Reading Time: 6 minutes The business of farming is a constant battle with weather, prices, weeds, diseases and much more. It means identifying the risks, learning how to measure them, learning about all the tools to counteract them… and maybe it should also involve buying a mirror. Ego by itself is neither good nor bad. It’s simply a Latin […] Read more
Me, myself and I
Yes, it takes self-confidence to run a farm. But every farmer also knows a neighbour whose ego is always getting in the way. Could it be you?
Editor’s Note: Six ingredients of an ideal farm successor
Reading Time: 2 minutes Several articles in our May/June issue of Country Guide examine what may be the toughest question of all. Does your farm’s next generation have what it’s going to take to succeed in 2050? Fortunately, science can help. I’ve suggested before in this space that as farms continue their likely evolution in asset value and in […] Read more
The grieving child
Even in the strongest farm families, we often try to shelter our children rather than help them address the loss of a parent, grandparent or family friend
Reading Time: 5 minutes When a child is facing the death of a loved one, our first instinct is often to try to shelter them. Unfortunately, following that instinct may do more harm than good. One of the biggest mistakes people make is waiting too long to tell a child a loved one is dying, says Andrea Warnick, a […] Read more
Farm feedback
On this savvy farm, feedback is mined for real value, producing a happier, more efficient workforce
Reading Time: 9 minutes On the farm, we’ve heard the jokes about feedback being a load of barley that gets rejected at the elevator, or maybe it’s how a cow chews her cud. In bizspeak, though, feedback gets taken a lot more seriously than that. As a human resources strategy, feedback is gaining global attention because of the power […] Read more
Guide HR: Vacations: Why do you need them?
Reading Time: 3 minutes Levels of stress, anxiety, and burnout have never been so high across all industries, but we see it particularly in the farming business. Even though technology purports to simplify our lives, we’re experiencing more and more over-investment in work. Many farmers tell me they’re exhausted, with no time to catch up. Moreover, everyone wants it […] Read more
Guide HR: Can you develop a thriver’s mindset?
These seven steps will help you thrive, not just survive
Reading Time: 3 minutes We face challenges and disappointments. What is it that determines whether you will overcome these and thrive, or merely survive? Some people have developed a thriver’s mindset. They are masters of challenge and change. They grow during difficulties by leaning into stress, and by relying on special resources. There is good news, however. Science is […] 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
Guide HR: Do you make smart mistakes?
Never fear, learning from your mistakes can make you a more successful person
Reading Time: 3 minutes Let’s be honest, even though we don’t want to admit that we make mistakes. We do make them. It seems that it is inherent to the human condition. Human beings are error prone. I am a human being; therefore, I make mistakes. In fact, the more decisions we make, the more mistakes we will make. […] Read more
Guide HR: Assert yourself, or should you step aside?
Which personality type are you? Passive, assertive, or aggressive?
Reading Time: 3 minutes It seems surprising to meet entrepreneurs who manage millions of dollars and make so many important decisions, but for some reason become very vulnerable when it’s time to express what they want, their limits and their wishes. Why is it so hard to be assertive? “The employee is always late. Sometimes he doesn’t come to […] Read more
Editor’s Desk: Get your mind around it
Reading Time: 2 minutes Of all the sciences, which is the most important for your farm? Is it biology, or soil science, or chemistry, or electronics? My vote is for none of those. My vote is for psychology. I hope that surprises you, because it sure surprised me. I had just finished talking to young wannabe farmers at Ridgetown […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
