This is a very celebratory time of the year. Fields are being planted, which gives us the opportunity to celebrate a new season and cycle of growth. Just a few weeks ago we celebrated and honored our farm mothers on Mother’s Day. And in just a few days (Sunday, June 18, 2017) we’ll be celebrating Father’s Day and paying […]
Making #Plant17 Successful by Getting Smart with Your Smart Phone
Spring planting 2017 (#plant17) is going to be interesting. That hashtag is “Greek” to the stubborn farmers who refuse to text. Don’t even think about teaching them how to tweet! Cell phones have been dubbed “smartphones,” but sometimes the way folks are addicted to them causes dumb problems. I’ve read 3 articles that suggest that […]
Celebrating the Many Roles of the Farm Mother this Mother’s Day
The Farm Mother. She may be your mother or mother-in-law, your wife, your sister or sister-in-law, your daughter or daughter-in-law. Or perhaps she is you. Regardless, this Sunday, May 14th is Mother’s Day and the chance for all of us to take the time to celebrate the mothers in our lives and the many roles […]
How to be Prepared for Planning Your Farm Legacy
Farmers often stop me in the hall of conferences to ask deeper questions that are keeping them awake at night. The most common question is “Elaine, how do we even get people to the table to talk about the farm legacy? My parents are refusing to talk, and my grandparents are even more stubborn!” Farm […]
How to Handle Abrasive Behavior on Your Farm
I soaked up the seminar “Dealing with Abusive Behavior at Work” led by Dave McNaughton, an HR specialist from Winnipeg. Dave referred to Dr. Stephen Hart’s video from the Proactive Resolutions company. You have to love the idea of being proactive rather than reactive to bad behavior in the workplace. Give everyone a safe environment […]
Who’s at Your Farm Easter Table?
Watching the snow fly and hearing the wind howl is great motivation to have visions of Easter bread, tulips, lilies, and folks gathered to celebrate. I have written about Easter at least 20 times in the past 22 years. What more can I say? I attended a gathering last weekend where we were reminded again […]
Hiring the Right People and Winning the Talent War: Tips from Donald Cooper
My speaking colleague Donald Cooper recently presented Eight Essential Steps to Attracting, Engaging and Leading a Top-Performing Team at the Farm Tech 2017 conference in Edmonton. I appreciate Donald who, at age 75, has decades of business and life experience for creating a better culture on our farms. We hate to lose money as farmers, but […]
10 Things Millennial Farmers Want
I remember an article in a copy of Fast Company I picked up a few years back, that was describing “millennials,” the people in the workforce who were born after 1978. There were several insights about what made millennials tick, so I extrapolated what millennial farmers might want to see happen for them. I also […]
Tools and Tips for Strengthening In-Law Relationships
Over the years I have spoken quite a bit about in-law relationships on the farm, mostly because they can often be some of the most difficult when it comes to communication. As a farm family grows, however, these are some of the most important relationships to nurture, so working through any miscommunication and difficulties is […]
How to ‘Be There’ When Grief and Loss Overcome the Farm
A young professor Marsha Harris from Brandon University speaks softly to a group of mostly over 60 women explaining the keys to a truly lasting relationship. She tells us that most people just want their lovers to answer one question: Are You Really There for Me? Let that one sit for a moment. In what […]
