Don’t be afraid to be the one asking questions. You’re not the only one
He made the comment I was too scared to make. Farmers are required to know a lot and it’s generally assumed by our peers and colleagues that we know the things we’re supposed to. I assume other farmers know the things they’re supposed to know. And we walk on eggshells and implement evasive maneuvers to […] Read more
Trade news brings the media to the farm to talk about agriculture and farming
The nation’s gaze is fixed on agriculture. And while it’s not for great reasons, there is opportunity here. Mainstream news outlets are stumbling over themselves to cover issues such as the global ag trade and how Canada’s current spat with China is affecting farmers. They are trying their best with the resources they have to […] Read more
All grain farmers know that early spring antsy, “ready to seed” feeling
It’s as though a switch was flicked. It happens every year. The winter meeting season is busy and consuming. Then it ends, the snow begins to melt and you find yourself looking over your farmyard with a zeal for the upcoming growing season that you may not have had the day before. I woke up […] Read more
Writing and public speaking is not easy work, but someone has to do it
I was somewhere along Highway 2 between Holland and Glenboro, Man., when I took the call. I was on my way to speak at the Manitoba Beef Producers AGM about how the best way to reach any audience is through accessible, relatable and honest messaging. “Why are you speaking at the Beef Producers AGM?” asked […] Read more
It’s never been harder to tell truth from fiction — on the internet or on the farm
Leading up to the 2016 U.S. election, the Russian Institute allegedly began shifting its focus from distributing propaganda in the Ukraine to taking an active role in galvanizing anti-Hillary Clinton sentiment across the United States. It was last year sometime when my wife, Jamie, suggested I listed to the Radiolab podcast entitled “The Curious Case […] Read more
Show up for the AGMs for the groups you’re funding. You won’t regret it
My room was on the fifth floor. I needed to get there. I was bushed (I sometimes say zonked, but I don’t know if that’s a word my family made up or if it’s in the dictionary). The elevator I needed to take was at the end of a long hallway, then to the right […] Read more
Find what brings you joy in farming, and take time to focus on those things
I was writing. I was deep in my own thoughts, wrestling, jostling, mucking around in the recesses of my mind. It’s important to dredge once in a while. Those things that reside in the depths tend to surface unannounced if not properly addressed. Anyway, I was in this space — a space I love to […] Read more
As Ag Days kicks off conference season, the media divides the ag community
“You look familiar. We’ve met before,” I said. He nodded. “Yeah. We have. But I know about you. I read your articles. How are you doing keeping everything together?” I’m always a little tickled when people stop by the Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers booth at Ag Days to chat. It doesn’t get old. I […] Read more
The owners at Burr Forest Acres settle in to a new Saturday morning routine
Things were weighing on us. We were both carrying stress related to the farm and we were doing so in silence. I was busy and used that as an excuse to put aside the things that needed our attention. In November, it all came to a head. I went first, expressing all the things that […] Read more
Consumers groups and farmers are working with separate sets of facts
I read something that fired me up. Actually, Jamie, my wife, did. Jamie knew how I’d react. She read the post out loud to verify that. It was all in good fun. And it led to a great conversation. I sat where I’m sitting now, at the kitchen island. And Jamie sat close by, also […] Read more
