Can you be the hired man again?

One of the tricks of a great farm succession is the ability of the founder to let go of management, and ultimately ownership. There are many 60 something and 70 something farm dads on the bald prairie that just don’t know how to change from being the main manager to...

Why should I be a better listener?

What if I showed you a free tool that you could implement today that would have the potential to make your farm 21% more profitable, without spending a dime? This tool was used by US farm journalist John Phipps and he said his business generated more income as a...

Pay attention to the silence

Quiet time to yourself can be golden, but the silence of avoidance and fear can be devastating to a farm or relationship. Pay attention to what you don’t hear. A now-grown farm kid has eyes that light up when he talks of “how great is it to be out there on the...

Planting the seed of hope… again

March 2010 marks my 15th anniversary of writing for Grainews. Marie Salway passed away on March 15th, 1995. Marie had written the Butter Side Up column in this paper for over 17 years and she asked me to take her space. I can still remember thinking, “Wow, 17 years is...

Cultivating great farm root stories

At January’s Farm Tech 2010 in Edmonton we were treated to a very heartfelt portrayal of thankfulness from a Newfoundlander who was grateful for prairie farmers. Rex Murphy, host of Cross Country Check-up was the guest story-teller on the podium. He admitted he was...