The incoming farming generation needs to be reminded Canada’s agriculture industry is a strong one.

Young and bankable

Are you in your teens or 20s, and want to farm? It’s time to show you’re ready for the discipline of financial management

Reading Time: 4 minutes Growing numbers of family farms across Canada have started on the transition journey. They’re actively working at creating pathways that will give the next generation their shot at calling themselves farmers. For tons of these hopeful farmers, though, there’s a big question. How can they become bankable?  Sure, Mom and Dad may think they are […] Read more

Millennials want more from their work than just a paycheque.

Managing millennials

Six tips to help this generation thrive, and boost your farm productivity too

Reading Time: 5 minutes You’ve heard all of the bad things about the millennial workforce. These “kids” want trophies just for showing up for work. The entire generation thinks it’s somehow entitled. And if they do show up, they have zero work ethic.  The science agrees, to a point. Data do show that millennials (the generation born between 1980 […] Read more


Many girls aren’t given the opportunity to explore their passion for agriculture or, worse still, they may be actively dissuaded from doing so.

The Dream Gap

Bright Ideas: Many farms feel they treat their boys and girls equitably. Sadly, our columnist finds, the evidence doesn’t agree

Reading Time: 6 minutes By five years of age, girls have already begun to develop self-limiting beliefs. They stop believing that they can be or do anything. And they may never get that belief back. It’s a phenomenon that was identified in a 2017 report from Plan International, and it has also became well known as the Dream Gap, […] Read more

Tom Button

Editor’s Note: A different start for a different world

Reading Time: 2 minutes Canada’s agricultural colleges and universities deserve loud praise for the energy they have poured into re-imagining post-secondary ag education. But not everything is new. In fact, the whole farm education sector has responded impressively at a time when it must seem that everything is in constant change.  Technology has changed how programs can be delivered, […] Read more


“The biggest take-away for me,” says farm-raised Nikki Tomoniko, “is that there is a place for someone with my skill set ... I’d never thought of farming as a career path.”

How Farmers Edge is turning youth into business leaders

Internship program pairs up youth and farm clients with company’s FarmCommand platform

Reading Time: 6 minutes Nikki Tomoniko never intended to work in agriculture. In the spring of 2018, the young Neepawa, Man. woman was looking for a summer job when a family friend mentioned Farmers Edge had a new internship program and was trying to find students for its Alberta office. Tomoniko was studying English and French at university and […] Read more

"Women have always had an important role in the farming operation and making decisions, but it’s becoming more visible now.” says Rachael Werwey.

Help wanted

If the door is open for more women to take on more farm roles, it’s because we need them

Reading Time: 9 minutes Undoubtedly, some of the momentum that’s creating more opportunities for more women on Canada’s farms can be traced to various women’s movements over the past century. But not all of it. Not surprisingly, we should be praising the generations of farm parents who have provided great role models too. And yes, let’s admit that some […] Read more


Danielle Lee.

The millennial question

Do millennials have the discipline it takes to deliver on their promise?

Reading Time: 6 minutes As chair of the Canadian Young Farmers’ Forum (CYFF), and as a millennial herself, Danielle Lee has heard all the stereotypes about millennial farmers, and she knows the challenges millennials face. Lee’s job is to speak out on behalf of young farmers, and to ensure they grow into a positive force in these trying times […] Read more

farmer raising his arms with success

Working (and learning) abroad

More young Canadians are looking to gain wider perspectives by working on farms in other countries

Reading Time: 6 minutes Ask almost anyone who has spent time abroad and they’ll tell you it was a life-changing experience. Inevitably, their faces will light up as they talk enthusiastically about how they gained confidence, developed friendships with people from around the world and emerged with a broader perspective. Not surprisingly, this was precisely the reaction I got […] Read more


650,000 blue jackets

650,000 blue jackets

Future Farmers of America brings more young people into agriculture, and gives them the tools to succeed

Reading Time: 5 minutes There are almost 650,000 of them spread across the United States, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and they can be found everywhere from large, urban cities to small, rural towns. Every single one of the 650,000 is also a unique individual, with their own background and interests. But there is at least one thing […] Read more