Officer grew up on a small apple farm in southwestern Quebec. After studying history and agriculture at the University of Guelph, she joined Farm Credit Canada (FCC) and moved to Saskatchewan where she worked in marketing and lending roles. She later moved back to Quebec to project manage FCC’s AgriSuccess and Knowledge publications. That led to her current role in sales enablement which combines the knowledge of lending and sales with marketing. She is also contractual newsroom director for Canadian Western Agribition and writes a historical agriculture column for a farm magazine.

Country Guide: Why did you decide on a career in the agriculture industry?

Eugénie Officer: Agriculture was always a big part of my life. I showed horses and cattle, was heavily involved in 4-H, eventually sitting on the youth advisory committee and the 4-H Canada board, and I spent some of my teen years working on dairy farms and competing in livestock judging. I knew I wanted to be someone who helped bridge that gap, to show others the opportunity and passion that exists in this industry and help make agriculture feel like home for more people.

I wanted to find a role where I could combine communications, strategy and strong relationships to directly support producers. My current role at FCC brings everything together. I get to draw on my lending and marketing background to support our lenders by improving the tools and processes that directly impact the way they add value to customers. 

CG: What is your perception of the Canadian ag industry today? What excites you about it?

Officer: What excites me most is how far the industry has come in the last 10 years, and the fact that producers are up to the challenges ahead of us. We’re at a point where technology, sustainability and innovation are intersecting, and producers are leading a lot of that change by being committed to doing the best they possibly can as stewards of the land, animals, their businesses and their communities.

There is space for people with so many different skill sets, from ag science and tech to sales, finance, communications and policy. What excites me, too, is the chance to be part of something that matters and to help others see how they can play a role in shaping the future of food, farming and rural communities — whether they have deep roots in agriculture or are just discovering the potential of this industry. 

CG: What expectations did you have coming into the industry and how do they compare with your actual experience? As a young person coming into the ag industry, have you found it difficult to earn people’s trust and confidence, to show that you know what you are doing?

Officer: When I first began my career at FCC, I had the chance to work with some incredible managers and directors who created space for me to bring forward ideas I was excited about and lead projects that were outside of the norm. That trust early on really helped shape the work I wanted to do and gave me more confidence to lean into innovative thinking.

That said, in the broader industry, I do think young people, especially those in primary agriculture, sometimes must work harder to earn trust. But that challenge pushes you to be thoughtful, to listen well and to show up consistently, and those are qualities that build lasting credibility, no matter what your age.

In roles like lending, I saw firsthand how young producers often have to walk a fine line, bringing new ideas to the table while also proving they understand the realities and the heritage of the business. The great thing is, when you show up with a genuine desire to support and learn, I do see that most people make space for you. 

CG: What are your personal career goals and what new ideas and fresh approaches do you have to help benefit agriculture?

Officer: I feel really grateful for the path I am on. I have been able to explore different areas of the business, in both Western and Eastern Canada and learn from some incredible leaders along the way.

Long term, I hope to step into leadership roles. That’s something I’m working toward by continuing to build my skill sets and actively learning from the people around me. I would say I am passionate about mentorship and building strong relationships. Those are the spaces where I feel I can grow and give back at the same time. 

In terms of how I feel I could best personally support the sector, encouraging young people to develop their careers in this space is one way. In my current role, I’m trying to lean into making others feel heard, supported and help them succeed. If I can continue to develop those skills and use them to support my colleagues and the producers they serve, I will feel like I am making a meaningful contribution.

CG: How do you feel about the future of the ag industry?

Officer: I see a ton of potential in agriculture right now. It is foundational to any modern society, yet still largely overlooked as an exciting career path.

One of the biggest challenges we face is visibility and attracting a diversity of thinkers into the industry. A lot of young people simply don’t realize how many different, meaningful career paths exist in agriculture as a whole, and the fact that you don’t have to study ag science or enter primary production to make a meaningful difference in the sector.

CG: If one day your children came to you and said they were considering a career in ag, what area of the industry would you encourage them to look at? Where do you see the best opportunities?

Officer: I think the future of agriculture is full of possibility. There are so many roles that don’t exist yet and that makes it exciting.

If someone from future generations told me they were considering a career in ag, I would encourage them to stay curious and open-minded. There is no one path, and the best opportunities often show up where your interests, values and the industry’s needs intersect. 

If young people care about contributing to food security, the strength of rural communities, and care deeply for animals and eco systems, they will find a place in this industry where they can grow and contribute.

