Farm building code updates will drive insurance increases

Farm building code updates will drive insurance increases

Added costs such as fire separation areas and bracing affect replacement value

Glacier FarmMedia — An unintended consequence of planned upgrades to Canada’s National Farm Building Code (NFBC) may be higher farm insurance rates. That’s because, regardless of how the insured structure is built, if destroyed it will have to be rebuilt to the new and more complex code. An Ontario member of the Canadian Farm Building […] Read more

How we connect with others, such as our parents, depends on variables including our cultural backgrounds, our personal styles — and our external stressors.

On-farm communication improves when we start with connection

Seeds of Encouragement: Where you stand with your offspring comes from their relationships to you

Elaine writes: In so many of the families we coach, we see communication breakdowns leading to escalation of conflicts. In some cases, using strategies that provide family members with the tools they need to have better communication can help — but in many cases a relationship between family members has broken down to the point […] Read more


lygus bug

Lambda-cy back in the toolbox

After two years reviewing updated data, regulators rule in favour of a popular pest control product

Prairie farmers are welcoming the return of some important insecticides to the crop protection toolbox — although there’s still some headshaking over why use of the products was interrupted in the first place, and why it took two years for the federal Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) to re-evaluate registration data. Although producers such as […] Read more

Certain simple non-strenuous activities such as tai chi are known to help improve balance and, according to Harvard Medical School, help people improve their proprioception — that is, their ability to sense the position and movement of the body in a given space — which in turn can help them resist and reduce falls.

Work on stability for your whole-body wellness

Fit to Farm: Practicing to improve your physical balance can be done simply at home

No matter your age or fitness level, your ability to stabilize yourself in various positions has been shown to have a major impact on your overall wellbeing and long-term health outcomes. Your body’s ability to stabilize also directly links to your capacity for joint mobility and tension levels in your tissues. Balance and stability are […] Read more


Young Couple Leaning on Car overlooking Farmland, Ile D'orleans, Quebec

Making marriage work on your farm

The dance between farm work and family time will never have a complete resolution

February is Heart Month and a good time to work on the state of your union: marriage, spousal relationships and couple care. John Gottman is a highly respected U.S. psychologist and author of The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. Here I’ve added a farm perspective to his tips based on those seven principles. Sharing […] Read more

Like machinery, farming family teams require alignment and organization.

Focus on your family strengths to move forward

Seeds of Encouragement: The Appreciative Inquiry exercise can shed new light on the potential of your people

Elaine writes: What if you could break free from being stuck, by emphasizing the positive aspects of your farm family business? One of my core strengths, according to the Clifton StrengthsFinder quiz, is positivity. As a coach I often see the positive choices ahead and I hope this article by my coaching teammate Crisol Gonzalez […] Read more


coffee in quebec winter

Train your body to overcome winter blues

Fit to Farm: People try to struggle against their biology in the cold and dark

For those of us who stay in Canada for the winter, seasonal shifts in light, weather and nutrition often take a toll. Many Canadians notice changes in their overall wellbeing through the winter months, both physically and mentally. Part of this shift in our overall quality of well-being in the winter likely comes from our […] Read more

The two-striped grasshopper has two pale stripes that extend from its eyes to the tips of its forewings and solid black stripes on its hind legs.

PMRA plans to reinstate lambda-cy use in feed grain crops

PMRA to update guidance, cancel some uses in fruit

Canadian grain and oilseed growers who’d had to stop using insecticides such as Matador, Silencer and Voliam in 2023 for feed grain crops can expect to be able to use them again starting this spring. Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) on Monday (Feb. 3) announced a round of public consultations, to run until […] Read more


As cattle have gotten larger, their requirements for water grow.

Larger cattle need more water

Animal Health: Long-term trends in the beef sector continue to evolve

The only constant is change and I have seen a lot of changes in beef production; this article will outline some of them. With lots of evidence of warmer summers, water access is paramount in most of our eyes. There’s more capacity for access by all classes of cattle, including from newly designed water troughs […] Read more

m5 kubota

Would an autonomous tractor really fit your operation?

Sabanto is offering field trials of its autonomous conversion kit

Tech startup company Sabanto displayed an M5 Kubota tractor equipped with its autonomy conversion kit at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show at Woodstock, Ont. in September. But the company was willing to do more than just show off the modified tractor at its booth in order to introduce it to potential customers. The Chicago-area company was […] Read more