Every front door looks beautiful” is one of my favourite Irish sayings. It came to mind in Deadwood, South Dakota, the Black Hills where I was listening to the woes of a young ranch couple. They have a strong desire to ranch as “debt free” as possible, but her parents, the owners are stuck on […] Read more
Froese: Help! My parents have loads of debt we don’t want!
If your attitudes towards debt are very different from your parents, do you really want to be business partners with them?
Froese: Stop the in-law rant, change your behaviour
Farm family dynamics have to be different and we need to see solutions
An American farm woman who moved from Florida to become part of a family farm in the cornfields of Iowa called me one day to say, “Elaine I am tired of all the ranting on social media about problems with in-laws. Something needs to shift, and we need to see solutions.” Go to iowafarmerswife.com/events to […] Read more
Froese: Cowboys coached to embrace courageous communication
Here’s a sample of their questions and what the answers were
In the Black Hills of Deadwood, South Dakota, Young Farmers and Ranchers had many texts for me at a presentation Jan. 21, 2022, my first in-person event in over 20 months. When I asked the group of cowboys in their Stetsons what was the one thing they grasped after four hours of interaction, it was, […] Read more
Froese: How to make tracking family living spending a top-drawer event
When you understand where the money is going — that’s when changes can be made
A movie explores a young teenage girl, Amber Appleton living in a school bus and riding her bike to her three jobs while attending high school. I notice she is very careful to count her cash and write down all her expenses as she works towards saving to have a real apartment to call home. […] Read more
Froese: Really love the next generation with decent compensation
And remember — if you are going to use sweat equity you must predetermine the value
My farmer came in for lunch to warm up and was reluctant to head back outside feeling chilled. His labour is now being compensated by a buyout plan from our successor son. What’s keeping me on the hot side today is processing the coaching conversations where the next gen is working for “free,” that is, […] Read more
Froese: Can farm dad become mentor coach?
Try not to be a micromanager as you let go of your CEO role and transition to mentor
Dick Wittman, a longtime farm management consultant and farmer has transitioned from being the CEO of a 22,000-acre Idaho farm to being his daughter’s mentor coach. His session at Ag Excellence’s 2021 conference was “How to get out of the way without going away.” Google the session and invest 90 minutes towards having better transition […] Read more
Froese: Transition planning does not have to be tough
Transitioning management and ownership of a farm business is a journey that begins with taking that first step
Susan Forward, author of Emotional Blackmail gave me a key phrase for coaching that is life changing. She used the term, “Where is it written… (insert issue)? As a farm family coach who is currently in her third succession/transition journey, I would like to challenge you with, “Where is it written that transition planning has […] Read more
Froese: Why I’m glad I took Mental Health First Aid
Whether you’re looking for help with self-care or how to be more supportive to others — this could be the course for you
Recently I was saddened by the passing of three folks in the space of one week whom I had a connection with. I suspect many of you are grieving losses experienced in the past 22 months during this Great Pause. I want you to explore some new learning and consider signing up for the virtual […] Read more
Froese: Living the life you love as an aging farmer
What do you really want in the next phase of your life?
As the calendar winds down 2021, and the snow comes, it strikes us that another season is approaching. Farming gives us many clear signs that things don’t stay the same. This summer I met Nell Smith, age 80, the author of Retire to the Life You Love, practical tools for designing your meaningful future. It’s […] Read more
Froese: Squashing the procrastination monster on your farm
There are many ways of putting things off. The question is: Why do we do this?
Recently on a virtual event with 126 financial advisers, I asked what their largest challenge was in serving farm clients. Sixty-four per cent named procrastination. This was no surprise as I have often quipped, “Procrastination and conflict avoidance are killing agriculture.” Speaker friend Nathalie Plamondon-Thomas of the Think Yourself Confident Podcast has described procrastination as […] Read more