Imagine going to a farm conference where everybody was upbeat and optimistic. Wouldn’t you step back and check the sign at the door to make sure you were in the right room? Isn’t farming a perpetual story of doom and gloom? Isn’t “ain’t it awful” the byword of all farm conversations? Isn’t it true that […] Read more
Stories by Noel McNaughton
Walk side-by-side to talk heart-to-heart – Ranching After 50
A while back I got a call from a woman, who I’ll call Shirley, wondering why her husband wouldn’t share his feelings with her about their situation. They could have normal conversations about the kids and things around the farm, she said, but when it came to talking about their future or how they were […] Read more
Midlife is when feelings arise Ñ and that’s good – Ranching After 50
A common symptom of midlife in men is to become more emotional. Men who have felt little emotion for years suddenly find themselves moved to tears at movies or find a lump in their throat when thinking about their children or grandchildren or even the condition of the earth. A 50-year-old friend confided recently that […] Read more
Are you depressed and don’t know it?
When Ted (not his real name), who ranches in southern Alberta, was in his early 50s, he started “feeling cornered” by external circumstances. He couldn’t even make a decision about what to do on the ranch. He said if he had two things to do on a given day, he couldn’t figure out which one […] Read more
What will you do with your $100,000 inheritance?
Statistics keepers say the average middle-aged North American will inherit $100,000 in the next 20 years. Many will spend it on anything from the big trip they have dreamed of taking to a pair of chromed-up Harley bikes to adding a sunroom on the house. When we were young, $100,000 was a lot of bread. […] Read more
What’s your dream?
I have read that middle age is when you start counting the number of years you have left. I have also read that men in their 50s are more conscious of, and worried about, the time they have left than men in their 60s, 70s and beyond. It is as though some internal mechanism is […] Read more
How to get what you want from life – Ranching After 50
As a personal and business coach, I have worked with many farm and ranch couples to help them figure out how to get what they want from their ranch life. Usually men want to concentrate on how to streamline production and organize cash flow. These are important, but often not the best places to start. […] Read more
Do you want government deciding what to do with your ranch? – Ranching after 50
Cal Brandley, a former solicitor with Alberta Agriculture, counselled hundreds of farm families on legal matters. One of the issues he pushed hardest was the need for a will. “Here’s a typical scenario,” he told me one time. “A son has been working with his father on the home farm or ranch for a number […] Read more
Woo your wife with a conversation about money – Ranching after 50
A few years ago I was speaking at a farm conference and a friend of mine was leading a session for women on how to deal with stress. I had finished my presentation, so I sat in on hers. It was an eye-opener. She asked for a show of hands of how many of the […] Read more
Ranchers should ask themselves: ‘Are you cowed out?’ – Ranching after 50
Many ranchers who hit middle age get to a point where they can hardly stand to look after cattle for another day. I have heard it called being cowed out. Some friends told me about a ranching couple that used to talk about divorce sometimes when they had a fight, but they don’t now because […] Read more
