But it should be.

“If you guys (at 25 years old or younger), put $100 a month away until you’re 65 … you’re going to have well over a million dollars,” Judy Bray, a financial adviser at Edward Jones, said during the Saskatchewan Young Ag Entrepreneurs conference.

These high earnings come from compound interest when the dollars are placed in a high-interest saving account, but the earnings will drop to less than half if the investor waits until they’re between 26 and 35 years old.

Starting investments young is of growing consequence as Canadian life expectancy increases, with the average now at least 20 years later than the retirement age of 65.

“If you pull your money out when you retire and you don’t have it invested according to risk tolerance and all that fun stuff, you don’t have it invested, there is no way that money is going to last you,” Bray said.

Often, young farmers or those looking to get their start in agriculture are focussed on taking on land, purchasing equipment and growing livestock numbers. These farm elements are future earnings, but first there’s debt and a financial risk.

Bray said a balance needs to be struck between risks taken and financial goals. To do so, there are a few main pieces to talk through.

Map out your field

The first is determining personal values and goals to establish a plan of savings and investing to provide reward for the right amount of risk, whether it’s planning for farm succession or a hot holiday.

“I go back to your plan, and say, ‘What is the least amount of risk that we can take on,’ ” Bray said.

“Then I’m going to tell you that you’re going to be able to achieve your goal at the end of the day. If we make extra money, that’s great. Means you get to spend more.”

“Spend more” doesn’t equal frivolous, but more toward goals such as travel, purchasing a house or taking next steps in taking over the farm.

Don’t put your eggs in one basket

The next step is diversification — and no, not buying livestock for the grain operation.

In this case, it means placing money in multiple investments of varying types. Investments can be owned, such as stocks and mutual funds, or where money is “loaned” for interest such as high-interest savings accounts, bonds or guaranteed investment certificates. The latter is the less risky investment.

“Those are the two big types that you can have, and you want to own some of both,” she said.

“Because how it works in the market, and the way that you build your risk tolerance out, is you want a bucket of each so when the market goes down, fixed income investments go up, and vice versa.”

She added that when someone is first starting out with “owned” investments, it’s important to stick to quality investments such as stocks.

It’s also important to focus on what’s within individual control because headlines and market concerns can be distracting. However, an adviser will help navigate the situation.

If you’re worried, talk to your financial adviser about what it means and if it should be of concern, Bray said. If it’s of concern, they’ll let you know.

Usually, these doom and gloom scenarios lead to improved outcomes down the line. Bray compared it to a clear-out sale.

“Think about when you walk into the grocery store to buy your groceries,” she said.

“If you walked in and every shelf in that grocery store was 25, 30, 40 per cent off, would you guys all walk back out and not buy your groceries that day?”

No, it’d be time to stock up and buy more than was planned. The market is the same.

On the other hand, if these steps have already been taken, preparing for a possible downturn is the next step.

Weather-proofing your assets

Preparation includes reviewing investment plans, preparing for the unexpected and maintaining balance between income and equity for goals.

Investment also means acknowledging current assets, which includes oneself. Bray encouraged young farmers in the room to boost their emergency fund with three to six months of income and to obtain life insurance.

“Basically, when you look at your income and what you bring to the table for the rest of your life, you are your most valuable asset,” she said.

It’s a piece that not many young people consider, but in an industry such as agriculture, with market volatility and a high risk for farming accidents on top of regular life, making sure life expenses, such as debt and property, are taken care of in the worst case scenario is particularly important.

Recruiting a trusted advisor

The final factor to taking charge of finances is choosing the right adviser to help create a plan.

“When we start thinking about your actual financial goals and what you want to achieve, that’s always where the conversation should start,” Bray said.

“You don’t just want someone to tell you what to do and what the right answer is.”

The post Planting the seeds for a million-dollar retirement appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

But for decades, the law didn’t always recognize it. The 1975 Supreme Court of Canada decision in Murdoch v. Murdoch showed a glaring gap between the realities of ranch life and property law. The case didn’t just reshape legislation — it challenged how Canadians understood marriage, labour and fairness on agricultural operations.

The ruling involved the divorce of Irene and James “Alex” Murdoch, Alberta ranchers whose decades of joint work built a substantial operation. Murdoch v. Murdoch (1973 CanLII 193, [1975] SCR 423) remains one of the most influential family property cases in Canadian history.

What happened

Irene and Alex Murdoch spent more than 20 years building a sizable cattle operation in southern Alberta. Married in 1943, they started as hired workers before gradually acquiring ranch land, buying, selling and improving multiple properties over about 15 years. Ranching was their main livelihood, and Irene played a key role. At trial, she described her work:

“Haying, raking, swathing, moving, driving trucks and tractors and teams, quieting horses, taking cattle … dehorning, vaccinating, branding … anything that was to be done … I worked outside with him, just as a man would.”

For months each year, when Alex worked elsewhere, Irene managed the ranch alone. She also contributed financially, using money from her mother for household essentials and, at times, for ranch purchases. Despite her efforts, legal ownership remained solely in Alex’s name — a common practice for that era.

When Irene and Alex Murdoch’s marriage ended, she argued that her decades of work entitled her to a rightful share, even though the land and assets were in Alex’s name. In 1975, the Supreme Court of Canada rejected her claim in a 4–1 decision. Justice Willard McIntyre wrote:

“The work which Mrs. Murdoch performed was the sort of work that many ranch wives do. … There is nothing to show any common intention that the property was to be held jointly. … The respondent’s contributions, while no doubt of value to the marriage, do not establish a beneficial interest in the property.”

One judge strongly disagreed. Chief Justice Bora Laskin argued that Irene Murdoch’s decades of work on the ranch created a rightful interest. He wrote:

“In making the substantial contribution of physical labour, as well as a financial contribution … the wife has … established a right to an interest which it would be inequitable to deny and which, if denied, would result in the unjust enrichment of her husband.”

Chief Justice Bora Laskin
Supreme Court of Canada

Image courtesy Supreme Court of Canada

Laskin emphasized that formal agreements were not required for fairness: “The appropriate mechanism … is the constructive trust which does not depend on evidence of intention.”

Laskin’s dissent highlighted a truth familiar to ranch families: marriage in agriculture is an economic partnership, whether the paperwork shows it or not.

Public outcry and legal shift

The Murdoch decision caused a national uproar. Canadian farm and ranch women were shocked that someone who had spent decades working on a ranch could legally walk away with nothing. The National Council of Women declared: “No woman should be left with nothing after a lifetime of labour simply because her name is not on a title.” Newspapers, women’s groups and commentators widely criticized the ruling, highlighting the invisible work that keeps farms and ranches running.

Chief Justice Laskin’s dissent encouraged a rethink of how the law treats contributions in marriage. Five years later, the Supreme Court of Canada in another case Pettkus v. Becker, 1980, affirmed “a person who has been enriched by the efforts of another … must provide restitution,” establishing that labour and non-financial contributions could at last create enforceable claims.

Legislatures responded as well. Alberta introduced the Matrimonial Property Act in 1978 (now the Family Property Act), formally recognizing both spouses’ contributions, even unpaid work. Other provinces followed suit. During one such legislative debate, Alberta’s attorney general Merv Leitch explained:

“Murdoch showed us that the law, as it stood, did not adequately protect the contributions of married women.”

These reforms introduced what are now standard principles:

• shared ownership of marital property,
• recognition of household and farm labour,
• protection for spouses not on title, and
• presumptive equal division of assets.

What this means for farmers and ranchers today

Murdoch v. Murdoch clearly identified the risk for farm and ranch families when one spouse works extensively “off title.”

Clearly, much work and reform were needed, as the law had historically overlooked invisible work — a significant aspect of the Murdoch critique and the reason for reform. In 2017, the Nova Scotia Law Reform Commission stated:

“Contributions through household management and child-raising … were not treated as relevant contributions giving rise to a presumption of resulting trust.”

Today, Alberta’s Family Property Act, as well as those of other provinces, provides a framework for dividing marital property, recognizing both financial and non-financial contributions — an essential shift from Irene Murdoch’s era.

Key points to note

Title isn’t everything. Even if land or equipment is in one spouse’s name, courts may recognize labour, management and improvements as part of marital property.

• Document contributions. Records of livestock care, haying, calving, equipment purchases, bookkeeping and household support can strengthen any future claim.
• Use formal agreements. Co-ownership arrangements, marriage contracts and partnership agreements can help prevent disputes, particularly when multiple generations work together.
• Plan for succession. Wills, trusts and farm transfer strategies help protect both the operation and fairness between spouses.
• Consider corporate structures carefully. Incorporation or partnership arrangements can affect property claims, so professional legal and accounting guidance is essential.

Courts now recognize that ranch work, administrative tasks, child care and household labour carry real economic value in property division. Assets acquired or enhanced during marriage — including land, livestock, equipment and income — are generally considered divisible. Spouses who are not on title are far less likely to leave a farm marriage with nothing, though clear agreements and planning remain essential.

Murdoch v. Murdoch reshaped Canadian family law in agriculture and serves as a reminder that every contribution to the farm or ranch, financial or otherwise, should be recognized, documented and safeguarded.

Bottom line

Although Irene Murdoch lost at the Supreme Court, she later received a lump-sum maintenance award of $65,000 during divorce proceedings — likely far less than the value of the ranch she had helped build.

Murdoch v. Murdoch helped reshape Canadian family law protections to ensure that spouses who pour their time and effort into agricultural operations are recognized as true partners.

Today’s fairer, more predictable matrimonial-property system exists partly because Irene Murdoch’s story showed Canadians what happens when the law fails to value the invisible, unpaid, but essential labour that keeps farms and ranches running.

Her loss changed everything.

Billi J. Miller is a published author, photographer and speaker from east-central Alberta. She writes from her home office. Read more history in her farm wives books.

