Are you a ‘farmwife’ or ‘farminist’ or both?

Are you a ‘farmwife’ or ‘farminist’ or both?

How do you see yourself? What does being a farm woman mean to you?

Country Guide senior editor Maggie Van Camp is a widow, mom, journalist and chicken farmer who coined a new term at CAFA’s (Canadian Association of Farm Advisors) Update in Guelph in May. Maggie proposed that the culture of agriculture needs a new mindset to speak to the many women farm operators in our country, women […] Read more

Important “summer thinking” ahead

In perhaps what is a window between field spraying and harvest it may be a good time to think about the overall business/financial planning sides of the farm operation, says consultant Art Lange. Lange, a long-time Alberta Agriculture specialist who has been consulting for a dozen years, says there are some key questions producers should […] Read more


Close up of a nurse touching hand of a patient

Suddenly our life had changed

Would you be prepared if serious illness affected a family member?

People talk about life-changing moments. Some are good, like the birth of a baby; others are hard, such as the death of a family member. Over the years our family has seen a few but never as intensely as May 4, 2016 when my husband started getting ill. It was nothing remarkable. Our whole house, […] Read more



How to talk with your boomer parents

How to talk with your boomer parents

Seeds of Encouragement: Here’s some tips that may be helpful to do just that

As a Hudson Institute Certified coach I’ve been taught to always ask, “How old are you?” This is not rude. This is a helpful piece of information to assess what key issues need to be talked about. Scott Zimmer of Bridgeworks has helped me with decoding helpful language for communication between the generations. Here’s some […] Read more

Does anyone care about the farm?

Does anyone care about the farm?

Some questions for farm families to help create a successful legacy

I’ve just read David Specht’s book The Farm Whisperer…secrets to preserving families and perpetuating farms. It’s a great, quick read of inspiring questions for farm families wanting to transition management and ownership to create a successful legacy. Specht and I met on the Internet… I Googled him, then picked up the phone, then we exchanged […] Read more


Management drives farm profits

Management drives farm profits

An Ipsos study has identified the top seven habits of successful farmers. Do you have them?

Results of a new national Ipsos study clearly show that management matters when it comes to farm business success. The report also identifies seven key habits that have the biggest impact on farm profitability. The survey included 604 farms of all types and sizes and farmers of all ages across Canada in the grains and […] Read more

There are miles and miles of microscopic fungi “root” hairs in this soil ball creating a vast network of pockets to capture water and create a microclimate for other microorganisms, protozoa, amoeba, bacteria and enzymes — all key elements in nutrient-cycling process.

Soil fungi key to grass production

The soil is a complex world working hard to complete natural cycling

We always enjoy the cattle on 4-Clover Ranch near Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. It was our own animals back in the day and now someone else’s are on the farm for summer grazing. Fact is, we are really grass farmers and have chosen to harvest the grass with cattle rather than the haybine. We have […] Read more


‘We wish parents understood!’

Many young farmers have some issues they wish the older generation would realize

We wish parents understood” was part of the Twitter feed from young farmers attending the fabulous AgExcellence Conference 2015, put on by Farm Management Canada in Regina. I was only able to monitor the tweets as I could not physically attend, but this nugget showed up and I’d like to express my take on their comments based […] Read more

Young Farmer Carrying a Bale of Hay

Gleanings and goals of young farmers for their future

Eager ag entrepreneurs are looking for ways to improve themselves and their businesses

In Regina last November, Farm Management Canada hosted the Ag Excellence conference which I was only able to attend via my Twitter feed. I love this group because there is a sea of young eager ag entrepreneurs looking for new ways to improve themselves and their businesses. Advice from young farmers at AgEXCONF 2015 the […] Read more