Family farms that hold regular business meetings are 21 per cent more profitable than those who don’t. That may be, but the mere mention of “meeting” likely makes you roll your eyes or maybe grumble in disapproval. Family meetings might bring up some not-so-pleasant memories, but Elaine Froese, farm family coach, says it doesn’t have… Read More
As many are well aware, what makes a farm “tick” isn’t just the financial side of things, and a successful growing year and the operational day-to-day aren’t always the most difficult part of being a farmer. There are many things that make up the family farm unit and allow for a positive succession experience. Our… Read More
Elaine Froese has been named the recipient of 4-H Canada’s first-ever distinguished alumni award. The award recognizes outstanding accomplishments and leadership of 4-H alumni across Canada, in the areas of community engagement and communications, science and technology, environment, and healthy living, or sustainable agriculture and food security. Froese is being recognized for her accomplishments in community… Read More
It’s nice to receive recognition from your peers. It is particularly nice when your peers are also your friends and the recognition occurs in a place of special emotional significance. All these things came together for Elaine Froese during last week’s Agriculture Excellence Conference held at Winnipeg, Man. It was in the ballroom of the… Read More
Capital assets don’t buy groceries. If this statement makes you scratch your head a little, you’re likely the older generation on the farm. If you read it and think, “Don’t I know it” you might be the in-coming generation, and very likely frustrated by the lack of clarity on how the farm’s equity and income… Read More
The process of transitioning a farm business from one generation to the next is often filled with obstacles and patches where progress seemingly bogs down in the mud. Generally, the stickiest areas are the ones that come with the potential for conflict, explains farm family business coach Elaine Froese, in the interview below. “The two biggest things… Read More
Family farms involve a complex interaction between two worlds — the family and the business, and both these worlds are impacted when a new person arrives. This person can be the glue that keeps things together, or the dynamite that blows things apart. We’re talking about what happens when a son or daughter-in-law marries into… Read More
When’s the last time you sat down and thought critically about who does each job on the farm? I mean REALLY thought about it? Certain roles typically go to certain people within a farm — dad might be the lead combine driver, or always driving the seeder, while sons and daughters may have to work… Read More
Periods of conflict between family members will make or break a family farm. That’s why it’s important to address conflict like any other risk to a farm business, says a well-known farm family coach from Boissevain, Manitoba. Elaine Froese described the three C’s for managing conflict as part of her presentation at the Ag Excellence… 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
When we think about the threat to family farms we might talk about industry consolidation, farm commodity depreciation, access to qualified workers, rising input costs or market volatility. All of these things are threats to the survival of Canadian family farms but maybe the biggest threat was not included in this above list. In my… Read More
If you really examine the issues that family farms face you might conclude that they are set up to fail. I am not talking about challenges like low commodity prices or high input costs. What I mean by this is that families that farm together really face tough battles that are different than regular corporate… Read More