The post Making space for a new generation of ideas in Canadian agriculture appeared first on Country Guide.

McGovern, 24, works on developing special content for marketing projects for Glacier FarmMedia, the parent company of Country Guide. She has a BA in linguistics and publishing from Simon Fraser University and has just finished her master’s thesis on the history of agricultural journalism in Canada. 

Country Guide: Why did you decide on a career in the agriculture industry?

Emily McGovern: It’s just the passion of it. When I went into media journalism the ag industry wasn’t at the top of my list but I wanted something where I would learn something fresh, different and new. What I’ve learned is how vast this industry is. That was the reason I stayed because I saw potential to grow. If I want to move beyond ag media, I know there would be other areas that I could branch into that still touch ag without having grown up on a farm or having to work on a farm.

CG: What is your perception of the Canadian ag industry today? What excites you about it?

EM: The thing that excites me is the technology and sustainability that is at the forefront of a lot of the technology that people create. It amazes me that farmers are trying to make their work more efficient and the only people who are going to come up with these things are farmers. I think it is so important to support tech because it’s going to make farming easier, more efficient and more sustainable. 

CG: What expectations did you have coming into the industry and how do they compare with your actual experience? As a young person coming into the ag industry, have you found it difficult to earn people’s trust and confidence, to show that you know what you are doing?

EM: I think it’s sometimes harder to get your footing in the industry but for me it was more difficult because I had no experience. When I started as an intern, I had to learn about the different kinds of equipment and the different seasons, when seeding happens, and all those pieces, so it was a bit of a learning curve.

Everybody that I interact with is older than me or they have a farm and, for example, maybe they are a fourth-generation farmer, so I definitely do have to earn the trust of the people that I work with and the farmers that I talk to. But it’s just a matter of appreciating it because what matters to them is their community, their growth and their family. For me it is a bit of a challenge but it doesn’t put me off the industry at all.

CG: What are your personal career goals and what new ideas and fresh approaches do you have to help benefit agriculture in your chosen field?

EM: I’m working on events promotion and marketing, and I would like to keep working in those roles and moving forward in a way that would strengthen our relationship with farmers. That’s important to me. 

I’d like to see more efforts to include younger people in the ag space, and a chance for us to learn all the steps that are involved, starting at a younger age. In school, we don’t learn about how agriculture works or how the agricultural sector impacts Canada. As a young person I’d like to see more appreciation for how the agriculture sector functions in Canada.

What I would also like to see more of in the future is ways to help farmers because right now they’re doing it all. Farmers need to know so much about markets, finances, etc., but I think we need to help them with some of these things whether that’s through programs or other companies or whatever method — a way that helps farmers manage these pieces better, so they don’t have to do it all. Farmers are very versatile and must adapt to so many different challenges. Any bit of help we can provide is important.

Because what I see happen is a young person will look at their family farm and see their dad stressed out working on the farm managing everything on their own, and they may think “I don’t want that to be me, so I’m not going to take over the family farm.” You see that a lot with the younger generation and that’s not beneficial to the industry.

CG: How do you feel about the future of the industry and the role of ag media?

EM: I hear a lot that print is dying but I don’t necessarily believe that is true. I think where farmers get their sources from matters to them. A lot of people, especially my generation, get our news online, from social media. People from my generation don’t even read newspapers or magazines anymore which I think is sad because journalism and media is an art form.

But I don’t think that print is going anywhere. We’ve seen a big boom in people buying books and I think our turn for renewing newspapers is right around the corner. I am hoping that my generation will turn to new sources to get their news.

CG: If one day your children came to you and said they were considering a career in ag, what area of the industry would you encourage them to look at? Where do you see the best opportunities?

EM: We will need labour. Once this generation of farmers retire, we’re not going to have many people who know how to operate the machines or use the equipment so that will be a huge gap that we need to fill, and it offers huge potential for people who are looking for a career that they can do for a long time. 

I would also say marketing because I think there’s a big space for growth in that sector as well, just from the way that media and marketing come together, we’re going to need that in the future.

The post Encouraging people from outside agriculture to come on in appeared first on Country Guide.

Today, they are proud to say they’ve doubled their milk production during their short tenure and have optimized robotic technology to create a successful and balanced lifestyle for their young family.

Operating as a multi-generational family farm, Paige and Marcus manage Four Oak Farms with the help of Marcus’s parents. 

The dairy milks 50 Brown Swiss cows three times a day using the only tie stall robot in Western Canada and crops 900 acres of corn, soybeans and forages.

