Reading Time: 13 minutes Rob Saik is excited. He can hardly hold back as he explains the succession plan he used when he sold his own company, Agri-Trend, a few years ago. Saik had two big goals. As an ag consultant and entrepreneur, he needed financing for his newest venture, the agricultural advisory network called AGvisorPRO, but he also […] Read more
A ‘next’ solution?
[The "Next" Issue] More farmers are looking for a new strategy so they can set the next generation up with a viable farm while also supporting their non-farming children. Could this be it? Maybe, it seems, but it takes some effort to figure out whether setting up this kind of tax-free zone will benefit your farm
Summer Series: The challenge with family rental agreements
[Land] Family rental agreements are getting big attention in 2024. Just don’t rely on them as the foundation of your succession plan. They’re one piece in the puzzle
Reading Time: 5 minutes Family ties and farming operations have long been intertwined. Indeed, family forms the backbone of many of our agricultural traditions, and today, it is often the reason why navigating farm succession is so complex. In fact, we can say even more. In an important way, family is making succession planning even more difficult in 2024 […] Read more
Summer Series: “Not just with acres”
[Land] “We had to find another way to diversify,” says Jennifer Lindgren
Reading Time: 10 minutes The question we’ve come to ask is why Jordan and Jennifer Lindgren made the strange choice to turn being a grain farmer into such a public life. Unlike most farmers, the Lindgrens’ marketing campaign puts their farm and their family right in the public spotlight. Can it possibly pay? And what’s it like behind the […] Read more
Summer Series: You forgot who?
[Change Management] When Mom and Dad feel they’re being pushed out of the way, all sorts of bad things happen
Reading Time: 5 minutes The Irish government thought it was such a great idea. The year was 2007, and in Ireland, as in the Canada of that time, few farms were setting up formal transition or succession plans. The Irish government had also begun asking itself what would happen when age or ill health finally pushes all those farmers […] Read more
Summer Series: What is a cohabitation agreement?
[Change Management] Better ideas on prenups that will protect the farm from broken relationships
Reading Time: 4 minutes Although most of us know them as prenuptial, “prenup” or interspousal agreements, the legal term most often used in Canada is a cohabitation agreement. Within the Canadian legal system, a cohabitation agreement is used to describe a written contract between two people entering a common-law relationship or marriage. Other jurisdictions may use other terms, but […] Read more
Summer Series: Grow your farm manager
[Leadership] Leaders are made, not born. That much is clear. But how exactly do you make such a concept pay off on your farm?
Reading Time: 3 minutes There’s only so much time in a busy farm owner’s day. Here’s how can you help your farm manager develop their leadership skills, so you can focus on the big stuff.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor Dr. Stephen Brown says: “You are not a leader until you have produced a leader who can produce another […] Read more
Summer Series: What is a legal trust?
[Leadership] A trust may be the right solution for your toughest succession and legacy issues, but proceed with care
Reading Time: 4 minutes There’s only so much time in a busy farm owner’s day. Here’s how can you help your farm manager develop their leadership skills, so you can focus on the big stuff.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor The easiest way to think of a trust is as a legal relationship between parties — a settlor, trustee […] Read more
Summer Series: When she’ll be the leader…
[Leadership] On more farms like these, the dad-daughter relationship is emerging as one of agriculture’s greatest strengths
Reading Time: 10 minutes The dad-daughter relationship is emerging as one of agriculture’s greatest strengths. Country Guide spoke with two young Manitoban women about how they’re harnessing the power of this dynamic to grow their farms.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor Maybe it used to be a struggle for Dad to stop being Dad and become a business partner. […] Read more
Summer Series: Up to the job
[Leadership] You’re home for the summer. Now, how are you going to show Mom and Dad that you’re a safe bet for taking over the farm?
Reading Time: 6 minutes You’re home for the summer. Now, how are you going to show Mom and Dad that you’re a safe bet for taking over the farm? Here’s how to get started.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor It’s a phrase that means just what it says. Leadership succession is real, and it’s catching on. If your succession […] Read more
Summer Series: How do you know when the younger generation is ‘ready’?
[Leadership] AME Management: How succession can be successfully planned
Reading Time: 5 minutes It’s a tough question for any family business to ask and answer. How do you know when the next generation is equipped to take over management decisions and lead the business into its next chapter? This article offers some tips.– April Stewart, CG Associate Editor A tough question for any family business is how to […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
