egg

Bigger than breakfast, part 2: Eggs

A food with these properties can either anchor or support a dish at any time of day

It’s hard to ignore the pejorative meanings of the word “egg” lurking under the straw scattered about the henhouse. So let’s just call out a few to clear the air: “egghead” is slang for a smart person; “egg on your face” means you’ve messed up and are embarrassed; “egging someone on” is to encourage foolish […] Read more



In rare instances people are born with the sciatic nerve travelling through the piriformis muscle, meaning a greater likelihood of sciatica symptoms.

Sciatica, the proverbial pain in the butt

Overcoming it means paying attention to how you move and how you face stress

A common complaint I see in my clinic is sciatica. Sciatica can be a blanket diagnosis for pain in the hip, buttocks and down the leg. It’s labelled “sciatica” because often the sciatic nerve — a nerve that exits at the base of your spine and travels down the back of your legs, can be […] Read more

Ian gets to know his new baby sister Anna.

Eppich family welcomes a baby girl

Cold temperatures a challenge for the ranch and keeping vehicles going

January had a few surprises for us. Our newest addition was due on Jan. 4. Being that he/she was our fourth child and all but our first son came between eight and 10 days early, we were expecting a Christmas baby. On Christmas Day, Barb had a Christmas dinner for us and Gregory’s siblings. After […] Read more


Would you be able to sit with your thoughts and feelings just a while to consider how you are aging and managing in place on your farm?

Being an emotionally strong farm parent

Strong-willed and independent people might consider a self-coaching approach

Tis the season of farm meetings, where the speakers will talk about business and “keeping the emotion” out of business using data to make concrete decisions. I don’t debate this approach for grain marketing, but I highly doubt stuffing emotions on the farm creates clarity of expectations or happy outcomes. Recently I met Carolyn Stern, […] Read more

Just two per cent of the total companies in the S&P 500 index now represent 32 per cent of the entire index by market value.

Economic and market outlook for 2024

If the U.S. avoids recession, Canada's will probably be shallow

It’s difficult to make predictions, especially about the future.” One of my favorite prediction quotes comes by way of the legendary baseball player, manager and philosopher, Yogi Berra. This quote, like many of his famous quips, incorporates a meaningful paradox. Following up on my previous column, the TSX ended 2023 with a total return — […] Read more


Researchers now recommend allowing one or two years between terminating an old alfalfa stand and reseeding.

Alfalfa replant disease and related disorders

Whatever the cause, we can realize it's a problem and try to avoid it

Back in the 1980s I spent a lot of time on alfalfa diseases, particularly the verticillium wilt disease problem that was spreading across the Prairies, particularly in southern Alberta. In a few snow-free and cold Decembers in those years, a lot of damage was done to alfalfa, winterkilling entire fields of three-year-old stands. Even white […] Read more

Oil inventories remain low, but recession fears leading to price declines continue to permeate the market.

How did 2023’s economic and market predictions turn out?

Predictions are often made but their accuracy never evaluated, yet this is an important step

For the past seven years in my newsletter, I have made annual “Fearless Predictions.” I also summarize predictions from the investment industry. The last chapter of my book, titled “If I claim to be a wise man…it surely means that I don’t know,” launched my annual prediction exercise, largely to poke fun at the process. […] Read more


Rob and Sarah need a way to divide the farm that creates the necessary cash flow for a son moving back to the farm and maintains fairness for him and his brother.

Six quarters and two sons

The problem of fairness in an estate plan

Rob, who is 65, and Sarah, who is 61, farm six quarters of grain and pasture in northwestern Manitoba. They have two sons, Michael and Steven, each in his 30s and married. However, Steven, who has a town job, has decided he would like to try his hand at farming. The issue in devising a […] Read more

A significant benefit of courageous conversations is in learning what everyone on the team thinks, feels and wants.

Just converse — it feels so good to talk

Know your communication style, and be ready to make room for others’ styles

Being able to talk freely with your farm team and feel they understand what you are needing is a huge gift! Accept you can’t make other people change, but you can change how you respond and handle things. Talking is the work. Decide today that you are going to become more self-aware and self-controlled around […] Read more