Farm Family Coach Insights

Seeds of encouragement for success in farm transition

This book gathers wisdom to help your farm family with relationships, communication, team operations, transition, succession planning, and building healthy habits. Elaine’s collection of short essays is full of practical tools based on her life as a farm partner, certified coach, and seasoned listener. With encouragement, and sometimes tough love, this book will help you find harmony through understanding.

Here’s the Table of Contents for Farm Family Coach Insights:

Relationships:

How to help farming fathers be really happy
Marrying into the farm
Managing brotherly conflict
Conflict resolution between farming siblings (especially brothers)
6 Important roles for farm women and how to rejuvenate them
Farm moms…the important lessons she has taught you
10 things farm moms really want
Ways to increase the cherish factor with the ones you love
2 x 2 couples retreat: 10 reasons to do it
Managing your marriage in the muck
How to build a strong relationship, marriage fitness for farm couples
Creating a firewall against divorce on the farm
How to ‘be there’ amidst grief and loss on the farm
What really matters after 40 years
The importance of being present for grandchildren
When silent nights do not bring peace to the farm

Communication:

How to achieve clear and concise communication on the farm
9 steps to getting more harmony on the farm
How to have better communication with your farm lawyer
How to say ‘sorry’ at harvest
How to have better communication with farm employees
Who needs to have a voice at farm meetings ?
How to get tough and tender conversations started
Getting smart with your smart phone
Having the safety talk on your farm

Teams and Operations:

How profanity is hurting your employees and your farm
The farm workaholic: 7 reality checks and a subscription to making change
Managing a happier harvest
Are you a farm wife, feminist or both?
Plugging the combine is a great metaphor for resistance
Hire the right people tips from Donald Cooper
How to handle abusive behaviours on your farm
6 tips for emotional agility during the harvest season
8 essential steps for firing a farm child off the farm

Planning:

Farm widow savvy : preparing for the unfortunate
Planning your legacy life binder and the ultimate fruitcake
Farm women: saying goodbye to money issues by identifying your money scripts
Taking control of your financial destiny: why?
Get unstuck: the power of a heartfelt letter
How to be prepared for planning your farm legacy
What steps are you taking to protect your farm legacy?
Top tips for producing in times of economic reset from Dr. Kohl
How to write a will joyfully
Preparing your funeral: why it’s important for you and your loves ones
Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in 3 Generations: the financial future of your farm

Transition/Succession:

Letting go of the proverbial carrot: 8 ways to move towards your succession plan
How to tell non-farming children they aren’t getting a raw deal
How to know when it is time to change advisors
Grooming your next generation of farmers
The farmland dilemma: the siblings who don’t farm are getting farmland !
Grandpa, do you want to finish well ?
Which shade of control is blocking your farm transition?
Finding the power to take action
8 Positive succession seeds to plant
How to help dad emotionally when it is time to quit farming
Why founding fathers are hanging on and how to help them let go.
Love does not read minds: finding fairness in farm transition
The father factor in farming
Challenging the unwritten farm rules
Giving gifts of farm assets with warm hands
Spoiled farm children and farm succession: how to stop the temper tantrums
Transitioning with harmony—how to stop parents fighting.

Healthy Habits:

Dealing with depression…lessons from the quiet chair
Many methods of merriment and memories this summer
Making your own contentment on the farm
How to develop stress resiliency on the farm
If I’d only known the beauty of the ordinary
Being thankful-even when it is hard
Be grateful
Happy Christmas in the country
The power of a grateful heart
Relaxation …why it is important to you and your farm
11 ways to be self-renewing on the farm this year
Embrace love and let go of loneliness

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As Seen In

Rave reviews

“A joy to work with, heard loud and clear. When the farmers laughed or asked a great question, I knew they were listening and really wanted to learn from her. Her tips were easy to understand. It was just about understanding that conflict happens, and to have the confidence in yourself to ask for what you want. In the glowing review from farmers after her presentation, I knew they had heard that loud and clear.”

Maddy Berner, Event Planner & Communications Coordinator, National Milk Producers Federation National Milk Producers Federation

“I wanted to say a HUGE thank you for your virtual kitchen table chat with Arlan Academy. My wife and I signed up as it was exceptionally relevant to our current journey with potentially transitioning to her parents’ farm. The session was able to cover so many aspects of these crucial conversations and hearing you speak to both sides of the conversation was eye opening for my own perspective on this topic. It seemed to be very well attended and sounded like there were many other people who would echo my thoughts and feelings on it.”

N. Oakley, Farmer, Ontario

“Elaine helped me allocate $1 Million of assets the night I listened to her. Elaine’s presentation brings value to the use of my services in my office.”

Don Forbes, Forbes Wealth Management

“I recently joined in and listened to your Healthy Farmer Agriwebinar for FMC. I truly enjoyed hearing your perspective and even went and grabbed my Mom, away from her work, to come and listen in on some of your main points as well! One area that really stood out for me, both personally with our own succession plans and with our clients, was your discussion involving "Instant Influence" and how ready are you to change? I loved this concept!”

Annessa Good, FCC Transition Specialist, Alberta

“Elaine Froese truly is the Farm Whisperer. With her big heart and stern resolve, she guides families through uncharted waters and helps them arrive safely at their desired destination. She has been there, done that, and has helped hundreds of families come out on the other side. With your family and your farm legacy on the line, you owe it to yourself to start this conversation. You do not need to do it alone. Let Elaine Froese guide you through. Your legacy is being written day by day. How will you be remembered?”

Tracy Brunet, Host of The Impact Farming Show & CEO of Farm Marketer

“You speak like you’ve been sitting at our kitchen table! You know our family issues well. I am feeling more comfortable understanding what we now need to do. Elaine Froese is real.”

Audience Member,

“I attended the meeting you spoke at in Stratford Ontario recently. We held an emergency family/farm meeting today because of issues that I had enough of. We used a 'talking stick' like you recommended and wrote a chart of rules. The rest of the family thought the idea that we needed a meeting was worth rolling their eyes over, until we got started. The younger ones were quick to clue in that they now have an opportunity to be bluntly honest. The older ones took a bit longer to believe they could truly say what they think. In the end, the meeting needed two sessions because there was so much to talk about… and so many things people didn't realize were a big deal to the others. Your lessons and encouragement have given us the tools we need to get to a better place in our relationships and our business. Truly thankful.”

Kim Martin, Dairy Farmer, Ontario

“Helped me develop my framework to start having constructive and meaningful conversations around the farm.”

Tennille Wakefield, Farm Partner

“Some great lessons, Elaine! You continue to do some remarkable and potentially life-changing work.”

James Mitchell, Principal, Conversations Consulting

“Our family had a good farm meeting yesterday afternoon. Your Fairness video was a great topic of discussion. One of the action items after the meeting was to have my two non-farming siblings watch the video before the next big meeting they are involved with on the farm. It will be a great conversation starter as we catch them up on our current plan. As they are younger, we also hope it will help them to ask new questions that may not have been on their mind.”

G.G., Farm Family Legacy Coach, Alberta

“Elaine gives me excellent tools that help me work with my clients!”

Laurianne Osmack, Financial Planner / Partner, Doell Osmak Wealth Management

“She has a sense of “knowing” quickly what is happening in the family dynamic. Her messages to her audiences drive home what needs to be done next to solve the complex issues of farm transition and conflict resolution.”

Audience Member,

“Eye-opening. Excited to open the door of communication with my spouse and farm family.”

Ashley Hoppe, Farm Partner

“The Strong Farms, Strong Families session gave farm families an opportunity to meet face to face with Elaine Froese... hear her own story, experiences and skill set. From this information packed session and related materials, families could identify areas of success in their journey and other places they need assistance. The greatest take away was that participants could see that Elaine Froese is someone they can trust with the things that they hold most precious.... their family and their farm.”

Nancy Atkinson, Nobleford Ag Society, Alberta

“Elaine’s real-life scenarios help her audiences know they are not alone, knowing there are creative solutions to help them get the life on the farm they have always wanted.”

Audience Member,

“A long time female client who had refined the art of procrastination was so moved by the end of your presentation that she accepted your permission to “drop the bananas.” She contacted me soon after for an appointment to do some planning which included the selling of the family “Century Farm.” A very, very emotional decision on her part that was not likely to have occurred without your presentation.”

Don Forbes, Forbes Wealthy Management

“I just have to say… that your work is amazing and I have never forgotten your teachings from our session in Williams Lake at TRU. It is super important work. I know so many people going through the trauma of succession. I hate to use that word, but I was an “out-law” and know it can get terrible. I continue to forward your emails on to others. Keep doing what you do! You are amazing. You kind of walk into the fire regularly… and with a smile. Proud to have met you.”

Megan, BC Rancher

“As my husband and I eagerly started the course we were optimistic and excited to be taking this next step in our Farm Transition. We were starting to question ourselves and whether or not we were just being selfish and greedy, and if this Farm Transition was still an option for us. We barely got through the first Module and were already having such a huge relief. As we moved through the modulus there were so many times that we just sat back with our hands in the air and thought YES. My husband and I would smile with relief because all of the concerns that we have been struggling with were relevant and came up in the modules. We really enjoyed the course and are excited to move on to the next stages to find our farm resolution.”

Shannon Gilchrist, “Get Farm Transition Unstuck” online course participant

“My hubby farms with 2 brothers and parents, and it’s become a really toxic place. No communication, no respect, etc. Twelve months ago, my husband’s brothers told him they don’t want to work with him anymore and offered him a pay out. His parents did nothing to stop it! He had no choice but to leave. Three months later, we moved off the farm and into town. He has been offered heaps of jobs and is now truck driving and carting hay and grain. We have tried communicating with his parents about what happened but they are not interested. So basically my hubby has lost his family. Very sad but we as husband and wife are overall in a good place and moving on to create our own life. Please continue on with all your wonderful work in helping families on the farm. I continue to tell any farmers I know about you, that they must ‘google’ you, and read your books.”

Donna, Farmer, Australia

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+1-204-534-7466 | elaine(at)elainefroese.com

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