The post The Alberta ranch divorce that forced Canada to rewrite property law appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

“Environmental stewardship is simply a way of protecting the environment and our investment at the same time,” Elan Lees, business manager of Soderglen Ranches South, said in an email interview.

“If we do it right, we may be here for a very long time, and if we don’t…”

Lees ranches with husband Scott and the couple’s three managers: Roger Gerard, Jeff Demarni, and Ross Howey, who are each responsible for their own land base and cattle.

The operation has two ranches — at Cardston and Fort Macleod, both in the foothills fescue subregion and comprised mainly of native grassland with numerous wetland basins. They run about 1,500 Charolais, Red and Black Simmental, and Red and Black MAX (Soderglen’s own line of modified Simmental genetics).

The ranch’s management goals are to continue to improve the grasslands for the cattle and wildlife, said Lees.

“Ranchers and farmers are the custodians of the land,” she said. “Well-managed lands have a positive value to both the owner as well as the public.

“For instance, we create and provide habitat for virtually every species of animal and plant in the food chain. A healthy environment makes for a productive ranch.”

Soderglen South has been involved with Ducks Unlimited Canada for more than 30 years, and leases more than 2,400 acres the wildlife organization owns next to its Cardston operation.

“We believe our goals and that of Ducks Unlimited fit exceptionally well with those of cow-calf producers in southern Alberta,” said Lees.

Soderglen South and Ducks Unlimited Canada also work with the Nature Conservancy of Canada on weed control, riparian area protection and reseeding of tame and native species of grass on cultivated acres. The operation has a conservation agreement to maintain native prairie and wetland habitat, and will be converting some cropland to perennial forage cover on the Fort Macleod Ranch. The ranch will also restore previously drained wetlands and protect existing ones, and convert some cropland to perennial forage cover on the Cardston ranch.

Soderglen South also works with Pheasants Forever Calgary, and has set aside land for pheasant habitat.

Cattle are discouraged from watering at wetlands and dugouts to improve water quality and riparian health. The operation uses both static and portable watering systems, and the ranches have more than four miles of pipeline to service the portable troughs needed for rotational grazing.

“This grazing strategy maintains healthy and productive grasslands, which support wildlife/waterfowl habitat and consistent weight gain among the livestock,” said Lees.

Hay is cut after July 1, in order to minimize disturbance to nesting waterfowl, and to improve grass cover for other wildlife. Rotational grazing and haying have given the tame pastures more longevity and profitability while reducing inputs.

The pipeline water systems, solar systems and reduction of riparian grazing have increased overall grass production by moving the cattle away from the St. Mary River, which goes through the middle of the ranch, said Lees.

Their property has a large wildlife population including deer, elk, grizzly bears, and a wide variety of birds including sandhill cranes, burrowing owls, horned owls, hawks and eagles.

Lees said they are grateful to be recognized by the award, adding stewardship will continue to be part and parcel of the ranch.

“The efforts we have made in building this ranch will continue long after we are gone,” Lees said.

“Some of our conservation agreements with the Nature Conservancy of Canada as well as Ducks Unlimited will continue to protect these lands from development in the future.”

The post Award-winning ranch builds conservation into its business plan appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

Cancelled summer shows, plot tours and community events due to gathering restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have made it tough for farmers to stay connected. Ag in Motion Discovery Plus will provide a comprehensive online meeting place where they can get together digitally.

The event will bring farmers together with farm groups, academics, researchers and industry partners across Western Canada, delivering interactive content from the field. Topics will include virtual crop tours, results from the Glacier FarmMedia Discovery Farm, equipment demonstrations, a UTV Ride & Drive, new product launches and research presentations. There will also be digital contests, chat rooms, show specials and other ways for farmers to interact with companies and each other.

The online Exhibitor Showcase presented by SaskTel will be filled with engaging content from hundreds of agricultural companies, and Livestock Central will demonstrate livestock equipment and beef breed genetics. Crop plot tours presented by FCC will feature time-lapse photography and interviews with reps discussing what’s new in 2020.

“Continuing access to innovation and research is what farmers need as they navigate new opportunities and developments in Canadian agriculture,” says Rob O’Connor, Ag in Motion show director. “The Ag in Motion Discovery Plus online platform will bring innovative technological experiences and industry knowledge to the farm gate.”

Ag in Motion Discovery Plus runs July 21 – 25, 2020 and is free on demand for all registered farmers. Once registered, farmers will be invited to develop a personalized online profile that the platform’s AI will use to tailor their show experience and link them with the businesses, industry groups and digital presentations most interesting to them. Register now through aginmotion.ca.

The post Digital trade show bringing farmers and ag innovation together appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

Members of the agricultural community gathered in Ottawa and in 200 events around the country to Celebrate Canada’s Agriculture Day on Feb. 16, 2017. In this video, Cam Choquette (student), Lane Stockbrugger (farmer) and Michael Hoffort (FCC CEO) share their experiences of the day.

The post VIDEO: Canada’s Agriculture Day Celebration in Ottawa appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.