Opinion: Does soil health pay the bills?

Opinion: Does soil health pay the bills?

The answer to that simple question is very complex, recent research shows

Glacier FarmMedia – Farmers are under tremendous pressure these days to factor soil health into their management decisions. While there are lots of opinions about the benefits of healthy soils to the environment and society in general, it’s not always clear what’s in it for the farmer. Building soil health, often referred to as regenerative […] Read more

Farm family coach Elaine Froese says identifying values is a crucial exercise for young farmers and she encourages them to think about how to explain these to the older generation.

Top transition tips for young farmers

How the next generation can help farm transition be successful

Transitioning management and ownership of a farm business from one generation to the next can present many challenges. While there are numerous resources to support farm founders in assessing their business and planning their transition into retirement, not many advise young farmers on how they should prepare. Elaine Froese, a farmer from southern Manitoba who […] Read more

(Conservis.ag)

Telus, Rabobank ag arms buy into farm data aggregator

Companies join in on deal for Minneapolis-based Conservis

The agriculture arms of one of Canada’s major telecoms providers and a major Dutch bank and financial services firm are taking a stake in a tech firm in the business of gathering on-farm data into a single window. Telus Agriculture and Rabo AgriFinance, which is headquartered in St. Louis and serves U.S. farm customers, announced […] Read more

Satellite imagery is one level of data used by most digital crop tools.

Picking the right digital tool

Have specific goals in mind – and be prepared to make new ones

There are a lot of digital farm management tools out there. Which one should you buy into? Why it matters: The number and capability of agronomic and farm business management tools is large and diverse, but they cost money. Knowing which best matches your goals and farm will bring a better return on investment.  From […] Read more

(Photo: Reuters/Chris Wattie)

Telus’ farm and food sector acquisitions take new shape

Canadian telco giant launches new Telus Agriculture unit

Canadian telco and info tech giant Telus has consolidated its recent — and ongoing — acquisitions in farm tech, ag data management and supply chain management into a single new business unit. The Vancouver company, one of Canada’s “big five” telecommunications firms, on Thursday formally launched Telus Agriculture, billed as “a new business unit dedicated […] Read more


Farm business plans could help farmers through trying times such as COVID-19, said Canada’s Digital Farm Show panelists including Heather Watson, Rob Hannam and Reg Dyck. The discussion was led by Tom Button of Country Guide.

Do you really need to write it down?  

Business plans aren’t real until they’re recorded and shared 

Farm business plans could be one of the tools to help farmers get through the pandemic instability of 2020. “COVID-19 has given us a year where we can see the benefits that business planning can bring,” said Tom Button, Editor of Country Guide during a round table discussion with three other panelists during last month’s […] Read more

(Jevtic/iStock/Getty Images)

Report links business management, mental health of farmers

Farm women, young farmers report higher levels of stress, difficulties coping

Ottawa — A new report from Farm Management Canada (FMC) calls for action after determining 75 per cent of Canadian farmers reported being moderately to highly stressed about unpredictable interference, workload pressure and financial pressures. But how a farmer plans his or her business — and associated risks — can help lower that statistic. The […] Read more

Equipment and labour costs are often the differentiator between higher and lower profitability grain farms.

Comparing farms highlights vulnerabilities

Benchmarking report identifies significant profitability differences among dairy and grain farms

Variations in debt load and per-acre profitability highlight vulnerabilities in Ontario’s dairy and crop sectors, according to the latest benchmarking report from BDO Canada. However, representatives from the financial firm say the data also gives farmers an opportunity to improve risk management, as well as their cost-to-profit ratio. Why it matters: Understanding your farm’s profitability […] Read more


Understanding finances will be key for farmers in order to get through 2020.

Editorial: Farm management will be critical in 2020

Farmers should be able to get their crops planted this spring, although there are some challenges in the fruit and vegetables sector. We’re due for a decent growing year and hopefully this is one. The year will be a much bigger challenge from a management perspective. In farming there are many factors to be managed, […] Read more

(CervusEquipment.com)

Cervus to expand Saskatchewan reach

Deere chain announces Nipawin shop, Farm At Hand tie-in

Deere farm equipment dealer chain Cervus Equipment is set to expand its reach in northeastern Saskatchewan next month. Calgary-based Cervus — which operates 21 Deere dealerships in Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia along with 42 other machinery dealerships in Canada, Australia and New Zealand — announced Thursday it plans to have a new dealership open […] Read more