05/20/2026
One thing we see over and over again in agriculture is frustration from all sides of the conversation.
Family owned commercial producers across the Canadian prairies are often frustrated by how little the general public understands about modern farming despite being so willing to criticize it. Unfortunately a lot of the information people see online today is targeted for clicks, outrage and sensationalism rather than honest education. But if we’re being fair, producers sometimes make the problem worse by either ignoring those concerns completely or simply mocking people for buying into the social media rhetoric in the first place.
Often small scale and hobby producers don’t always realize that what works for less than a few hundred chickens, a large garden plot or a acreage often doesn’t scale to thousands of acres, hundreds of cattle or large commercial poultry programs. That doesn’t make small scale agriculture wrong. Not even close. But farming practices that work for a social media funded hobby farm deep in the southern USA may not fit the realities of broad acre farming or livestock production on the Canadian prairies and frankly it likely dosen't work for a small scale or hobby operation in Alberta either.
And to be equally fair, larger scale operations and ag suppliers often don’t give small scale and hobby operations a respectful shake either. Too often they are dismissed entirely instead of recognized as an important part of agriculture and food production in their own right. Many great ideas in agriculture have been born on small operations! Unlike their large counterparts small operations are much more likely to experiment and take chances on new ideas. This matters!
The truth is agriculture is incredibly regional, incredibly diverse and far more complicated than most people realize.
At Guldberg Farms we live in both worlds every single day.
We operate a modest commercial grain farm and licensed feed mill while simultaneously raising livestock on what could only be considered a hobby scale, but we also work closely with backyard chicken owners, hobby farmers, homesteaders and small scale family operations. We understand the realities of larger scale agriculture because we live them. At the same time we genuinely enjoy helping small producers succeed because many of us started small ourselves.
That’s why we believe honest conversations matter.
Not mockery. Not fear. Not “us versus them.”
Just real conversations about what works, what doesn’t, why certain practices exist some places and not others and how agriculture can continue improving while still remaining financially and environmentally sustainable. Is there room for improvement? Absolutely, and thats why the conversations matter!
At the end of the day most people involved in agriculture, regardless of size, want the same thing: Healthy animals, healthy food, healthy land and a future worth passing on to the next generation.
Different scales. Same commitment to doing things right. We are here to help!
Guldberg Farms
Quality-Nutrition-Results
www.guldbergfarms.ca