The couple credit their adoption of robotic technology and recent barn renovations for their ability to balance their farm and family commitments while diversifying their operation. 

In addition to the dairy, they run a crop management and agricultural solutions business, Four Oak Ag Solutions, along with an expanding hay business.

Country Guide sat down with them to learn about their Outstanding Young Farmers experience and their plans for the future.

CG: How long have you been farming, and what’s changed since you started?

Marcus: We joined the farm in 2013 as the third generation on our family farm. Since then, we have welcomed two daughters who we hope will make the fourth generation. When we started, we each took turns working off the farm and I think these experiences have helped shape how we farm today. 

One of the most significant changes we made was to automate our milking with a Robomax robot to milk in our tie stall barn. This allowed us to move to milking three times a day without increasing our labour and maximize our existing barn facility without building a new barn to accommodate robotic milking.

Paige: The robot has helped us achieve our on-farm goals by allowing us to make the most of our existing farm facilities and grow our business with what we have. The automation also enables us to collect as much data and information as possible to help us make informed decisions. We’re data driven. We like to know why, not just how, when we make our decisions.

CG: Tell us about your Outstanding Young Farmers experience

Paige: This was our second time participating in the Outstanding Young Farmers (OYF) program. We competed in 2016 at the provincial level, but this time we were successful when we were announced as Manitoba’s OYF last year. The first time we competed we were very fresh and used it as a learning experience. This time around we were more seasoned and integrated into the farm and could articulate our goals and vision.

Marcus: Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers (COYF) is a really big deal. It’s amazing to see the people who rally around this program and support each other, including our national cohort and program alumni. The national event was an opportunity to learn from other regional winners and each other, and while there are so many differences between us, we all have so much in common.

Paige: The COYF event helped us dig deeper and think bigger about ourselves and our farm.

CG: In your opinion, what makes a good leader?

Paige: A good leader should be willing and open to share with others while being encouraging. A leader should also have a sense of direction and be aware of the destination or desired outcome they are leading others to.

Marcus: Honesty is important too, along with a willingness to learn from their own experiences. One thing I noticed at the COYF event is that everyone who attended had a “glass half-full” approach and were very optimistic. I think that type of attitude is important in a leader and a testament to the agricultural leaders who participate in the COYF program.

CG: How do you think your approach to farming is different from previous generations?

Paige: We are fortunate to have two previous generations of our family still living close by. We know first-hand how hard Marcus’s grandparents and parents had to work to farm, and we acknowledge just how much technology has allowed each generation, especially ours, to ease the physical workload while expanding the business.

We can progress aggressively thanks to technology, like robots and the internet, and this is evident in just how far we’ve come and the changes we’ve made in the past decade.

Marcus: We are fortunate we were born into a time where tools can make progress easier and give us more time for ourselves. We can use the time that would have otherwise been spent doing physical labour to learn, research and study data, new methods and practices to continue to enhance our farm. Our ability to double our milk production with each generation is tied to the tools, technology and genetics that are available to us. 

I also think our approach is different because of our age and stage of life. Taking risks and chances is easier when you’re younger.

CG: What does farming look like today compared to when you started out?

Marcus: Over the years, we’ve been focused on implementing new ideas. We’ve improved efficiency, our work environment, made renovations, created and innovated to make the farm our own. I think we’re happy with our approach and we’re now in a position where we have time to think of the bigger picture now, like a long-term approach to our farm’s sustainability. 

Paige: I agree, we’re thinking and planning ahead versus dealing with the daily grind like we used to. I think the changes we’ve made in technology have helped us do that. Now we make the time to educate ourselves so we can respond to the data technology provides us to make decisions about things like herd health, cropping and soil nutrients. We make more informed decisions today, compared to the early days when sometimes it felt like we were guessing. The information and data we collect also help us save money and reduce our environmental footprint.

CG: What is your best advice for young farmers, or those coming into “the game”?

Marcus: Surround yourself with good mentors who you can trust and are honest. This might require you to make the effort to seek out mentors and nurture relationships, but it’s important to do. 

Paige: Farming means producing food for people and that’s an amazing honour. It’s also a very unique lifestyle, so you have to really want to do it. My advice is to ask questions, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

The post Outstanding Manitoba farm couple harnesses innovation and data appeared first on Country Guide.

In fact, this disparity of perspective has a name: the generation gap.

Each generation is shaped by the predominant forces at play during their formative years. Acknowledging these influences can improve communication among the generations, says River Falls, Wisconsin leadership development coach Kristin Pronschinske.

