By Heather Watson, executive director, Farm Management Canada It’s no secret that Canada’s farmers are under immense pressure. Battling unpredictable markets, weather extremes, rising input costs, labour shortages, and shifting policies, over 75 per cent of our farmers report feeling overwhelmed by the deep uncertainty of the agricultural sector and the sense of being at... Read More
Category: Human Resources
On this episode of the Mind Your Farm Business podcast, host Shaun Haney is joined by Chris Hardwick, entrepreneur, adventurer, and leadership coach, for a candid discussion about the psychology behind decision-making on the farm, especially when fear, risk, and ego collide. Hardwick blends life experience with business lessons to help farmers and business owners…Read More
While farmers continue to see value in salespeople, new research from RealAgristudies shows that how and when they want to interact is shifting and ag retailers will need to keep up. To unpack preliminary survey results on what farmers want, Shaun Haney and Justin Funk, co-founders of RealAgristudies, discuss findings from the survey conducted in... Read More
The Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) has announced a partnership with the University of Guelph’s School of Continuing Studies (SCS) to deliver practical, industry-informed human resources (HR) training tailored specifically to farm and rural business operations. Through this collaboration, the University’s new Certificate in People Management will include a tailored elective stream, HR for... Read More
Veterinarian Dr. Shari van de Pol and her team at Cattleytics are redefining how AI is used in dairy production. No, van de Pol doesn't have any plans to reconceive artificial insemination, but her agricultural technology firm is tapping into the power of artificial intelligence to enhance the dairy management services it delivers to dairy... Read More
Underpaying employees will result in less productivity, but simply paying people more doesn't motivate employees as much as you might think, says Tom Wall, the Dairy Coach. Plenty of farms struggle with finding and retaining good people, but Wall says that's at least partially to do with not having a people plan. We have production... Read More
According to recent statistics from the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC), approximately 2.5 million Canadians are currently working in the agriculture and agri-food sectors. There is a projected need for over 60,000 new workers in these sectors by 2029 due to retirement and industry growth. Keeping this in mind and with November being Canada... Read More
A new AI- powered app by Brilliant Harvest is working to fill the communication gap that younger generation-led farm businesses are looking for. Remi Schmaltz, CEO of Brilliant Harvest, explains that the customizable virtual help desk fills another really important gap, too — that of readily available expertise even when staff aren't on the clock.... Read More
In Episode 14 of the Truth About Ag podcast, co-hosts Evan Shout and Kristjan Hebert discuss this year’s challenging harvest, from managing unpredictable weather to empowering the team through cross-training and delegation. They talk about the role of guilt in farm decision-making, how to step back and let your team shine, and whether the “post-harvest... Read More
Not-for-profit organizations and municipalities in Ontario will soon be able to access funding to create a more welcoming environment for international agri-food workers who work in the province's agri-food sector. The Government of Ontario has announced $1.5 million for the international agri-food workers (IAW) Welcoming Communities Initiative, funded through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a... Read More