Tara Mulhern Davidson has been ranching for over 15 years, and has had to manage through several severe droughts in the last five. The perpetual dryness is weighing on planning for the long-term, she says, but there's also the every day challenges of working with a living commodity. Davidson's Lonesome Dove Ranch is based at... Read More
Category: Farm Management
Statistics Canada (StatsCan) has published data providing a socioeconomic snapshot of Canada’s evolving farm population. As of 2021, the farm population represents just 1.6 per cent of the total population in Canada. But how are they categorized? Data from the census shows that the face of Canada's farm population is changing — farm households are... Read More
What does black electrical tape have to do with protecting your state of mind at harvest? For Megz Reynolds, during a particularly bad harvest, covering up the yield monitor with it was a small boundary she set to help ease her mind and focus on the task at hand. It may seem small, but small... Read More
Details and timelines have yet to be determined, but the federal and provincial governments in Alberta and Saskatchewan have agreed to move ahead on offering AgriRecovery disaster relief programs for livestock producers affected by drought in 2023. Both Prairie provinces submitted requests for AgriRecovery assessments in July. Any program under AgriRecovery is cost-shared on a... Read More
For many a hockey fan, Brian Burke needs no introduction. An outspoken and dedicated lover of the game, Burke has served as general manager for four National Hockey League teams, winning a Stanley Cup in 2007, and was president of hockey operations for another two teams. Last week, he took the stage at the Canadian... Read More
Adversity is something we have all come to face in varying degrees at some point or another. But where does it fit into a business? Todd Millar, chief executive officer of TEC Canada, based at Calgary, Alta., says how we tackle adversity in a business — and no matter the business, there's going to be... Read More
New technologies may work in the lab or in a research setting, but can they provide value in the real-world on a modern, large-scale commercial farm? That's the basic premise behind a unique arrangement that has come to be known as "Innovation Farms," just northwest of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Grosse Isle-area farmer and long-time seed grower... Read More
In the most recent Canadian Farmer Sentiment Index survey, farmers were asked about whether or not they were concerned about consolidation within the ag industry. From ag retail, to precision ag companies, and more on to equipment dealerships, farmers weighed in on what consolidation worried them most. As for category, the highest rating was given... Read More
No matter how you slice it, Ontario's Ford government took liberties with the rules when it decided to re-draw the boundaries of Toronto's Greenbelt. (You can read the auditor general's report about how many liberties, here). A staunch supporter of farmland preservation, Peggy Brekveld, president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, says that there's no... Read More
Urban sprawl is a real threat to farmland long-term in many areas of Canada and the U.S., but our attitude about developing farmland is littered with hypocrisy. As I see it, farmers are in the land business as much as the food production business and that is the reality we tend not to discuss openly.... Read More