Glenn Cheater

As the new century dawned, Bill Nightingale Sr. should have been one happy guy. Twenty years of relentless innovation had paid off. Nightingale Farms had been transformed by his early adoption of technologies, such as drip irrigation and plasticulture. Three million pounds of vegetables and fruits were grown, graded and packed annually at the farm, […] Read more

Fishing resorts rarely have much in common with agriculture, but farmers could learn a lesson from the Queen Charlotte Lodge. Paul Clough bought the lodge in 1999 after a successful career as head of Impark, the giant parking lot operator. “I had nearly 40 years in business and a pretty good sense of how one […] Read more

Martock Glen Farm is the kind of operation that small-is-beautiful, eat-local urban residents rhapsodize about. The central Nova Scotia farm’s rolling hills, apple orchards and exotic animals make for a picturesque setting. It’s a bit like Old MacDonald’s farm, only with emus, elk and yaks. That, along with the high quality of its meat, has […] Read more

This should be a banner year for grain farmers, but many are spending their profits even before they’re made, driving up land prices and backing up orders for new tractors and combines into 2009. “Many of us have been through this before, and every single time we go out and buy a bunch of stuff,” […] Read more

Organic and local food are hot these days, so it’s no surprise that business is brisk at Small Potatoes Urban Delivery, a Vancouver company that’s working both those themes. Actually, explosive would be a better word to describe the company’s business these days. Better known as SPUD, it started a decade ago with four employees. […] Read more

Whether you’re selling sausages or strawberry jam, potted plants or country crafts, honey or herbs – you strive to have the best product. After all, that’s what every discerning consumer is looking for, right? These days, not so much. Increasingly, shoppers are looking for the “new best.” The ability to create new premium products has […] Read more

Wander into Spitz International’s sunflower seed processing plant in Bow Island, Alta., at quitting time on a Thursday and you might find yourself in the midst of joyous bedlam. One of the quirks of founders Tom and Emmy Droog is the habit of handing out $100 bills to every worker when a production record is […] Read more

When just about everyone is losing money, which happens in every sector of agriculture at one time or another, it’s easy to lose faith. It’s a rare person who has the acumen and nerve to turn bad times into an opportunity. Glenn Cooke is one such person. Twenty-two years ago, he was fresh out of […] Read more

A commodity is a mass-produced unspecialized product, which is why commodity producers are price-takers. Superior quality garners a bit of a premium, but at the end of the day producers either sell their commodity grain, livestock, fruits and vegetables at the world price or watch their buyers go elsewhere. So imagine selling corrugated boxes, which […] Read more

Ever dreamed of doing something completely different on your farm – and then told yourself, “Don’t be a fool, stick with what you know?” Petra Cooper had that dream. She was once a big-time corporate executive. Today, she’s running an artisan cheese plant near tiny Picton in Ontario’s picturesque Prince Edward County. Of course, this […] Read more