Wild weather, roller-coaster markets and the never-ending onslaught of pests and diseases not exciting enough for you? Steven Snider has a suggestion. “If you think growing crops is challenging, try doing it without chemicals,” says the 44-year-old Alberta grain farmer. Snider has spent his career doing just that, and that’s no small feat. It’s estimated […] Read more
Stories by Glenn Cheater
Do what is necessary to gain a competitive edge
It might be a good idea to increase your production costs next year. As silly as that sounds, it could be a smart move if it boosts profitability. It’s a fine line. Most producers spend serious cash to maximize profits, but some seek to invest even more on the latest innovations to gain an edge. […] Read more
Meeting others’ needs can have broad effects
If you had wandered into Philip Short’s kitchen a few years ago, you would have seen piles of homemade packages. “For three years, our kitchen was full of packaging,” says the farmer, wholesaler, and retailer of tender fruit from Vineland Station, Ont. “I was constantly designing fruit packaging. If I thought it had some merit, […] Read more
Celiac sufferer’s plan to develop tasty food creates business
Failure was never an option for Brenda vanDuinkerken. Eleven years ago, the Prince Edward Island businessperson set out to do what many before had tried, and failed, to accomplish: create tasty gluten-free food. She succeeded, and the story of Duinkerken Foods shows what can be accomplished with determination and a strong business plan. VanDuinkerken was […] Read more
Producers must be open to change
Anyone making a living farming today is a successful businessperson. Being good at production isn’t enough. You must innovate and adopt new technology, improve efficiency and manage budgets and risks on a scale unimaginable even a couple of decades ago. The danger is that it’s easy to become complacent. In a rapidly changing world, sticking […] Read more
Crazy ideas can lead to great things
In 2001, Serge Auray was watching a report on Britain’s foot-and-mouth outbreak, a horrific crisis in which 10 million sheep and cows were culled and then burned on pastures they once grazed. “I’m watching this and I say to my wife, ‘we can visit the moon but we can’t prevent the spread of this disease. […] Read more
Bouncing back from inevitable setbacks and discouragement
John Picard’s early entrepreneurial career wasn’t exactly a bowl of cherries. Rather, it was one disheartening setback after another. Picard’s father, Jim, was a Canadian peanut pioneer when he began growing them on his corn and soybean farm near La Salette, Ont., in 1979 with the idea of selling to big processors. The Picards eventually […] Read more
Videos: seeing is believing, which leads to learning, buying
Here’s a little marketing test: consider the story of Ontario farmer Jason Persall and his YouTube channel and see if it makes sense to you. It’s been a decade since the soybean and grain producer started his line of cold-pressed soy and canola oil sold under the Pristine Gourmet brand. Creating Pristine Gourmet oil demanded […] Read more
Hard work required before business a success
It’s hard not to be inspired by the “wow, that’s amazing” story of John Rowe and his invention: pure, non-sticky honey in solid form. It’s particularly inspiring when you hear the story behind the story. The first story goes like this: Rowe is backpacking in British Columbia when he discovers that a jar of honey […] Read more
Resting on laurels can be a hazardous practice
You work hard, achieve success and then kick back and enjoy the fruits of your labour, right? That’s a dangerous attitude in any business, but especially if you make a living selling a commodity. Just ask Derek and Earl McLaren, two farm boys turned green industrialists who have made change a full-time occupation. The brothers […] Read more