The popular international speaker on intergenerational communication says advances in technology have had a big influence on people of different ages. Many of those in the silent generation (born 1928-1945), for example, grew up in a time before electricity and phones. Contrast that with the iGeneration (a.k.a. gen Z, born 1997-2012), who have never known a world where the internet didn’t exist. And the youngest generation, gen alpha, is said to “be born with cell phones in their hands instead of rattles.”

This generational gap in communication styles can result in some muddled expectations around the outcome of a conversation or decision.

For example, when the younger generation has new ideas about how things should operate on the farm and beyond, it can set the stage for conflict and tension, especially where farm transition planning is concerned. It’s a pattern that’s playing out on many farms across Canada, says Humboldt, Sask. succession coach Patti Durand.

“A good rule of thumb,” she says, “is to be more curious and less judgy,” although she acknowledges how tough this is to do — and it’s even harder to do when you are the parent, whose job it has been to guide and teach the younger generation. “As our kids age, we may fail to recognize they are capable. Old habits are tough to break,” says Durand.

She says that when working with family, there is an opportunity to dig deeper to better understand someone’s words and actions, rather than quickly labelling or criticizing them.

One oft-repeated criticism of younger generations is that they are spoiled or soft. Durand advises that if you feel you have “a spoiled next generation,” pause to consider what you may have done to create or enable that behaviour. “This is not excusing their actions but knowing they did not get there alone.”

Generational conversations

When it comes to having difficult conversations, Pronschinske replaces the word “difficult” with “important.” Her advice: “Leave emotion and judgment out. Don’t focus on negativity. Speak to facts and data. Ask questions and listen. Give that person your undivided attention — put your phone away — no matter what generation.”

Durand reframes “hard conversations” as “important conversations to protect and repair relationships.”

When you are struggling to see the younger (or older) generation’s perspective, Durand sees this as a great chance to ask more questions to better understand the way they look at things. However, she emphasizes the importance of being sincere. “If you aren’t genuinely curious, the listener will pick up on your lack of care, your doubt or your sarcasm and resist right away.

“Great conversations can sound like ‘Wow, we feel differently about this. Help me understand your perspective and I’ll try to share mine’ or ‘I think I’m missing something, say more.’”

If you’re anxious about the conversation, Durand suggests writing out your words in a script of what you would like to say. “Tell the person, ‘I want to say this well and I am worried about misspeaking, so I wrote it out, so I don’t mess it up.’”

Durand also recommends picking a time of day when you know you are both likely to be well rested and “at your best.” Don’t start a conversation late at night when you are tired or when you are busy with the harvest.

Pronschinske makes it a habit to respect a person’s preferred method of communication. She asks: “How do you want to be communicated with? Do you prefer text, email or phone and what time of day do you prefer?”

In Pronschinske’s opinion, the world could use more empathy. “Put yourself in the other person’s shoes.” Her suggestion is to try to build rapport and trust. “What kind of day are they having? What are they bringing to the workplace?”

Durand agrees that attempting to step into the shoes of any person you are speaking with is a good habit. But she cautions that it’s important to realize that in some cases “we may not be able to understand their experience or perspective.”

While individuals who grew up in the same time period (and place) can have a lot in common, Pronschinske cautions that stereotyping is dangerous. “Don’t put any generation in a box,” she says.

Resources

• The Future Leader: The Successor’s Guide to Family Business Leadership, a book by Patti Durand
• Talk it Out – Conversation starter game from Do More Ag
• The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, a book by Jonathan Haidt
• Books by Brené Brown, a social science professor from the University of Houston. For a guide on where to start if you are new to her work on courage, vulnerability, shame and empathy

The post Closing the on-farm generation gap appeared first on Country Guide.

But for those who would farm in adulthood, it turns out that Millennials and gen Z, stereotypically maligned for not working hard enough, aren’t so different from past generations that endured and stood up to the many challenges of the sector.

Derek Brewin, the department head of the University of Manitoba’s agribusiness and agricultural economics department, saw the mindset among his agricultural students shift in 2007-08 when grain prices took off and essentially settled at new and higher levels.

“I think we see some creative changes when prices fall and margins get tight. Those that make it through those tough times can reap major windfalls, but they are normally short-lived.”

He’s also observed greater diversity among gen Z.

“Certainly, the falling farm population has meant our student body has changed with more international students and more urban students,” Brewin says. “That diversity may have been good for identifying new markets.”

Challenges

Enderle Farms in Hemmingford, Que., has been around for four generations.

