Videos

Every year, Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives and the University of Manitoba host a Crop Diagnostic School at the U of M’s Ian M. Morrison Research Farm at Carman. Farmers and agronomists can attend the one-day hands-on school, which runs for two weeks in July. This year, Gord Gilmour attended on behalf of the […] Read more

Case IH introduces the new Rowtrac tractor line along with a special 25th anniversary edition of the Magnum at an event near its headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin.

One son is a good business person who can work professionally with staff. The other son is a good worker, and gets along better with dad. Who should take over when dad retires? Wrong question, says John Fast.

The founding generation of a farm may have succeeded by sheer hard work and 80- to 100-hour weeks, but the next one wants to replace some of that time with more professional management. John Fast offers some suggestions to resolve the conflict.

Trust works on several levels. Members of a family farm operation can trust each other as individuals, but “trusting someone to do a good job” may not be fair if the person doesn’t have the skills. John Fast says competence and trust are different things.

Most people want to avoid conflict. But left to simmer, conflict can eventually boil over with disastrous consequences for the farm family and farm business. Dr. John Fast talks about dealing with conflict early, and head on.

“All this will be yours someday.” That doesn’t constitute a succession plan. Farm family coach Elaine Froese says keeping the next generation on the farm depends on defining a clear future.

What if the son screws up and the boss says he should be fired, but boss is mom or dad? Dr. John Fast talks about the importance of clarifying the roles in a farm family business.

Most parents attempt to treat children equally but in a family business that approach can sow the seeds of future family disharmony and farm business failure. In business equal does not necessarily mean fair.

Running a family business is a journey that has a destination.  The point of a succession plan is to safely get you to the destination. A good succession plan makes the difference between a good landing and a bumpy one.