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When Ben Sterk took his earnings from the oil fields in Alberta to start a dairy farm in Embro, Ontario, with 35 cows, he could see the potential. Thirty years later, Sterkholm Farms Ltd. now encompasses 350 cows on two dairies with 1,900 acres, a veal operation, a custom field work business and a seed company.
As the dairy industry embraces automation, there is a shift to move calves indoors rather than house them outside in hutches. When moving calves into calf rooms or barns, the first question should be whether calves will be housed in groups with automated feeders or in individual pens with traditional nipple bottles.
As my schedule allows, I occasionally spend an afternoon in my daughter’s classroom. Our school system encourages parental involvement, for the time being my children like having Mom around, and I enjoy seeing where my child spends a good portion of her time.
Only 30 percent of family businesses survive the transition to the second generation. The odds of getting to a third are a tiny 13 percent (hence “shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations”). And yet, family business outperforms non-family business at almost every level.
“We wish parents understood” was part of the Twitter feed from young farmers attending the AgExcellence Conference held in Regina, Saskatchewan, in November.
Here is the list of the items they wish parents understood:
Automated activity monitoring systems are now the backbone of many herd reproductive management systems. This technology is helping herds achieve reproductive results that seemed impossible only a decade ago.
Patrick Bos’ family has owned the farm he operates in Ponoka, Alberta, for 47 years. It was a dairy farm until Patrick was 5 years old and the cows were sold. They were replaced by beef cattle and grain crops.
Challenges: They’re unavoidable in any business. While they can lead to exciting, successful growth, they can also result in the unfortunate sudden downturn of a business. What is the difference between these two outcomes? Mindset.
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