No matter where you go in the world, farming happens. It can look very different, of course — from state-of-the-art rooftop greenhouses, to expansive, scrub pastures in Australia, to scratching out barely enough to eat from a tiny plot of land in Kenya. If agriculture looks so different, what’s there to learn from seeing how… Read More
Remember seasoned sergeant Phil Esterhaus (actor Michael Conrad) in Hill St. Blues, who warmly but firmly reminded the squad “Let’s be careful out there!” as they filed out of his daily briefing? Well, the same applies to farming – it’s safer than police work, but it certainly has its hazards, not the least of which… Read More
Mark Wales, a horticulture farmer from Elgin County, Ontario, has been named as the chairperson for the Agriculture and Agri-Food Labour Task Force (LTF). The LTF is moving forward with recommendations set out in its Agriculture and Agri-Food Labour Action Plan to address agricultural industry worker shortages. Wales is also the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource… Read More
Have you recently taken over the farm? Or are you about to begin the hand-over to the next generation? Or, just maybe, your New Year’s resolution was to up your farm business management game. Whatever your reasons, Jacqueline Gerrard, of Backswath Management, will be presenting some top management tips at Crop Connect ’15. The second… Read More
One more hit out of every 20 at bats — for a baseball player, that’s the difference between an elite .300 batting average and an only-okay .250 average. Over the length of a ballplayer’s career, that extra hit every five or so games will land a player in the Hall of Fame. It’s the difference… Read More
A recent survey suggested that 52% of family businesses don’t have a succession plans. Farms are family businesses — does that number sound about right to you? If so, there are thousands upon thousands of farms and farmers that are still dragging their feet on planning the long-term viability of their farm businesses. What will… Read More
Have you ever thought about the workplace culture on your farm or within your business? Good or bad, a culture will exist whether a manager or CEO has intentionally thought about it or not, says the former CEO of Walmart Canada. Culture is what drives a business — it’s the fabric of an organization, explains Mario… Read More
Finding people to work on farms is a major challenge in much of rural Canada. To understand the labour issues facing the ag sector, the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council is asking producers to complete a survey outlining their farms’ labour requirements. The Conference Board of Canada is conducting the survey on behalf of the CAHRC, seeking participation from… Read More
I suspect there are more people who’d elect for a non-necessary root canal than would like to strike up a conversation with dad about when he’ll finally hand over the reins to the farm. And that’s too bad, really, because the sooner the conversations about long-term farm business planning begin, the better chance there is… Read More
Agri-Food Management Excellence, Farm Management Canada and the family of Robert L. Ross have established the Robert L. Ross Memorial Scholarship program, rewarding one Canadian farmer with the opportunity to participate in the CTEAM program and “continue on a path towards excellence.” Robert (Bob) L. Ross was instrumental in inspiring and encouraging farm management excellence… Read More
If you’re looking for ways and means to step up your farm leadership skills and tackle the tough questions regarding moving the farm from one generation to the next, you’re not alone. Canadian farms are in the midst of significant business transition that’s set to continue well into the next decade. Farm Management Canada is… Read More
Last winter, Wyoming, Ontario, farmer Alfred Noorloos had a big decision to make. A neighbouring farm came up for sale and he wondered whether he should buy it. The beef and cash crop farmer was looking to expand, but was the timing right? Was his operation financially strong enough to justify the expansion? There were… Read More
Agri-Food Management Excellence (AME) Inc. and Farm Management Canada (FMC) have announced a new partnership to enhance the delivery of the Canadian Total Excellence in Agricultural Management (CTEAM) program, Canada’s only national farm business management training program. AME and FMC will be working together to conduct an in-depth analysis of the CTEAM program, assessing its… Read More
Who’d have thought drivers on public roads would ever be warned to beware of faster farm vehicles? Not me. Traditionally, people have moaned about getting stuck behind slow-moving farm gear, prompting the ag sector to plead for patience and try explaining it’s just doing its job, getting from one farm, or from one part of… Read More
You are probably reading a lot right now about the challenges with the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Sheila Pratt with the Edmonton Journal has been focused on the issue as it applies to allegedly reducing labor costs and the mistreatment of workers. Keep in mind that that the temporary foreign worker program is accessed by… Read More