Canada’s farmland values climbed in spite of impacts from pandemic supply chain disruptions and adverse weather that affected parts of the country, as Farm Credit Canada’s (FCC) Farmland Values Report showed an 8.3% national average increase in 2021.

Many farms and farmers in Canada share the same goal: to see their farm transfer successfully to the next generation so they may reap and improve upon the benefits of the farming business built up through decades of hard work and dedication.

“Cyberattack” and “cybersecurity” are terms that are no strangers to the corporate world. But more recently, they’ve become more familiar – sometimes with fear – in agriculture and food processing sectors.

When a person considers business, estate and succession planning, the big items at the top of their mind may include things like a will or an operating agreement.

This year is relatively unique for wheat calves. Very little wheat is available on the Southern Plains. Even where irrigated wheat has come up, the current value of wheat sent many winter stocker calves through the sale barn relatively early this year.

Susan Forward, author of Emotional Blackmail, gave me a key phrase for coaching that is life-changing: Where is it written … (insert issue)? As a farm family coach who is currently in her third succession/transition journey, I would like to challenge you with “Where is it written that transition planning has to be tough?”

The “hurry up and get it done” mindset is ingrained in most people on the farm. We tend to be in a hurry and often don’t take the time for safety.

The past two years have made it difficult to get excited about anything. Cancellations, closures and restrictions have impacted all of us in one way or another, but the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic have not been all bad.

A job report at the beginning of 2022 estimated about 200,000 people found jobs – about half what we expected. At the same time, the unemployment rate fell. This result means fewer people are now working or looking for work. This unusual circumstance is being called “The Great Resignation.”