging technologies poised to change how we eat and even how we think about food, one of the most explosive could be personalized nutrition. It’s the idea of individual nutrition plans built around a person’s specific physical characteristics. And according to industry watchers, it could be so much more than just a […] Read more
Alone on the farm, or lonely?
Farm life can be more isolating and more challenging than ever, making it even more important to ask yourself these questions
Reading Time: 5 minutes Christi Friesen has learned to recognize signs that she’s heading into a spiral of negative thinking — and it usually happens when she’s pulling 18-hour days on the tractor on her Peace River farm in Alberta. “When you’re out in the boondocks, your closest neighbour is a half-mile away and you’re working alone and you’re […] Read more
Editor’s Note: How do we choose farms to profile?
Reading Time: 2 minutes Country Guide is built on the belief that the real energy driving the evolution of agriculture is the individual farm, making its decisions one decision at a time. It has a drama all its own. I get asked sometimes how we choose the farms that we profile in Country Guide, but I haven’t addressed the […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
