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M
EET
THE YOUNG GUNS OF
C
ANADIAN AGRICULTURE
HERE’S A NEW SENSE OF OPTIMISM IN
farming. Following decades of attrition, in which
coming of age o en meant abandoning the
family farm, young farmers are leading much-
needed industry renewal.
In recent decades, the ag community discouraged farm
kids from taking up the business. Accepted wisdom held that
farming was a dying proposition. Negative reinforcement
sent the industry’s lost generation off to careers in the city and
Alberta’s oilpatch.
At first glance, the numbers support the ingrained pessimism.
The Statistics Canada 2011 Census of Agriculture found that the
number of Canadian farms decreased, while the average age of
farmers increased between 1991 and 2011. Just 8.2 per cent of
the country’s farm operators were under 35, compared to nearly
17 per cent in the balance of the self-employed labour force.
However, closer examination hints at industry renewal rather
than implosion. Both the average age of farmers and farm size
may skew high, as older farmers shrink their operations rather
than retire. As well, the age breakdown of the farm families
surveyed in 2011 was surprisingly similar to that of the country’s
total population.
The total number of Canadian farms fell by a whopping 10 per
cent from 2006 to 2011, but this likely reflects practical changes
to the industry. The predominant trend among those surveyed
was to utilize the economies of scale that come with expansion,
or to shrink holdings and produce more lucrative specialty
crops. So despite the improving viability of farm operations,
the StatsCan numbers may give the impression the sector is
somehow worse off than it really is.
The generational drain certainly appears to be reversing
as farm youth defy agriculture’s pervasive negativity. Many
of today’s active producers in their 20s, 30s and 40s are
cultivating a new attitude, and their involvement in industry
policy groups is changing the face of agriculture.
While today’s young guns acknowledge the hard-earned
wisdom of their elders, they’re distinctly more positive. The
young farmers who are the subjects of this story are educated
and ambitious problem solvers and organizers. Leaders such
as Cherilyn Nagel of Mossbank, SK, past-president of the
Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association, are eager
communicators, knowledge sharers and adopters of new
technology. They’ve seen what research and producer-led
associations can do to renew the industry’s confidence and
financial bottom line. They are actively renewing a belief
in close family ties, strong work ethic and agriculture as a
fulfilling and rewarding career. They’ve struggled with the
practical and spiritual pressures of taking up the mantle of the
family farm on their own terms, working to reshape the farm
economy in their favour.
Energized by the opportunities and challenges of the
post-Canadian Wheat Board monopoly era, they echo their
predecessors’ cautions. But in raising their own kids, they’re
passing on their determination, celebrating the positive in
agriculture and encouraging the next generation to engage in
farm life.
“Our generation is much more likely to share with our
neighbour what our goals are, what our financial statements
look like, and we’re seeking out other people who are excited
about the industry,” said Nagel. “We just don’t seem to have
time for the doom and gloom.”
A new generation of tough and informed ag leaders has
arrived. The destiny of the industry has been placed in their
hands, and they’re up for the challenge.
Spring
2014
grainswest.com
27
BY IAN DOIG • PHOTOGRAPHY BY CURTIS COMEAU & SCOTT GOODWILL