Chad Enderle and his two brothers, Nicholas and Jassen, bought the farm in 2021 while in their early to mid-20s. Since then, he says the previous generation completely stepped aside, and the brothers changed their business’s focus away from the production, packaging and wholesaling of apples to simply orchard production.

He says there are fewer young farmers to pick up the torch left behind by past generations. Meanwhile, farms have grown in size and scale.

“To put it simply, millennials/gen Z have a lot more on the line when taking over a farm,” Enderle says. “Throw in the instability of markets, labour shortages, decreased margins and climate change. These have made ag businesses extremely vulnerable in terms of risk, especially for us young farmers,” Enderle says.

But despite these young farmers being aware of a rocky road ahead, and understanding the unpredictable nature of the industry, they still choose to endure.

“We just try to remember that if everything went 100 per cent according to plan, it wouldn’t be farming,” Enderle says.

Growth

Not resting on their laurels, the Enderles endeavour to keep current with new trends and how they can increase their farm’s efficiency.

As far as their general approach to farming goes, Enderle says he and his brothers have taken what they learned in ag school and tied it with their own experiences. In so doing, they’ve figured out what works best for them.

“Our younger generation does get a lot of bashing, but ultimately our knowledge on the farm is only a reflection of what has been taught to us or through experiences,” he says.

What’s been of great help on their farm is the previous generation giving them space to grow.

“(They) gave us confidence and gave us room to run with it, while stepping aside into more of a mentor role,” Enderle says. “That confidence in us is ultimately what gave us the boost and fueled our willingness to grow and be better. Kind of like taking the training wheels off when first learning how to ride a bike.”

New approach

When it comes to any newer farming practices they’ve adopted, Enderle allows that while there are differences from past generations, they aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel.

“It’s just that we have extra tools with tech, we see the industry from a different angle, and that there is room for improvement,” he says. “Our approach to minimizing our risks has been to try and run the farm like any other business, and less like the typical farm — even though that’s not the easiest thing to do in ag.”

Enderle says he and his brothers try to surround themselves as best they can with consultants and accountants to get the most comprehensive perspective on their financials. “What those numbers are telling us about the business, and how we can adapt and do better. It’s not always the most exciting thing to do, but it does put us in the best position to succeed.”

Unique planning strategies

Enderle believes that the approach millennials and gen Z farmers take to planning and decision-making often heavily revolves around using newer technologies at their disposal.

“Using tools like mapping and software to log and collect data help us so that we can track our inputs more easily,” Enderle says. “Similarly, as with our financials, we analyze those inputs, our yields and overall production costs to determine where there might be room for improvement out in the field, which will eventually reflect back to us in terms of profitability.”

He adds that benchmarking that same data is what will ultimately influence their future decisions and direction.

The post Gen Z farmers are leading the way appeared first on Country Guide.

“The NFU wants to see farmers thrive in Canada. Enhancing farmers’ opportunities to build skills for their long-term success benefits us all,” NFU president Jennifer Pfenning said in a news release in late August.

THE EXCHANGE is a national program that aims to “maximize the long-term success of equity-deserving farmers in Canadian agriculture, the NFU said. It will support two cohorts of 20 farmers and farm workers to access training, grants, mentorship and networking.

The federal government pledged $287,487 over two years to fund the program.

“Agriculture is a vital part of our economy and we need folks from all walks of life to be part of it,” said federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay in the news release. “This program will help the participants develop and grow the skills they need to succeed as the next generation of producers.”

Applications close on September 27. Visit the NFU’s website for more information.

The post National Farmers Union opens applications to training, support program for underrepresented farmers appeared first on Country Guide.

With 2024 almost here, it’s hard to be any age. But how would you like to be young and at college or university, trying to prepare for the smart choices it’s going to take if the farm is ever going to survive.

Seriously, what will it take to succeed in farming until 2060?

Riley Buchanan is a sixth-generation beginning farmer on the family farm a half hour north of Winnipeg that he returned to after graduating with a University of Manitoba ag diploma this past spring. Now his aim is to keep clear-eyed.

With higher input prices, Buchanan knows it’s tough to pencil in big crop margins. But with high land prices, it’s also tough to commit to the traditional farm answer to low margins, i.e. more acres.

Buchanan does see an opportunity, though. It’s technology, which Buchanan sees as one of the great hopes for today’s young farmers. Variable rate, GPS and sectional control means they can simultaneously get more efficient and improve the land.

