While some younger generations are choosing an escape to city life, many of Canada’s most outstanding young farmers stay close to home. They choose to join the family venture, adding another generation to the history of farmers working hard on Canadian soil. And there are plenty of reasons for them to stay.
Kids that grow up on the farm make unparalleled connections with the land, livestock, and the community. For them, a home is not just a place. It’s a complex mechanism that grants its habitants tools to sustain themselves and those around them.
Their deep respect for the soil combined with a fresh next-generation perspective also offers substantial benefits to the land itself. Young farmers often choose more processes, which means a smarter approach and healthier turf. On top of that, families that live on their farms usually create more diverse ecosystems, allowing animals and plants to coexist in more mutually-favourable conditions.
For Morgan and Karissa Smallman in Alberton, PEI, the year-round work on the farm helps build an unmistakable link between putting in effort and reaping the rewards, and doing that alongside loved ones makes it extra special. As the Atlantic region finalists for Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers program, they are the 6th generation of potato growers that tend to their production alongside their family members.
Morgan and Karissa have four kids who are learning to help out with the family enterprise from their parents, grandparents, uncles, and aunts. And although Smallmans’ farm is pretty extensive – with million-pound storage bins, a factory, and a national potato chip producer as a consumer – for them, it’s a family affair. “We’re not just a factory, we are a family, and we’re producing food for not just ourselves, but our country [and] people that are in our communities to eat,” says Morgan.
As new generations of farming families step up, succession planning becomes an important part of every farm’s business plan. Succession allows young farmers to build upon an existing foundation faster and more efficiently. Additionally, long-established farming and ranching families are often in a better position to expand, particularly when seeking financial leverage.
As Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers program celebrates new finalists each year, it’s clear that the family farm is an essential factor in our country’s long history of agriculture. It’s safe to say that as long as Canadian farming stays in the families, the future of ag is in good hands.
Do you know an outstanding young farmer? Learn more or nominate here.
Congratulations to this year’s OYF Regional award winners! Learn more here.
