Sometimes we need a nudge, push or out-and-out shove to get unstuck. Consider this column a shove. Sell the cows or get rid of an enterprise. When we significantly reduced our cow herd several years ago, it was mostly a financial decision. Markets, drought, BSE and, of course, some of our own choices, resulted in […] Read more
VIDEO: Letting go and shifting gears
Depth of Field with Kelly Sidoryk
Direct marketing in the COVID age
Two Alberta businesswomen talk shop about how the pandemic has shaped the direct marketing landscape for beef producers
It is a changed world. The time spent in pandemic lockdowns has completely altered consumer behaviour. Perhaps it has sped up trends that were already in place, such as concerns about how food was grown or raised, convenience and ease of online purchasing. According to a recent article in the Harvard Business Review on Marketing […] Read more
VIDEO: Finding the weak links in your farm operation
Depth of Field with Kelly Sidoryk
As another growing season has come to an end and we start looking towards next year it is valuable to reflect on what worked this year and what did not. Think of it as part of the “where we are at” piece of strategic planning. A year that started dry, then had ample or sufficient […] Read more
VIDEO: Kaizen and continuous improvement
Depth of Field with Kelly Sidoryk
Kaizen is the Japanese concept of continuous improvement. Kai means change and zen means for the better. It applies to all areas of life and can be part of a strategic planning initiative. Kaizen is based on the idea that small, ongoing, positive changes can reap significant improvements. It’s typically founded on co-operation and commitment […] Read more
VIDEO: Getting to Yes
Depth of Field with Kelly Sidoryk
There is much talk these days about polarization. Agriculture is no exception. Whether it be on production methods, product branding, breed preference, or “Beyond” meats, the list goes on. We seem to get entrenched in our position and have difficulty seeing another’s viewpoint. Concepts used in major negotiations apply to both small and large conflicts. […] Read more
VIDEO: What’s your true colour?
Depth of Field with Kelly Sidoryk
Figuring out what makes others tick, as well as ourselves, is likely to be a lifelong pursuit. Logically, I know that others do not see things in the same way as I do. But in reality, that is a reoccurring lesson. In a recent workshop on personality styles, it occurred to me that what is […] Read more
VIDEO: Stockmanship and human relationships
Kelly Sidoryk on getting yearlings used to moving through the corrals and chute. For cattle people in North America, Bud Williams was widely known for his low-stress livestock handling ability. So much so, that the square pen at the end of a lead-up alley is commonly referred to as a “Bud box.” He had a […] Read more
Relationships support transition planning
There are a number of questions you need to ask yourself when transitioning to the next stage
Continuing with the succession planning or transitioning theme, along with a major milestone birthday, I can’t help but reflect from my senior generation position — even though I can hardly believe that is now my vantage point. In his book The Legacy Spectrum, Mark A. Weber stresses, as I have also done, that the process […] Read more
Retirement reimagined
When considering the succession plans for our operations it seems we often focus on setting the stage and paving the way for those entering the business and taking over. Often we overlook the exit. Retirement is not the best word in my mind. Perhaps we should call it a redirection of energy, refocus or gear […] Read more
Working between the generations
Life stage is important and not necessarily reflective of age
If there is anything that reveals the chasm between the generations these days, I think it has got to be technology. When sharing the stories of acquiring the first cell phone (it was in a bag), I realized that was just before our middle daughter was born. In 1994. Sociologists studying human behaviour and interaction […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
