Managing your own needs and the needs of your spouse is the dance of work/life balance.

Froese: Farmers need to find time for family

There are lots of creative solutions, if you’re willing to put your mind to it

Back in 1987, before some of you reading this were born, I was asked to write about balancing work and family. It’s now 2023, and the same questions come from my audiences around key challenges like how to achieve work/life balance or how to get more family time on the farm. The dance between work […] Read more

The first profit driver for many operations is to increase yields of biodiverse forages.

Looking at key ranch profit drivers

Beef production is a bit more involved than having cattle eat grass, but putting efforts into management produces the best return

I often think that the ranching business is very simple until you get humans involved. At the most basic level, sun and rain grow forage, cows consume forage and reproduce and ranchers sell the offspring. Pretty simple, until it’s not. Fundamentally, this simple picture does provide some insight into what drives profit on most cow-calf […] Read more


Froese: Making sure you’re up to the task

Froese: Making sure you’re up to the task

Checklists that spell out peoples’ roles and responsibilities can contribute to happier farms

I believe folks are happy in their roles on the farm when it is clear what is expected of them, and they have the proper tools to get the job done. It is also important that older folks know what kind of work they want to do as they step back without stepping away. I’m […] Read more

One million dollars at six per cent interest amortized over 20 years means annual payments of $87,184. At seven per cent interest, the annual payments are $94,392, which is an increase of $7,208 per year. Are you sure your cash flow can handle those extra payments?

Look before you leap… into new purchases for the farm

Careful planning is necessary with today’s high interest rates

If you are considering a sizable new purchase, hopefully the title has piqued your interest and you will read on. My purpose with this article is to encourage you to carefully consider several important points before you make any significant new purchases. With the present high interest rates, which may rise even more, careful planning […] Read more


For farmers who may feel overwhelmed at tax time, the best thing they can do is to step back from the current moment and try to gain a big picture perspective of things.

Top tax tips and traps for 2022

Tax strategies, common pitfalls and how new legislation will affect your tax return

It’s mid-February and that means one thing for countless Canadians — tax time is right around the corner. That includes farmers on the Prairies who are busily gathering reams of information to prepare their 2022 tax returns. It’s something Matt Bolley is quite familiar with. Bolley is a business advisor and partner with MNP’s tax […] Read more

Strong families celebrate. Think about how great you are going to feel when you embrace the power of target dates and timelines.

Froese: The power of target dates

Seeds of Encouragement: Setting timelines for action can be key in planning your farm’s future

There’s nothing scarier for farm families who are trying to gain control over their lives than to have no clue about what the future holds. As a coach I call this “the pain of not knowing.” Time has a way of slipping quickly by, something like the toilet paper roll that spins faster as it […] Read more


There is all kinds of “stuff” on the farm — stuff you need, stuff you want — and sometimes stuff that is a great invention. Above the writer’s son Billy McGrath looks over a riding mower he outfitted with a spot spraying system to control dandelions as he mows the lawn. The sprayer involves a scrap section of boom, a five gallon pail and a 12 volt pump... Apparently it works very well. His mom is quite impressed with improved weed control around the yard.

Important to critically think about ‘stuff’

Before spending, ask yourself if some new tool or capital purchase is a need or a want

I bet that most of us have a lot of “stuff” on our ranches. The stuff I am referring to is anything that is not water, grass or cows. These could be considered the three parts of the ranching picture, and the stuff is what helps us manage those three parts. Stuff includes things such […] Read more

The farm business plan should be an extension of the goals and aspirations of the individual team members.

How to build a robust farm business plan

Now that you’ve got a strong farm team, it’s time to focus on the farm business plan

In my previous article for Grainews, I explained how team building is important on farms in today’s complex agricultural environment. It’s vital all members of the team have input into the overall farm business plan and have at least some of their individual needs met. A team with a common understanding of the intent and […] Read more


Farm teams can come in many different forms. The key is achieving a cohesive working unit.

How to build a strong farm team

To achieve a cohesive working unit involves collaboration, communication and compromise

In my close to 20 years in farm business consulting, I have worked with many farm families or extended teams. Something I have seen many times is there is not a strong emphasis on building the overall goals for the farm at the same time as trying to meet the needs of the individual members […] Read more

(Conservis.ag)

Telus, Rabobank ag arms buy into farm data aggregator

Companies join in on deal for Minneapolis-based Conservis

The agriculture arms of one of Canada’s major telecoms providers and a major Dutch bank and financial services firm are taking a stake in a tech firm in the business of gathering on-farm data into a single window. Telus Agriculture and Rabo AgriFinance, which is headquartered in St. Louis and serves U.S. farm customers, announced […] Read more