So these two Newfoundlanders end up at a farming conference… It may sound like the beginning of great joke, but it’s actually none other than RealAgriculture’s Bern Tobin meeting up with General Rick Hillier, former chief of defence staff for the Canadian Armed Forces, to talk about leadership and the importance of people. Speaking at… Read More
“Budgets are always going to be tight, regulatory issues are always going to be confounding, but creativity is free.” Whether we’re talking about employees at Disney or on a North American farm, financial and regulatory constraints will always exist. How businesses perform within those limitations depends on creativity, stresses Doug Lipp, business consultant and author… Read More
Just as every farmer needs to move away from being “just a farmer” and recognize they are business owners and leaders, each individual within the farm business needs to own their true title — from operations manager, to human resource lead, and on to CEO. This probably holds the most true for the “farm wife.”… Read More
How come we’ve accepted technology in most aspects of growing crops, but we still use job boards and local papers to find hired help? Chances are, the person you’re looking for doesn’t live in the surrounding area, or you’d have hired them by now. Kristjan Hebert, farmer at Moosomin, Sask. and chair of Global Ag… Read More
The federal government has announced it’s dropping the four-year cumulative duration requirement — also known as the “four-in, four-out” rule — from the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) effectively immediately. It’s welcome news for agricultural employers and farm groups. “The feedback we received from agricultural stakeholders is very supportive of these changes,” noted Portia MacDonald-Dewhirst, executive… Read More
Are you good at networking? Or are you more likely to wonder why, as a farmer or rancher, you even need to? Perhaps you think networking is for salespeople, lawyers, and business big-wigs. According to our interview with Marie-Helene Budworth networking is for anyone engaged in business, and you’re probably much better at it than you… Read More
I have a fatal productivity flaw in my life. I procrastinate on many tasks in my daily agenda. I have no idea why. Personally I hate it. People around me tend to hate it as well and I constantly try to fix the tendency. It’s not an easy habit to drop. According to Rory Vaden,… Read More
Are you regularly grumpy? Do you know someone that’s happy all the time and wonder, what is wrong with him? Is he/she just way too happy? To turn the tables: are you as happy as you could be? Sometimes in our busy lives we struggle to find happiness on a daily basis. Many times it’s… Read More
“One day, this will all be yours.” If this is the sum total of succession planning you’ve done as a farm owner, or if, as the son or daughter, you’ve heard this one too many times with nothing to show for it — the interview below is a must listen. On this episode of the… Read More
Last week, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) released its report of and 21 recommendations for changes to the Temporary Foreign Workers Program. While the program applies to any industry in Canada, it is largely used by the farming and agriculture processing industries…. Read More
As Canadian farms continue to grow, so does the need for talented employees who can help farmers reach their business goals. But how do you find and attract these individuals? And once you have them in your employ, how do you keep them? Human resource consultant Lynn Perry joins us for episode 20 of the… Read More
Farms and ag businesses could be eligible for federal funding if they hire young people to do work that benefits the environment. Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay and Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna visited AAFC’s Central Experiment Farm in Ottawa on Monday to announce up to $1.9 million in funding over the… Read More
A year ago we ran a post describing the grandparent wisdom you should never forget on the farm. This list of five things was very popular, even inspiring several additions to the list through reader emails, twitter and Facebook. All things are not golden though — it’s time to release the list of the things your grandparents… Read More
In what areas does your farm business excel? What are you poor at? And how can you respond to make improvements? Self-assessment and continuous improvement are what separates high-performance farms from the average. Rob Hannam, President and Client Director of Synthesis Agri-Food Network, joins us for episode 14 of the Mind Your Farm Business podcast… Read More
Employees need clear expectations and timely feedback. It might sound simple, but those are the two keys to creating a farm culture where the business gets the most out of its talent and where employees feel like they’re doing a good job, says Barb Dartt, a Michigan-based farm business consultant. “We tend to underestimate the… Read More