Policy changes needed to help Canadian farms remain financially competitive

I call myself a recovering accountant. I joke about it, but I do love numbers. Numbers don’t lie. As much as I have a soft spot for a family farm and building a legacy for my children, it always comes down to the financial statements.…

Hebert Group launches Farmer Coach

A recurring theme in many of my blog posts is collaboration. We are stronger together than we are alone. For too long, the mindset of farmers has been that they must go at it alone. We often refer to it as  “rugged individualism” - the…
Kristjan and his son in field at their farm in Moosomin, SK.

Telling the real story behind Canadian agriculture

It has been great to finally get back to in-person events. Recently, I was invited to speak at the Globe and Mail’s Sustainable Agriculture event about my vision of the farm of tomorrow. I’ve linked the presentation and the event videos…

Will carbon pricing mean an increase in farm income?

As the federal government gets ready to increase the carbon tax on April 1st, we are hearing a lot from Canadians, including farmers. And, rightly so. As farmers, we view the carbon tax as a direct hit to our bottom line. But, I’m not writing…

Running a successful farming operation: Myths vs Facts

I can't tell you how many times I've heard these sayings and phrases from people I meet while doing business, traveling and speaking at agriculture events in Canada and the U.S. We've heard them for so many years, some of us foolishly believe…

Delicate balance: a new approach to fertilizer use in Canada

It’s an important time in Canadian agriculture. A pandemic and the war in Ukraine have proven to many just how important our domestic food supply is. Farmers are being asked to ramp up production, supply more food for our growing population,…

How much do you ACTUALLY know about your soil?

People always ask me how much I know about the soil on our farm, and my answer is: I know more with every passing year. Together, Dad and I have farmed about 50 crops since 1978 and, over the last five years, we are finally starting to understand…

Family farms still need to focus on culture

As we approach Family Day Weekend in many provinces, it seems to be a great time to talk a bit about family and farm culture. Like many, we run a family farm in Saskatchewan. It was started by my grandfather and then taken over by my dad,…

First Canola, what next? Expanding Canada’s value added processing industry

There was another positive announcement for Canada’s agriculture industry recently. As Canada’s (maybe even North America’s) largest canola producer, it makes sense that Saskatchewan is becoming a central hub for canola crush facilities. The…

Where Canada’s ag tech industry should focus and why

When John Deere recently unveiled its first autonomous tractor, Twitter lit up with comments from farmers, tech enthusiasts and everyone in between. Tweets ranged from those who believe it will dramatically help with labour shortages and be…

Ag tech companies must consider the financial concerns of farmers

As an advisor with Emmertech, a Saskatchewan-based ag-tech accelerator and venture fund, I get to see the latest ideas and proposed solutions entrepreneurs are pitching to industry. It’s exciting to see companies from all across Canada vying…

Mental Health Awareness in Ag #DoMoreAg #BellLetsTalk

Kristjan discusses the importance of mental health awareness in the industry with The Do More Agriculture Foundation, a non-profit with a mission to create a culture in Ag where all producers are encouraged/empowered/supported to take care…