Father and daughter riding through an autumn landscape in Quebec. Farm and ranch families should try to create a sense of shared ownership that goes beyond legal documents, says succession expert Annessa Good-Hassard.

Ranch succession part 2: Preparing for the unexpected

When illness, addiction or dementia strikes, bringing in a team of professionals and remaining compassionate can help the family remain resilient

In the complex world of ranch succession, unexpected yet common realities can disrupt the most meticulously planned transitions. It’s a safe assumption that all of us have known someone affected by mental or physical impairment, such as disease, dementia or addiction. However, when one of these realities occurs on a working family ranch, it can […] Read more

VIDEO: Rethinking mid-life transitions

VIDEO: Rethinking mid-life transitions

Depth of Field with Kelly Sidoryk

Chip Conley has a different perspective on retirement. If you live to be 90 and start working at age 18, when you reach age 54, you are halfway there, he says. Conley, a former hotelier and Air BnB employee, now runs the Modern Elder Academy. Conley cites societal changes that have occurred as our lifespan […] Read more


File photo of apple picking in a Canadian orchard. (Martinedoucet/E+/Getty Images)

New B.C. youth work rules: Heavy lifting, ag chem handling out

New standards also lift province's 'general working age' to 16

“Light farm and yard work” are deemed appropriate for workers at ages 14 and 15 under new employment standards taking effect in British Columbia this fall. The province on Wednesday announced changes to its Employment Standards Act, which have been through the development and consultation stages since 2019, have now been finalized and will take […] Read more

For a farm business to be repeatable, it needs to be both economic and financially stable.

Is your farm repeatable?

From the Ground Up with Steve Kenyon

Here is a typical family farm operation: Mom and Dad have been farming for years and are looking at turning the operation over to the next generation. The farm is paid for and now they would like to retire and sell that to the next generation. We all know there are plenty of human resource […] Read more


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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