Professional development isn’t just for those in corporate agriculture and it’s not just for those looking at taking on a new role, either. Vik Kail, human resources leader for Corteva AgriScience, says that there’s a place for professional development, both formally and informally, for all levels of employees, including owners and managers. Kail looks at… Read More
The effects of COVID-19 on agriculture were surprising, and some sectors of the industry were affected more than others — grain and oilseed operations fared much better than say, intensive horticulture crops, in terms of labour. For this RealAg LIVE! host Kara Oosterhuis is joined by Debra Hauer of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council… Read More
Farming with family can be rewarding, and also stressful. Transitioning a farm’s ownership from one generation to the next can be emotionally-charged and high stress, but would it be easier or any different if you were selling the business to a non-family member? Dick Wittman of Wittman Consulting says that many farmers may feel as… Read More
The federal government has clarified how temporary foreign workers (TWFs) will reach farms this spring, in the face of requirements to stay in Government Authorized Accommodation (GAA). So long as temporary foreign workers travel privately to their farms and can safely complete their mandatory 14 day quarantine on-farm, they will not need to complete the three-day… Read More
In leadership, aggressive behaviour can actually be less harmful to business than passivity. In other words, being unwilling to discuss a problem is actually more detrimental that having an argument about it. But just knowing that doesn’t make dealing with conflict any easier says Kelly Dobson, chief leadership officer at LeaderShift. In this Mind Your… Read More
When it comes to farming, we often think about partnerships purely as a legal definition, a business structure. But are we missing out on some real leadership opportunities by forgetting the other meaning of the word? Kelly Dobson of LeaderShift Inc. says we need to stop looking at a partnership as a contractual obligation and… Read More
When asked why the Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO) recently announced a policy to focus on inclusion within the beef value chain, Joe Dickenson says it should have been done years ago. Dickenson is a beef producer from near Oil Springs, Ont., and a feedlot director for BFO. He’s also been instrumental in moving this… Read More
It takes heaps of management to grow perfectly-sized, quality sweet potatoes. Katie Keddy, of Valley Harvest Sweet Potatoes in Nova Scotia, shares how her farm grows this neat crop, plus strawberries for propagation, blackberries, and raspberries. Listen to Keddy (@VHsweetpotatoes) in conversation with host Kara Oosterhuis below (with a special guest voice appearance by producer… Read More
When it comes to choosing employees for your operation, it’s not as easy as many would think. There are many factors to consider: do you hire full time? Do you hire seasonal? How many people do you keep on board? And then comes the trickiest of them all — how does one determine who is… Read More
For many, December is a time to reflect, to really sit back and look at what the previous months looked like. What were the highs? What were the lows? Despite 2020 being the year it was — and one I certainly won’t forget in my lifetime — it was also a whole lot of fun… Read More
Conference season is upon us, and joining the virtual ranks of meetings is Farm Management Canada’s (FMC) Ag Excellence conference. The virtual space can provide a lot more opportunity both to virtual speakers, and to people who otherwise can’t physically make it. Joining RealAgriculture’s Bernard Tobin to discuss the core concepts of the event is… Read More
Three of Ontario’s ministries (Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; Health; and Labour, Training and Skills Development) have committed to a strategy to prevent COVID-19 transmission, and protect workers and the province’s food supply chain ahead of next year’s growing season. The joint government-industry Prevention, Control and Outbreak Support Strategy for COVID-19 in Ontario’s Farm Workers… Read More
From farm level to the corner office, there are more jobs available in agriculture than ever before. But the possibility of a future talent shortage is a definite concern, and that discussion was part of the recent farm management-focused week of the Syngenta Media Summit. “It’s been a hot topic lately, specifically in Syngenta, but… Read More
Benchmarking is a comparison, but it’s not a competition. Benchmarking can be a useful tool to understand where your farm management practices can improve on yield, profit margin, operation efficiency, or gross margin. Even human resources can be benchmarked, but it’s what you do with the numbers next that really counts. Maggie Van Camp, national… Read More
Performance reviews for staff just aren’t talked about enough in regards to farm management. They also don’t have to be a negative experience; both employee and employer can provide feedback during a performance — they’re not a one-way conversation. Joining us for today’s RealAg LIVE is Jennifer Wright, senior HR advisor with the Canadian Agricultural… Read More
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