You don’t have to be a marketing expert, but understanding a few of basics can help improve marketing skills
For many, marketing is one area of farm management generates a lot of fear and even mistrust, and yet is a large part of what we do unknowingly all the time. Marketing is a little bit about getting your name out there, a little bit about your product, a little bit about knowing costs, a […] Read moreNavigating the marketing maze
Navigating the marketing maze
You don’t have to be a marketing expert, but understanding a few of basics can help improve marketing skills
For many, marketing is one area of farm management generates a lot of fear and even mistrust, and yet is a large part of what we do unknowingly all the time. Marketing is a little bit about getting your name out there, a little bit about your product, a little bit about knowing costs, a […] Read moreCan farmers get value from good eco practices?
How much is that deer or pond worth to society, and who will pay and how much to have it there? Key questions about ecological goods and services
The sign could say “EG&S Sold Here” at the end of most farm lanes in Canada. Does this mean there’s a barn nearby full of laying hens? No. EG&S is shorthand for Environmental Goods and Services. EG&S represent a lot of the things that benefit society but don’t have any monetary value assigned to them. […] Read moreGenomics 101 — what it means
There is a lot of work going on in the field of genomics these days. While technical terms are somewhat intimidating, genomics is a fancy way to say we are studying DNA — in this case bovine DNA. DNA is the code that determines the genetic potential of an individual. Half of an animal’s DNA comes from […] Read more
BIXS benefit hinges on how data is used
(Editor’s Note: BIXS, launched in 2011, is a service developed by the Canadian Cattleman’s Association which can link all sectors of the beef production chain from producer to packer in an online information exchange. Producers can input their calf identification numbers and other production information into the BIXS program and then, in simplest terms, as […] Read more
Value Has Many Shapes And Sizes
As cattle producers there are a lot of arguments around what exactly it is that we sell. There is a class of argument that says we sell beef, and consumer demand for our product drives the industry. This is true. There is also an argument that most of us don’t sell beef, but sell live […] Read more
Technologies Worth Looking At
There is always someone wanting to sell you something whether you farm or ranch or just happen to be a member of society. While every technology is not a fit for every operation, there are some technologies that are probably worth looking at from the perspective of a beef cattle operation. These technologies are many […] Read more
Permanent Electric Fencing Tips
Growing up, we were the very first people I knew whom electric-fenced. I distinctly remember as a kid our farm being considered “the odd guys” with our electric fence and I also distinctly remember the results. They were phenomenal. Since then fencing technology has come a long way, but the rewards are still just as […] Read more
Fencing Leads To 4X Production
We use solar powered, plug-in powered, permanent, portable, high tensile, aircraft cable, polywire, and many combinations of such in our grazing operations. Electric fence has increased our production over four times in comparison to the same acres left unfenced, extended many pastures past the 20 year mark, allowed us to effectively eliminate waste in our […] Read more
Four Nickels And A Blizzard
A paradigm can be defined as a pattern of thinking. A pattern of thinking from the perspective of a farm includes all preconceived ideas, previous education, personal values, and established family dynamics. This is important to understand and realize when looking at decisions and options going forward. We have had several frank discussions around our […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
