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
Toban Dyck: Get involved in the agricultural sector
Show up for the AGMs for the groups you’re funding. You won’t regret it
Toban Dyck: Joy comes at unexpected times
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
Toban Dyck: Keeping the agriculture sector together
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
Toban Dyck: Formalizing weekly meetings
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
Toban Dyck: Some light reading over breakfast
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
Toban Dyck: Putting the hard questions on the table
Table talk topics at Farm Forum hit close to home for conference participants
One of my talents as an adolescent was being able to sleep until noon. It was, at the time, the only real talent I felt confident about. Fast forward to now. I’m 38 and I’m getting up at 6 a.m. to attend a table talk on succession planning at the Farm Forum event in Calgary. […] Read more
Toban Dyck: 2019 will be the year of….?
What changes will the non-farming public bring ag?
Curators from the Manitoba Museum toured my farm in the fall of 2018. The USMCA had already been negotiated, but not ratified. Glyphosate had already made headlines. So had neonics. And the U.S. trade war with the China and the rest of the world was in full swing. My dad gave them the tour. It […] Read more
Toban Dyck: Feeding the world
Ag is invited to the Global Forum in Toronto, but it takes a seat in the back
What do you think the median salary is in this room, right now?” asked the journalist sitting next to me. I laughed and said a number, but it was probably low by a couple hundred thousand. I was invited to attend and cover the Fortune Magazine’s Fortune Global Forum in Toronto in mid-October. “This annual […] Read more
Toban Dyck: Predicting those curveballs
Farm life brings more and more responsibilities. Only change is predictable
Curveballs are hard to hit, but when you’re given nothing else, you’ll figure out a way. You’ll adapt. You’ll play the game differently. At least, you should. Farming is a continual lesson in this. It’s a day-in, day-out, year-in, year-out lesson in thriving amid constant flux. The weather is different every year and you’re forced […] Read more
There’s always more to learn
Toban Dyck is all in, learning what he needs to know about farming at full speed
I didn’t think to turn on the bin fans last night. I needed to be told. And when my dad asked what I’d be growing next year, it completely escaped me that fall is when I should make that decision. Jamie and I have been on the farm for six years; land renters for nearly […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
