am leaving the farm business. I can’t take the indecision anymore. I was hoping for a fair “family” price for buying out my dad, but he wants “fair market value.” A long pause on the phone line. I as the coach am letting the silence do the heavy lifting (Susan Scott’s term). This farmer has […] Read more
“ I – for Nov. 8, 2010
Get Ready To Be A Great Farmer
The outstanding young farmers that I meet in my travels provide great stories and hope for agriculture’s future. This month I’ll be meeting with a group of young dairy farmers in the Okanagan as a followup to a meeting with their parents last winter. Both generations on the farm are typically very hard working. I […] Read more
2010 May Have Had The Most Challenges Ever
As I write this on September 3, we are stalled with a large harvest due to bothersome rains. Those of you with more muck than crop are saying, “wish I even had a harvest.” And the farmer from Margo, Saskatchewan with 12,000 unseeded acres is wondering how to get the land ready for next year! […] Read more
What Do You Want And What Does The Next Generation Want? – for Sep. 6, 2010
A young farmer sends a distress-filled email at 2 a. m. He calls for help to try and figure out whether he should chuck his dream of farming and find another life. His father has just demanded two-thirds crop share for new land the young farmer has rented. His goal is to get ahead. His […] Read more
Reluctant To Let Go Of The Farm? – for Jul. 23, 2010
I was picking up a book at my library in May when the librarian confessed that she couldn’t find garden seeds and that was OK since she preferred reading anyway, and dubbed herself “the reluctant gardener.” I smiled knowingly as I could see in my mind’s eye the quack grass having a heyday in my […] Read more
Why Fathers Need To Be Good Leaders
As we stood by the grave-side of my friend’s father we both noticed two Canada Geese winging overhead as the casket was being lowered into the grave. I smiled and thought God had provided a gentle reminder that He was there; the geese mate for life, and they flew overhead to remind me of the […] Read more
Why Should I Be A Better Listener?
What if I showed you a free tool that you could implement today that would have the potential to make your farm 21 per cent more profitable, without spending a dime? This tool was used by U. S. farm journalist John Phipps and he said his business generated more income as a result. It was […] Read more
Breaking Up (With Advisors) Is Hard To Do
Firing an advisor is tough to do but if you want to do the “tough things right” as a farm manager, sometimes you have to let go of folks who are not giving you the service and quality of work you need to have a profitable business I spent time with 70 farmers in Alberta […] Read more
Pay Attention To The Silence
A now-grown farm kid has eyes that light up when he talks of “how great is it to be out there on the tractor.” At this time of year, the field equipment is tuned and ready to go. Some young “wannabee” farmers are not going to be occupying the seats, they will be toiling at […] Read more
Planting The Seeds Of Encouragement…Again
This month marks my 15th anniversary of writing for Grainews. Marie Salway had written the “Butter Side Up” column in this paper for over 17 years and she asked me to take her space. I can still remember thinking, “Wow, 17 years is a long time… and here we are 15 years later!” She passed […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
