The next time you find yourself driving down any dirt road on the Prairies, take a look into the first (inhabited) farm yard you pass. And the next one. And the one after that. Chances are beyond the wind-whipped, tarp-covered shelter, the stock-piled ancient equipment and the friendly farm dog, you’ll notice a big rig. […] Read more
Using your semi to haul in a profit
Now that you have a semi on the farm, is commercial grain hauling a viable money-maker?
Writing those monthly paycheques
Are we farmers paying ourselves as much as we’re paying our hired help?
The paycheques have been signed for another month and it brings to mind the joke about the tax man and the farm owner/operator having a conversation about wages: “I need a list of your employees and how much you pay them,” demanded the agent. “Well,” replied the farmer, “there’s my farm hand. I pay him […] Read more
Driving the big rigs yourself
Not every farmer is licensed to drive a semi, but they could be. Here’s how it works
For me, getting a 1A license (known as a 1Q in Manitoba or Alberta) was a necessity. I was on the farm, raising kids, helping where I could. The farm was expanding, the workforce was fluid and slowly meandering to “greener pastures” — our employees were retiring or coming on board without a 1A license. […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
