CFIB Report: The Next generation of Agriculture

Canada’s agriculture sector has had its fair share of challenges recruiting youth over the years. To many, this is not news as they have been feeling the effects of the decline in young farmers, workers, and agri-business owners entering the field for quite some time now

Recruiting for a career in agriculture does not get the same attention as other professional career paths. I don’t ever remember a time when a career in agriculture was actively encouraged to me while growing up, even though I’m from Manitoba, where agriculture is a major component of our economy. I was never made aware of all the different careers that were possible in agriculture and was left to think that agriculture is only about farming which never had a favourable image that “9 to 5” office-jobs had among youth my age. 

The typical images of farming – which are often true – are a life of demanding work, living rurally without access to much and not being able to simply “clock-out” at 5 pm. But without all this hard work from our farmers quite simply we would not have food. Their work puts food on the table for people and families across the world. At a time when food scarcity is becoming a grave concern, we will need more of Canada’s youth involved and working in the agricultural economy. It’s time Canada changes the perception of a farmer and reflect on how we can encourage the next generation of farmers, our youth, to take up the mantle. Whether that mantle is generational by taking on the family farm or pursuing a career in crop sciences.

“In the future we will need more creative solutions to fill labour shortages in agriculture and encourage the next generation of youth to pursue a career and life in agriculture” 

The average age of Canadian farmers currently sits at 56 years old, according to Statistics Canada’s (StatsCan) 2021 census. In the coinciding report, Manitoba had the highest proportion of young farmers in all of Canada at 12 per cent of its operators under the age of 35. As our farmers get closer to their well-deserved retirement, ongoing labour shortages and lack of youth making a career in agriculture may derail some of those plans. 

So, what is preventing young people from getting into agriculture? What are the options we can look at to attract them?

Other than youth’s perception, when looking to get into any career or business, the main concern is the cost of entry and agriculture can be expensive because of the large amount of land and machinery involved. For youth to start an agri-business without inheriting it would mean they would have to acquire loans, which can be made difficult for someone fresh out of college. An in-depth knowledge of the industry is also essential and is typically knowledge that can only be gained through experience. 

“We are extremely fortunate to have been able to attract some youth, but there are very few motivated young individuals that can fill our labour needs” – Dairy farmer, ON

Thus, formal education is also more sought-after in today’s youth, especially for those without much experience in the field. The average cost of an undergraduate degree in agriculture at the largest prairie universities was approximately $26,360 in 2022 (for domestic students). Looking at this, the basic needs to start an agri-business can seem overwhelming for youth, and we haven’t even touched the nitty-gritty topics such as carbon tax, grain contracts, and so on. 

All of this does not mean that agriculture can’t attract more youth. In fact, agriculture is a rewarding economy to work in.

To contend with these financial barriers, younger farmers have been looking at strategic ways to reduce their financial barriers by working off-farm or opting to borrow farmland to reduce the financial risk. StatsCan reported that in 2016, 59 per cent of farm operators under the age of 40 reported working off-farm to diversify their income stream and mitigate their financial uncertainty. 

We are seeing more new ideas that are marketing a career in agriculture toward youth. For example, Canada is seeing an increase of women in agriculture. StatsCan reported that by 2016, female operators accounted for 29 per cent of the industry and of that proportion, 27 per cent were under the age of 35. A non-profit project “Growing in the Margins” has also accumulated great interest. The project provides a group of marginalized youth (ages 18 to 25) with education and the land needed for farming. 

The federal government is also promoting youth in agriculture through various programs and earmarked funding. The Canadian 4-H Council will receive $1.8 million over two years to develop a new curriculum and resources to help our youth hone their knowledge and skills in Canadian agriculture and expand their awareness of food literacy and agricultural careers. Canadian Young Farmers’ Forum (CYFF) will receive up to approximately $195,000 over two years to build industry capacity and provide training and education to young farmers. And Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers (COYF) will receive up to $119,724 over two years as well to support its regional and national recognition events.

These are just a few examples of what we are seeing to encourage more youth in agriculture, but programs like these are critical to get youth exposed to a career in agriculture. We also need to educate older adults about the many advancements, environmental sustainability and work that goes into agriculture. Educating everyone about the vital role our agriculture industry and farmers play in the world food supply chain would reduce barriers that result in ignorance and disinterest in the industry.

Ultimately, the road to filling the gap of expected retired farmers and careers in agri-sciences will be challenging. In the future we will need more creative solutions to fill labour shortages in agriculture and encourage the next generation of youth to pursue a career and life in agriculture. 

Share your feedback with CFIB by contacting our Business Help Line at cfib@cfib.ca or call 1-888-234-2232.  

Get involved in our campaign to support Bill C-234 to help support farmers and protect our food supply: https://initiatives.cfib-fcei.ca/en-ca/saveourfarms   

SeoRhin Yoo is a Policy & Entrepreneurship Intern for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB)