Grainews Articles

LISTEN TO FARMERS’ TRUE NEEDS

Friday, January 13th, 2012

Financial planners can be intimidating and some don’t understand what our true needs are.
We need help. Our family is large and some actively involved and others not, yet everyone feels like they have an inherited right to the farm’s assets.
We need help to seek more financial management training so we can better manage our farm’s finances and ensure a smoother transition of the farm’s affairs to our children when they take over.

Asking for help from an advisor is an uncomfortable task for many farm families. There is a huge issue around trust and performance. Can I trust the person to really know what they are talking about? Will they follow-through in a timely manner and really listen to what I want? Continue reading LISTEN TO FARMERS’ TRUE NEEDS »

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Why Should I Be a Better Listener?

Saturday, November 5th, 2011

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 ?

US farm journalist John Phipps said his business generated more income when he used the tool. The top-shelf farmers in over 6 states who were studied by Virginia Tech Grad students became 21% more profitable with regular farm business meetings.

What is it? Continue reading Why Should I Be a Better Listener? »

Tags: Communication
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Don’t Even Think About Not Dating Your Mate

Saturday, November 5th, 2011

This past August as I was celebrating my sister’s milestone birthday in New York City I came across the parking sign which read “Don’t even THINK of parking here ! “

That pretty much sums up the attitude of folks in the “Big Apple”. In the past year I’ve met with some disappointed men and women who are committed to their marriages, but can’t think of ways to get their relationships humming along again.

Marriage stress that pervades farm stress is not fun. Continue reading Don’t Even Think About Not Dating Your Mate »

Tags: Communication, family, making time to connect
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Why Farmers Love Carrots

Friday, October 7th, 2011

Tomorrow at the farmer’s market I hope to find some garden fresh carrots, seeing how my garden this year is one big patch of compost. Farmers love carrots don’t you know? They dangle one for years in front of the next generation, so to keep the young folks guessing when they will become part-owners, and have their dreams turn into reality.

“The proverbial carrot that Dad is holding out is really getting me down” says the young dairy farmer. “ He can’t see our 10 years here as commitment. We don’t have the pride of ownership so my spouse refuses to do any work on the house yard.”

Yes, farmers love carrots and they hate to think about letting go of their managerial roles, and ownership. They wear the badge of honour “ I am a farmer, I will never retire” with pride. Continue reading Why Farmers Love Carrots »

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11 Tips to Stay Renewed

Monday, August 15th, 2011

I wish I had gone to bed earlier last night instead of filing emails until midnight. I should know better since I need to get a really good sleep to stay on top of the daily demands of the farm. Vacuuming 4 shop vacs of water out of our water-logged basement this morning only reminded me to be thankful for the dry years.

I have no idea what kind of summer you are having. It might be scorching hot and dry on your farm, or you might be having a forced sabbatical year like us. Very few acres to harvest, only 10% of our land got seeded.

Regardless of your external circumstances, as your coach via this column I have the Hudson Institute’s 11 tips for staying power: ways to be self-renewing: Continue reading 11 Tips to Stay Renewed »

Tags: Farming Culture, healthy living, inspiration, making time to connect
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