With so many factors being tied to the war between Russia and Ukraine, many are trying to get a grasp on the situation to better situate themselves, or to just make sense of it. Understanding something that you’ve never been a part of can be a difficult task, and that’s why we’ve brought in a… Read More
Category: Leadership
A large part of farm succession planning is information sharing between the generations, something Canadian Western Agribition’s (CWA) Next Gen Agriculture Mentorship Program is looking to replicate. The program is now in it’s fourth year and has recently announced this year’s group of mentors and mentees for Saskatchewan. The 18-month mentorship focuses on developing numerous… Read More
In 2022, the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame will induct Paul Kelly, Patrick Lynch, Patricia Mighton, James Rickard, and Dr. Patricia Shewen as worthy candidates based on their life-long commitments to Ontario’s agriculture. The five will be recognized in an induction ceremony on June 12, (in-person, if restrictions permit, and online) bringing the total number… Read More
I’ve been having this conversation a lot lately, as I’m sure many of you have been too — I’m not sure how we’re at the end of December already. Although the last couple of weeks have shown some true winter temperatures, it has been abnormally warm (and dry) in my area, which I’m convinced has… Read More
One challenge that many farmers face is how to pass the reins of an operation to a successor and how to get out of the way, but not go away. Dick Wittman learned plenty of valuable lessons managing a family-operated 20,000 acre crop, cattle, and timber operation in northern Idaho. He now heads Wittman Consulting, specializing… Read More
The Successors is a RealAgriculture podcast series hosted by Kara Oosterhuis focusing on agriculture from the perspective of the up-and-coming generation. What does it take to make critical decisions? How do you navigate developing a leadership style? Why do we sometimes need to take the advice of others, and understand that tomorrow is another day?… Read More
Imagine setting out on your own, fresh out of university, down to your last few hundred bucks. Matt Gosling did. That was 18 growing seasons ago, and although the beginning was a challenge with change and uncertainty moving at an incredible rate, Gosling has built Premium Ag into a successful agronomic services company. From the… Read More
The Successors is a brand new RealAgriculture podcast series hosted by Kara Oosterhuis focusing on agriculture from the perspective of the up-and-coming generation. What does it take to be an effective communicator? What do public speaking and agriculture have in common? Why is it crucial to shift how we communicate with consumers as attitudes change?… Read More
The rules of order around a boardroom table may seem unimportant to a discussion on farm management, but the more complex a farm becomes, the more important good governance becomes. Brian Hayward, long-time agriculture business leader and now author of The Great Chair: A Window on Effective Board Leadership, says that as soon as a… Read More
Imagine trying to gain consensus on policy issues across all Canadian commodity groups and geographies. That’s Mary Robinson’s job as president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, and she’s heading into her second, two-year term after being acclaimed to the role last month. As if the role isn’t challenging enough, Robinson has been leading the… Read More
March 8th is International Women’s Day and here at RealAgriculture we decided to feature some Canadian women in agriculture, for their drive and passion for the industry, and to highlight the trails they have blazed throughout their careers. Of course, there are not enough hours in the day to highlight every single terrific woman out… Read More
In honour of International Women’s Day, we decided at RealAgriculture that we’d highlight some of the fantastic women across this industry and spread a little joy in these tough times. There are so many brilliant women out there that we could spend the rest of the year talking about it. In the process of lining… Read More
Heather Watson joined Farm Management Canada to work in communications. Fast forward a few years, and instead Watson is leading a thriving, adaptive organization as its executive director, and has been for over a decade. As Watson explains, she stepped in to the role not fully knowing what to expect, but that she’s leveraged her… Read More
What do hot air balloons, rodeos, and role models have in common? The answer is agricultural communications specialist Karen Lewis. As part of our series featuring women in agriculture in honour of International Women’s Day, we spoke with Lewis about how strong women in her life have helped shape her career in agriculture. Lewis makes… 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