Although Jolene MacEachern grew up on a farm, she didn’t see herself going into farm ownership. She grew up on Cape Breton, the granddaughter of Dutch immigrants, but in what she described as a typical farm-kid adolescence, she looked to branch out beyond the family farm. Moving West to study economics, however, led her back to farming – but not just to farm ownership.
Fast-forward to now: MacEachern is director of strategic projects in the faculty of agriculture at Dalhousie University, working to improve learning opportunities for students to set them up for success in the ag industry. She’s also gotten into farm ownership, but boasts the unique experience of going through non-family farm succession. Her accomplishments and unique industry perspective are part of what earned her a nomination – and eventual selection – as one of the 2025 Influential Women in Canadian Agriculture.
Here’s some of the unique perspectives we learned from her interview with agriculture editor Jill Filmer.
1. Education opens the door
While her background – especially the work ethic and Canadian pride of her grandparents – were a great foundation for MacEachern’s career, her degree in economics was one of the most important things that gave her the perspective she has today.
“My degree in economics fuelled a passion for higher-level thinking… what moves governments make and how they impact farmers at the farmer level, and at the community level. I wanted to be in the middle of that to make my community stronger.”
Overall, MacEachern views education as a tool for making the community stronger. Working in continuing education and higher education, however, she is keenly aware that the angles need to change for the new generation. There are curious ag minds now that don’t come from direct ag experience – meaning they need to be taught differently.
“In the last 20 years, we’ve gone from an 80 per cent farm experience [post-secondary] student, to 20 per cent of the population having direct farm experience,” she says. “Many of them are coming [into higher education] with a passion for food, but maybe not the direct experience we had.”
This means the institutions need to adapt. For Dalhousie, that means looking at increased work terms and internships, more applied research opportunities and more opportunities to get folks directly in the field for work.
2. For successful succession, integrity is key
MacEachern and her husband went through the unique experience of non-family farm succession just over 12 years ago. The full transfer of the business – a family friend’s dairy farm – took seven years. It’s a subject MacEachern loves to talk about a lot – with her husband, reflecting on the experience, or with others, educating them about what it was like.
“We talk a lot about this, because we’ve been very fortunate,” she says. While she maintains there’s no secret recipe for these types of succession transitions – it all depends on personalities and unique circumstances – she said respect, worth ethic and consistency matters.
“We just really got along with each other,” she said. Her husband showed the utmost dedication to the work even before the farm was his.
One of the keys to their own success was discussing things that might be uncomfortable. “We planned for things – like death, and divorce,” she shares, stating that it’s important to discuss the things that can go wrong or against expectations.
But that’s what made it even more important that the previous owner stayed true to expectations from the start. “The one thing we give credit to the [former] owner for is he never changed his plans,” she said. “Right from day one, he said ‘This is the amount of money I want, and this is the date that I want.’ [This was helpful because] we were putting a lot of eggs in one basket.”
3. Health is wealth, but the intention counts most
MacEachern doesn’t boast about balance – because she says she still hasn’t entirely found the right formula for balance yet. “I should be asking others how they find balance, because I’m not very good at that,” she jokes. Still, MacEachern says her intentional approach and aiming for balance means that even when things aren’t perfect, there’s still payoff. Her biggest priorities are her physical and mental health, the latter of which she nurtures through time with her family.
“I don’t give up. I prioritize – even just that 30 minute walk that I can get in a few times a week,” she says. “If I’m calm and I’m able to get the things done, then I can keep moving in the right direction.”
Exercise and healthy food are important, but time spent together is extremely important for MacEachern, especially as her children get older. “It’s not necessarily ‘I’m doing yoga five times a week,” she says. “It’s being balanced and being grateful.” She’s learned to say ‘no’ to some things when it means passing up time with her family. “I stopped chasing others’ expectations and said, ‘nope, Friday night, we’re staying in and watching a movie.’”
Listen to the full interview here.
