Drew and Heather Spoelstra of Binbrook, Ont., have been named Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmers (OYF) for 2026, following the regional competition held April 7 to 9 in St. Jacobs, Ont. Based at Binbrook, the Spoelstras operate Roy-A-Lea Farms Ltd., a diversified family farm producing grains, hay, dairy, and beef. Heather Spoelstra leads the Roy-A-Lea Clydesdales... Read More
Category: Leadership
The Canadian Cattle Young Leaders (CYL) program is recognizing its mentors for the 2025–2026 program year, highlighting a broad cross-section of expertise supporting the next generation of Canada’s beef industry. Each year, CYL selects 16 participants aged 18 to 35 from across the country, pairing them with industry leaders for a nine-month mentorship focused on... Read More
In this episode of the Truth About Ag podcast, co-hosts Evan Shout and Kristjan Hebert sit down with first-generation farmer and long-time ag industry leader April Nichol to explore what it really takes to build both a business and a life on the farm. April and her husband Chad started their operation from scratch east... Read More
What makes a good farmer a great one? In this episode of the Mind Your Farm Business podcast, host Shaun Haney digs into that question with Margy Eckelkamp of Top Producer at Farm Journal. From battling through the 1980s farm crisis to navigating today’s economic curveballs, Eckelkamp shares how the most successful farm operators think... Read More
What does it mean to struggle well? In 2006, then Major Mark Gasparotto, now retired as a Colonel, led the combat engineers during Operation Medusa in Afghanistan, Canada's largest combat mission since the Korean War. As a keynote speaker, Gasparotto now shares how the lessons learned on that mission, of leadership following friendly fire, of... Read More
Farm Management Canada (FMC-GAC) has announced that applications are open for the 2025 National Farm Leadership Program. "Canada already has some of the best farm managers and increasing their leadership effectiveness is the next step. Few of us consider our own leadership as a competitive advantage, however research shows that leader effectiveness can account for... Read More
The Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program (AALP) is for executive leaders in agriculture, but you don't need to be an executive to join the program, says program administrator Gabrielle Ferguson. Established in 1984, AALP has been helping to develop leaders in agriculture for 40 years. At the Ontario Federation of Agriculture annual general meeting last month,... Read More
Sixteen finalists for the Canadian Cattle Association's (CCA) Canadian Cattle Young Leaders (CYL) Program have been announced for the 2024-2025 program year. The CYL Program is a mentorship program established by the CCA in 2010. The program aims to equip future leaders within all aspects of the beef supply chain with the skills and tools... Read More
Becoming an effective leader of any team begins with first taking charge of yourself. Leadership of self, says Mark Gasparotto, is a necessary step before being truly ready and able to lead others, whether on the farm or elsewhere in life. Gasparotto, founder of The Gasparotto Group and former Canadian military commander, says potential leaders... 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