Froese: How to write a will with joy

Froese: How to write a will with joy

Even the best-laid-out transition plans are derailed when new documents are not signed

I want you to read this column and act. I recently did a virtual presentation with 120 farmers and many of them did not have wills in place. Stop procrastination now! I’ve encountered folks who are all dealing with different kinds of loss. One a husband whose wife is suffering from a stroke. One a […] Read more

Was the planting of lentils by an early immigrant family the forerunner of today’s crops?

Was the planting of lentils by an early immigrant family the forerunner of today’s crops?

First We Eat: In 2020 Canadian-grown lentils generated over $2 billion in export sales

In 1923, Jirys Ya’qūb Sallūm kissed his wife and young sons goodbye in the town of Qar’awn, located in the Biqa’ Valley, in the French protectorate of Lebanon and Syria. Speaking only Arabic, he travelled to Canada to work for a relative who had a farm in southwestern Saskatchewan. He wanted a safer home for […] Read more


Do you experience back pain? It’s one of the most common adult complaints

Do you experience back pain? It’s one of the most common adult complaints

Fit to Farm: Here are three easy exercises to try that may help your spine

Back pain is one of the most common complaints among adults, and there’s a few good reasons why. The spine is one of the most mobile sections of the body, as well as an area responsible for quite a lot of force absorption. We use it a lot, in various ways, daily.  Pain and stiffness […] Read more

Why do we cook?

Why do we cook?

First We Eat: Cooking needn’t be just a chore we do every day – it could help us improve our metal health and well-being

When bad news hits or good news shows its smiling face, I head to the butcher block and start chopping. When my neighbour or my kids visit. When we need comfort. When Dave remembers another in his wonderfully long list of our anniversaries. The reasons we cook are many, and often have nothing to do […] Read more


The debt of the parents needs to be settled before the next generation can start charting their debt servicing and equity purchases as they learn how to manage and start to gain ownership in equipment, shares, land, or other farm assets.

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?

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

Southeast Asian foods — Part 2: Try Thai

Southeast Asian foods — Part 2: Try Thai

First We Eat: Thai cuisine offers contrasts in tastes, textures and temperatures

When talking about Thai food on the TV show “Parts Unknown,” the late Tony Bourdain said, “It was like discovering a colour I never knew existed before. A whole new crayon box full of colours.” Bourdain loved Thailand, and had the means to visit it repeatedly. Lucky man. But his life was tougher than we […] Read more


Pain, unfortunately, is often a fact of life. Especially on the farm!

Understanding the common reasons behind pain

Fit to Farm: Never ignore pain, but some focused breathing techniques may help to ease it

In my profession I meet many people who experience pain from various triggers, and one piece of homework I give to 99 per cent of them: breathing. Our breath is one of our most powerful tools, physically, physiologically and even mentally. To understand why breath can be so effective for pain, we first have to […] Read more

Navigate new language and approaches for positive conflict behaviour. Change your attitudes about conflict being something to be avoided.

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


Vietnamese pho.

Southeast Asian foods — Part 1: Vietnamese pho

First We Eat: There’s a good selection of Vietnamese ingredients in many stores as they strive to serve a large refugee population

We are so fortunate in Canada to have arrivals from around the globe to teach us about seasoning our tables. Lucky for us, food is one of the best tools for welcoming people and sharing experiences. The foods of Southeast Asia — Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam — are worlds apart from what those of us […] Read more