When trust between people is high, communication is often easy, instant and effective.

VIDEO: Lauren Sergy on communication: Teamwork makes the dream work

Depth of Field with Kelly Sidoryk

If you were asked to envision a librarian-belly dancer, I am not sure what picture would come to mind. But that is exactly what Lauren Sergy, owner of Up Front Communications, is, in addition to being a communications and teamwork specialist. At the recent Advancing Women in Agriculture conference in Calgary, Sergy told a very […] Read more

While farming and ranching couples face some different challenges than their urban counterparts, good communication underpins all strong relationships.

Love on the farm: A recipe for successful relationships

Healthy relationships are key to a successful farm and fulfilling life. So how can couples ensure their marriage remains strong?

When my husband and I kid around about what makes us happiest in our marriage, his answer will always be cookies and me letting him buy more cows, and mine would be “more holidays.” While there’s some truth to this good-hearted humour, I wanted to dig deeper and ask folks from farming and ranching lifestyles […] Read more


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AgriCommunication plan to seek farmer-consumer dialogue

Ag exhibitions among expected beneficiaries

The federal government has put up new funding toward improving consumers’ awareness of the “strengths” of Canada’s ag sector — and to improve farmer awareness of what those consumers want and expect. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Thursday announced an $8 million, three-year funding envelope for the first of two streams of what’s now called […] 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


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Fraser: In ag marketing, emotions need to start trumping facts

Emotional transparency 'actually goes a long way'

Go to an agricultural event and someone will inevitably point out how bad farmers are at getting their message to consumers. As annoying as it is, those comments underscore an increasingly important theme in Canadian agriculture: communication. It used to be enough to grow and market your crops, but that has changed dramatically over the […] Read more

Six steps to better consumer conversations

Six steps to better consumer conversations

The science is worth learning. Gaining knowledge about why consumers behave the way they do and make the decisions they do is essential to building constructive, forward-thinking dialogue, engaging in artful and “value-added” arguments, and educating and influencing your audience. One way to gain insight into how the human brain processes information is by exploring[...]
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Ten things farm moms really want

Ten things farm moms really want

It would be fun for you to be a fly on the wall of my office when the calls from farm moms come in. They range in age from 33 to 93. Regardless of your age or stage as a farm mom, I bet there are things that you would like to be able to[...]
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The power of a letter to get unstuck

The power of a letter to get unstuck

Sometimes we have to go back to basics in order to keep healthy change happening on our farms. Lately in my transition seminars I have been encouraging frustrated young farmers to write a letter of intent to their founding parents. People who are stuck with a large degree of anxiety and overwhelm from not knowing[...]
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Sharpen your human resource skills

Part 2: Performance management

I hear you saying, “Why can’t people just do what they are supposed to do?” Ah yes, the frustration of performance management (PM). As the manager and the human resource professional for your operation, you need to manage people’s performance. PM is an ongoing process (not a yearly event called performance review) and requires communication,[...]
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