Elaine Froese

Farm succession plans lacking, poll shows

Just 30 per cent of farms have done formal succession planning

Most farmers expect to retire and hand over the farm to family, but few appear to be doing anything to ensure it happens, according to results of a newly released Ipsos Reid poll of Canadian farmers. Just 30 per cent of 455 farmers polled for the 2015 Canadian Agricultural Outlook Survey said they are doing

Combine and tractor harvesting grain in a field.

Small farms can be profitable too

Staying small has benefits in the farming world: less costs, more time and greater agility

It’s not the size of your farm that counts, it’s what you do with it. “It comes down to attitude,” said Kevin Hursh, a Saskatoon-based farm consultant. “Sometimes I think we feel inferior to the guys who are 5,000, or 10,000 or 15,000 acres, and running all the brand new equipment with the best technology,



Rural Secretariat closure worries rural advocacy groups

The federal Conservatives must rethink their decision to close down the Rural Secretariat or create something to replace it, says the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. The last 13 remaining employees at the Rural Secretariat were recently given their notices, spelling the end of the 15-year-old agency, which had a staff of 92 just a year


A report worth reading

We’ve been somewhat skeptical of some of the recent efforts by the Conference Board of Canada to wade into the food and farm policy realm, but we were pleasantly surprised by the newly released report Seeds of Success: Enhancing Canada’s Farming Enterprises. From our perspective, authors James Stuckey and Erin Butler, do a stellar job

Register now to be an Open Farm Day host

Manitoba’s farm families have until April 30 to register as hosts for the fourth annual Open Farm Day Sept. 15. Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Minister Ron Kostyshyn says the event gives a chance to interact with non-farmers in ways that foster a better understanding of food origins and agriculture. “Farming is an important


Rural Germany faces steep decline

As farms get larger and land more expensive, young people from small towns are packing up and moving to the big cities in search of career opportunities. With a shrinking tax base, funding for the provision of services dries up, schools are shuttered, shops close, and doctors flee for greener pastures. Sound familiar? It should.

Conference speakers proof of the changing face of modern agriculture

Manitoba Farm Women’s Conference showcases how factors such as the local food movement, new entrants, and women’s changing roles are bringing a new excitement to farming

When Leona Dargis and her four sisters chose to continue to farm after their parents’ death five years ago, they knew they were breaking with convention. The girls, then ranging in age from 15 to 22, were orphaned when a small plane piloted by their father Jean and carrying their mother Joanne crashed Aug. 12,


Farm building plans available online

The Canada Plan Service is a co-operative provincial network of agricultural engineers, design draftspersons and livestock specialists. It is concerned with the planning, design and construction of modern farm buildings to serve the needs of Canadian agriculture. Each provincial Department of Agriculture has engineers and other extension specialists who work with farmers who request help

A stone’s throw away: International students come to the Interlake

Young agriculturalists travel across the ocean and half a 
continent to gain first-hand farm experience

Debra Gilson makes cookies on a kitchen counter in her busy home, while three smiling young adults gather around the table, one shouting “Grandma” when her mother-in-law Rlee Gilson walks into the house. If it wasn’t for the distinctly foreign accents, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was just one big farm family, but in