How does that play out? “Taking what they (young farmers) already have and making it better makes it less important for farms to expand to achieve better income,” the 20-year-old says.

Still, if he learned anything in his college program, it’s that being hopeful isn’t the same thing as having a plan. A plan takes business discipline.

Now Buchanan has returned to the University of Manitoba as a junior advisor and instructor for agriculture diploma students while he also begins setting himself up to make progress on the short- and long-term goals that his plan says are essential for making the farm sustainable.

The Buchanan farm has long practiced minimum tillage and he is looking at how they can reduce it even further to help increase the organic matter in their soils and prevent the nutrient and water losses tillage causes.

“Minimum or zero till has been a big conversation going around lately,” Buchanan says. “Back in the day it was common to till up all your fields after harvesting them. Now farmers are seeing the benefits from minimum or zero tillage and are also seeing the disadvantages from an environmental and economic standpoint when it comes to tillage.”

Buchanan also plans to expand their acreage under variable rate application, using soil sampling, prescription maps and sectional control to improve their existing land base.

“To reach our goals on our farm we will keep investing in new technology that helps us measure and analyze our performance and lets us improve our production year in and year out,” Buchanan says.

Once they have optimized the productivity of their existing acres, the longer-term goal is to expand by a few more acres to grow as an operation.

But that’s at home. So what are Buchanan and post-secondary teachers across the country doing to prepare other farmers for their career starts.

“For a business plan it’s important to come up with a solid foundation, so, if you are a grain farmer growing a cash crop, you’re looking at what are your most profitable crops,” says Mark Lahti, a professor at the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus. “Then you need to look at how you can reduce some of the costs involved. That often means considering alternative farming methods like cover crops or integrating some other farming practices to be more efficient and cut down on costs associated with farming.”

Lahti emphasizes too that today’s farm is also a brand. In a world where the public’s scrutiny of farming has never been more intense, standing out from the crowd can help a farm find alternate revenue streams and be more successful.

“I tell my students that anytime you can become an expert in something, for example growing pedigree seed, or being known for whatever it is you stand for in the community can bode well,” Lahti says. “If people are taking over a cow/calf operation, is there an opportunity to get into purebred livestock and then look at additional ways to grow their market, whether that’s through bull sales, selling offspring or making connections to the local marketplace and selling beef?”

For a generation that has grown up immersed in social media and online communications, the concept of building a brand makes sense and is even enjoyable for many, although parents or grandparents who have spent most of their farming careers without such technology might view it as a waste of time.

“The older generation sometimes sees it as a nuisance when they see their grandson or granddaughter running around with a phone and videotaping, but at the same time it’s educational for them too,” Lahti says.

“What they need to realize is that a lot of these younger farmers are facing a huge disconnect between the farm and the public, so there is a real need to share messages about what is actually going on at the farm, and explain that people shouldn’t be afraid of a farm or think badly about farmers. It’s important for them to get that information out.”

Hitting reality

Lahti often hears some frustration from students who are chomping at the bit to try out some new ideas and start making more of the bigger business and management decisions on the farm — the kind of decisions that are usually the last to be delegated by Mom and Dad.

“There are definitely frustrations and especially as these young farmers are getting into things like cover crops and regenerative agriculture practices and trying to use some of the new technologies that have come out to help save money,” Lahti says.

Buchanan sometimes hears the same things from his peers but advises his students to take a step back and see it from their parents’ perspective too.

“Younger generations always like to joke about how the older generation used to farm when it comes to tillage practices, weed control or nutrient management but the truth is they didn’t have the technology advancements we do today,” says Buchanan.

“They also didn’t have access to social media like the current generation does now. I believe social media plays a big part in the evolution of farming. With the ability to get information worldwide so quickly, it has allowed researchers, scientists and agronomists to spread their new-found knowledge to farmers. This has allowed for more unique and diverse farming practices where the older generation never had that opportunity.”

Still, it’s hard for the older generation, stuck in their “when I was your age, I was doing this,” mindset to understand the pressures and the expectations on a younger generation, and vice versa.

“The younger generation never grew up knowing that era or doing those things, so this is the new norm for them,” Lahti says. “What they’re doing now, and what their children or grandchildren are going to do in 60 or 70 years are going to be totally different.”

That’s the reality of progress and of transition and it isn’t easy for family farms — or for anyone else in society, for that matter. But however much anyone wants to stamp their feet and hold their breath, it seems there’s no stopping the natural order of things, and maybe farmers ultimately have a more acute sense of that than people in other arenas. It doesn’t make it any easier, though.

