youth farmer conference

Young farmers discuss taking the farm to the next generation

Fourth- and fifth-generation farmers discuss the challenges of developing 
a succession plan and taking over the family business

More than 100 young producers gathered here for the Manitoba Young Farmers conference late last month. Succession planning, connecting with consumers and financial risk management were among the topics for the fifth annual conference organized by the Keystone Agricultural Producers young farmers’ committee and Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (MAFRD). “We have had a

women standing in a field

Annual conference highlights female farmer strength, capability

Manitoba Farm Women’s conference features speakers from near and far

When Beth Connery’s husband died suddenly in the summer of 2012, through the grief, she still had to think about the harvest. She asked her kids if they wanted to continue farming and they said yes. So the family got to work. “The reality of a farm, especially in summer, is that there is a


Shannon VanRaes

Kids shouldn’t be left to cover Mom and Pop’s tax bill

Succession planning is complicated, but with professionalism and respect, 
equity can be transferred before anyone needs to actually buy the farm

Young agriculturists looking to return to the family farm will face challenges — high input costs, soaring land prices, labour shortages and transportation concerns, just to name a few. But the biggest challenge for many fresh-faced farmers is how to work with their parents to establish a succession plan, said Cedric MacLeod, of the New