Your strategic plan should be inclusive and have as much involvement as possible.

Now is the time for strategic planning

Gather your ideas and then prioritize what is needed in the near-term

The year 2021 will be marked for a few things. Of course, it is year two of the COVID-19 pandemic. For many of us in Western Canada, it will also go down as a drought year, and how the pattern is going to continue is as yet unknown. What else is 2021 going to be […] Read more

Urban development and farmland at Stratford, Ontario. Land use policy needs to prioritize agriculture, says Wayne Caldwell, professor of rural planning and development at the University of Guelph. Photo: SkyF/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Protecting farmland through rural land planning

Thoughtful municipal land use policy, producer involvement needed to save agricultural land from urban development

With 20,000 to 25,000 hectares of Canada’s agricultural land lost annually to urban development, rural land planning that prioritizes agriculture is a necessity, says one expert. “Protecting farmland is also about protecting the farmer, and through that process, we end up protecting food and food production capacity as well,” says Wayne Caldwell, professor of rural […] Read more


Speaker promoting well-being takes the stage at Advancing Women in Ag Conference

Speaker promoting well-being takes the stage at Advancing Women in Ag Conference

Beverly Beuermann-King is ready to talk about supportive conversations, depression and self-care

Resiliency has been brought to the forefront in these last few months. It is the key to move forward in these changing times. The old strategies don’t work anymore,” says Beverly Beuermann-King, mental health and resiliency expert. Beuermann-King has been referred to as the “resiliency builder.” She has been a long-time spokesperson for mental health. […] Read more

We are all part of a team, whether it be our work team, family, sports or community group.

Communication and team-building

Communication is a major component of building teams

Years ago, I heard a comment that the most underutilized resource in agriculture is people. The statement still rings true for me today and I believe our people are an area of huge potential. For most of us, in one way or another, we are all part of a team, whether it be our work […] Read more


Building resilience

Building resilience

Do you have the tools to recover from or adjust to adversity?

Maybe you’re thinking, “Well, at least it is not as bad as ’02.” Or perhaps, “This is even worse than ’02.” The situations vary in their severity but everyone in Western Canada is experiencing some degree of drought. And nobody in this business wants to think back to what happened after the drought of ’02. […] Read more

The upcoming generation is filled with talent, intelligence, creativity, enthusiasm, passion and a different way of thinking. We need to make sure we are not getting in their way, but helping guide the ship.

Rethinking what we know

“If knowledge is power, knowing what we don’t know is wisdom.”

There is a quote attributed to Albert Einstein that goes something like this: “You cannot solve a problem with the same level of consciousness that created it.” This seems to make a lot of sense, but how does one go about moving to a different level of thinking? The speed of change seems to be […] Read more


This past year has been a tough one. First a pandemic, then drought. Make sure you seek help if stress is weighing you down.

Comment: Getting through a crisis

Recently I was chatting with a few ranchers over supper after a beef cattle tour about potential long-term effects of this drought. We discussed how it might affect businesses linked to the beef sector (truckers, processors, etc.), and whether it would eat into the “infrastructure” that supports our industry and our rural communities. We weren’t […] Read more

From left to right: Peter, Lyal Jr., Rose, Spencer and Isaiah Fox.

Building a career as a livestock buyer

Lyal Fox Jr. reflects on what’s changed, what’s remained constant and what he’s learned over the years buying livestock

The Fox family is well known in the Canadian livestock industry, as breeders of Holsteins, Percheron and Morgan horses, polled Hereford and Angus cattle, and sheep. They have been involved in many different operations all over the world. One family member, Lyal Fox Jr., forged a slightly different path as a livestock buyer. In the […] Read more


While some young women were busy with family or other commitments to join an ag organization, in some cases they also felt like they weren’t welcome in their community, says one consultant.

Ag leaders lean in to gender equity

Across the country, women and men are not only identifying remaining barriers to equity, but also finding ways to make agriculture a more welcoming industry for everyone

Despite the incredible strides made by Canadian women in agriculture over the past decades, challenges persist for many. You don’t have to dig far to find stories of women being disrespected by salespeople, having trouble securing loans, or fending off sexual harassment at agricultural events. One challenge that often comes up in the Ag Women’s […] Read more