“The reality of going from one generation to the next is that, with the current price of land and everything, there is a ton of money getting transferred,” Lahti says. “I have some students in my class who want to take over the family farm but they have no idea how they’re going to do that yet, especially if there are family members that are interested in the farm and others that aren’t. To do it ‘fair’ is going to cost them millions of dollars to buy out other siblings that don’t want anything to do with the farm. I don’t think some of these operations can be divided up fairly because that’s just the nature of the beast right now.”

Simply a road map

So, however good a business plan may be, it’s still a road map and sometimes there will be diversions; it’s a flexible, working document that will always need to reflect current and future realities.

Although Buchanan’s business plan is pretty hot off the press, it’s not likely to change much because in his case, it’s been a document that has basically set out what he and his dad have already been doing as they have worked together over the years, although both have their eyes wide open for opportunities.

“If we keep up with what we are doing and always want to do better, I believe we will be able to achieve our goal,” Buchanan says.

“Overall, I think agriculture is in a good spot, and if we can help people to look outside the box, there are opportunities … there is a lot going on,” Lahti agrees

“Try something new, something different,” Lahti says. “Get out there and find new ideas you can bring back to your farm.”

– This article was originally published in the November 2023 issue of Country Guide.

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The road is unexpectedly rough. Becoming a farm decision-maker and leader, not just one of the crew was always going to be a challenge and there’d be an absolute ton to learn. That much was clear, and these young farmers are definitely not naive. Their eyes are open. But still, this is tough.

Who knew, for instance, there’d be so little help figuring out which pieces of the leadership puzzle to learn when, or how to do it. Or how, on top of all the facts and all the processes you have to master, you go about accumulating all the insights and all the finesse it takes to manage a successful farm.

For a handful of young farmers, however, a possible strategy is emerging. It’s to form a future-oriented peer group composed of next-gen farmers in the same boat. As strategies go, is this one paying off? Is it a real help, or a glorified coffee club?

Swapping Notes

Brother and sister Aubrey Kolk and Ashley Stronks see the big challenge as they transition into the leadership of the family’s Alberta farm.

“It’s a lot of land and assets,” Stronks says “We have to figure out how to be good stewards of that.”

In today’s agriculture, as farmers across the country can appreciate, that’s a mouthful.

And that’s not all. As just one example, the pair can see it would be a great help to learn more about the farm’s human resources side.

Other young farmers, though, must be working their way through such issues, and maybe they’d have something they could learn from Kolk and Stronks as well. But how do you find them? And how do you connect?

It’s a thought process that led Kolk and Stronks to say yes to the concept behind the Emerging Farm Managers Peer Group started in 2021 by Backswath Management.

“It sounded like a good way of being in contact with other young farmers in Canada and seeing what challenges other people across the nation were having,” Kolk says. “And we were hoping to learn a little more financial fluency, and more planning.”

“The finances,” Stronks picks up. “Our dad has a head for it and he’s taken some training as well, but he’s not always passing that information on. He does a great job but we just need to be confident in that with the business.

“We have to keep an eye on our ratios so we are able to go in the right direction.”

The brother and sister team aren’t alone. Regina-area grain and oilseed producer Parker Schikowski is also a member of the emerging leaders group and looking for high-value opporlunities to compare notes with other farmers on transition journeys of their own.

“I wanted to meet like-minded people that were in the same situation as I am dealing with, working with family, because that’s not always easy, navigating that relationship with your parents,” Schikoswki says.

“It’s interesting to hear how everybody’s doing that.”

Ongoing learning

Kolk and Stronks are the fourth generation on the farm, now 4,500 acres of mainly irrigated grain and oilseeds about 45 minutes northeast of Lethbridge, and they have begun the transition from their parents John and Laura.

Stronks, who is 40, has a degree in animal science from the University of Alberta and worked at the Lethbridge Research Station until she had children, followed by 16 years on contract with proAction, a national dairy quality assurance program.

With their four children, she and husband Landen live about half an hour from the farm, and she came back to it to work part-time in 2018, switching to full-time last year.

After graduating high school, Kolk (35 and married to Gabi with two young children) earned his millwright ticket while working for a feed mill company and then coming back to the farm full-time 13 years ago.

The family have been in the transition process for about seven years, and as with so many farms, this one has its peculiarities. In this case, it’s because the farm enterprise as it exists today is fairly new.

“Our land farm is quite young … so there’s a bit more debt,” Stronks says. “We are a relatively new farm that way.”

