A farm’s founders and successors alike need clarity of expectations.

Write the first draft now for your next chapter

You no longer have the luxury of avoiding hard conversations

Imagine how wonderful life would be on your farm if you did not have to guess what other folks on your farm team really want for their lives, and for the farm business? I had the great joy of speaking to 540 young Iowa farmers last month. Many of them are stuck in getting equity […] Read more

The stronger the consensus, the more wrong it usually becomes.

‘Everybody’ is usually wrong — and why it must be so

Overwhelming strength of sentiment, when few buyers or sellers remain, can bend a trend

Everybody is familiar with the colloquial term “Everybody is doing X.” By “X” we don’t mean “formerly Twitter” — everybody has been writing “X (formerly Twitter)” so I thought I would do the opposite. In this case you’re welcome to fill in whatever you wish for X. Salespeople often use the phrase to help sell […] Read more


One marker in a farmer’s life should be to set up a succession plan that keeps family bonds intact.

Finding a ‘bridge’ over transition waters

A will or partnership agreement is important, but is not a farm succession plan

Maggie Van Camp understands the challenges as well as the tremendous value of farm succession planning. She’s been on that road a couple of times in her life as a seventh-generation Ontario farmer, as well as a communicator and agricultural consultant. The first time was after the sudden death of her husband in a farming […] Read more

Would you be able to sit with your thoughts and feelings just a while to consider how you are aging and managing in place on your farm?

Being an emotionally strong farm parent

Strong-willed and independent people might consider a self-coaching approach

Tis the season of farm meetings, where the speakers will talk about business and “keeping the emotion” out of business using data to make concrete decisions. I don’t debate this approach for grain marketing, but I highly doubt stuffing emotions on the farm creates clarity of expectations or happy outcomes. Recently I met Carolyn Stern, […] Read more


Under the legislation, farmers can now sell farm shares to their children, creating a shareholder loan.

How to reduce the tax load on a farm succession

A Manitoba MP's bill is considered a game-changer for farm transition — if you know how to use it

Glacier FarmMedia — Taking advantage of the revamped federal Bill C-208 can provide you with some significant tax savings when drafting family succession plans for your farm. C-208 was initially introduced as a private member’s bill by Manitoba MP Larry Maguire in 2021. The bill sought to amend the federal Income Tax Act to exclude […] Read more

a robot working in a greenhouse

Editor’s Rant: All hail Skynet

Well, folks, my longtime colleague Lee Hart has done something even more impressive than usual over on page 14. Over the years I’ve read articles and columns in this paper that have left me concerned for farmers, concerned for their crops and livestock, concerned for my RRSPs and concerned for the economy, but his article […] Read more


It’s possible that lingering emotions from past stress may spawn fear of failure for the farm’s future finances.

Create more financial transparency with your farm team

Farm partners need to be able to be frank about their financial realities

Where is “You don’t talk about money!” written in the farm family rule book? Recently on a coaching call, a farm family admitted a huge “undiscussabull” within the family had caused great stress to their over-40-year-old son. This non-farming son did not have any clue about the profitability of the farm, what the parents needed […] Read more

Rob and Sarah need a way to divide the farm that creates the necessary cash flow for a son moving back to the farm and maintains fairness for him and his brother.

Six quarters and two sons

The problem of fairness in an estate plan

Rob, who is 65, and Sarah, who is 61, farm six quarters of grain and pasture in northwestern Manitoba. They have two sons, Michael and Steven, each in his 30s and married. However, Steven, who has a town job, has decided he would like to try his hand at farming. The issue in devising a […] Read more


dad peeling potatoes while son watches

Potential heir’s U.S. residency complicates farm estate planning

Where a situation is subject to change, have a clearly defined will subject to regular review

A single father — let’s call him Dave — is in his mid-60s. He lives in south-central Manitoba. Dave inherited several quarters of choice potato land from his parents upon their passing. Over the years he has sold of a couple of quarters but still has two quarters remaining. Dave has three kids, and he […] Read more

Saskatchewan-born players on the SJHL’s 12 teams are now labelled with this decal on their helmets.

Editor’s Rant: Playing the long game

I think I’ve recently alarmed a few people who know me, as I’ve taken a much greater interest in watching hockey on TV. It surprises me too. I moved to Winnipeg not long before the previous iteration of the Jets bolted for Arizona, which left me even more soured on most pro sports. (After the […] Read more