The operation started as a mixed farm run by their great-grandfather and then grandfather but then became a broiler chicken, cow-calf and feedlot operation until 2007, which was when their dad and uncle, who were running it at the time, decided to split the farm, with the uncle continuing to run a feedlot and their dad transitioning into grains and oilseeds.

So, already seven years into their transition process, Kolk and Stronks didn’t just wake up to the fact that financial management will be crucial to their success. Instead, the two now see the peer group as a management development tool that complements the other steps they’ve already taken, such as the CTEAM program.

They have also taken Farm Management Canada training, and their parents expect them to check out any program or workshops that may be useful to them.

Schikowski also had support at home when he joined the emerging leader peer group, consistent with the family’s idea that a phone contact list can be one of the farm’s most valuable assets — one which the peer group can grow.

“I’ve learned from my grandfather and father that creating contacts is never a bad thing … have people to call and bounce ideas off,” Schikowski says.

Importantly, too, he sees the membership of this particular group as a good fit for him. “I am not in competition with anybody that is in the peer group,” Schikowski says. “And everybody’s in the same mindset of growing and making their farm better.”

Schikowski farms 19,000 acres of grains and oilseeds with his dad Darren. At age 28, he is the third generation on the farm, but his journey has been a little different than for a lot of young farmers. His grandparents started acquiring farmland in 1993 and began operating the farm in 2003 after his grandfather retired from his career as CFO at AgrEvo.

Although Schikowski spent a lot of time on the farm growing up, his first job was working for his dad’s janitorial company.

But when Schikowski became certain farming was what he wanted to do, his dad transitioned over to the farm and now they are very much in the transition phase.

Father Darren still manages the business side of the farm while Schikowski manages the day-to-day operations and they both have their own farm corporations that are working together as Schikowski builds up his equity towards purchasing the acres his dad still owns.

With that focus, Schikowski finds it is often the informal discussions with the other peer group members, outside of the business training sessions, that provide the biggest learnings.

“We talk about anything from different ways to borrow money to how to deal with employees,” Schikowski says. “I take all the information in and take it back to my farm and make it as beneficial to our farm as I can.”

Kolk and Stronks also find the informal conversations with their peers produce worthwhile insights, especially into relationships between the generations.

“It’s often about how do you deal with your parents, how do you transfer information,” Stronks says. “There are so many more similarities than differences. They are dealing with the same issues and challenges as we are. There’s a lot of things that unify us as farmers.”

Discussions among the peer group also drive home how difficult it can be to manage a business in a volatile industry.

“I’m still learning things … farming is different every year and it’s not always easy to navigate that,” Schikowski agrees. “You talk to farmers that have been in the business for 35 years and they’re still learning things every day. But that’s where I find the peer group to be so beneficial. Maybe a different farmer has dealt with something like what I’m dealing with, and that’s not published all the time or well-known, so you throw things out and say, hey, has anybody dealt with this and everybody’s super-open to help you. It’s been a huge benefit that way.”

The peer group has a reach beyond its members, often opening the door to insights that members glean from conversations with their parents or other contacts

In Schikowski’s case, the ripple effect often results in productive conversations with his dad about how they can tweak their numbers and improve their succession plan.

“We’ve always been pretty good with our books and knowing our numbers, but it’s interesting to learn from Backswath and the group members about different ways to look at your numbers and manipulate them to find out exactly if you can afford to do certain things on the farm,” Schikowski says. “It definitely sparks conversation between my dad and I.”

Back at home

Kolk and Stronks bring back ideas from the peer group and have found their parents are open to their taking the initiative. “It’s like they’re saying: ‘we’re trying to take our hands off the wheel and let you guys figure it out’,” Kolk says.

Not everything that the group discusses applies to everyone’s farm of course, but it’s still fascinating to discover the different ways that people manage their farms. As an example, one farmer in the group who owns a farm with multiple managers, explained how a management tree system identifies who deals with which issues on the farm.

“They have a lot of people managing different things on their farm which is completely different from my farm where pretty much everything goes through me,” Schikowsi says. “One of my biggest takeaways is how so many different farms can work so well and so differently but still get the same results and be successful.”

They also know their own farms will evolve.

For Kolk and Stronks, with two other siblings coming in, the plan is to remain future-focused. “It’s important to always be learning and thinking about things differently,” Kolk says. “To have that sounding board of different farmers through the provinces helps us to do that.” The goal is set, he says. “It’s to know how we can make this farm stable enough to stick around for the next three or four generations,” he says, and adds, “formalizing some parts of the farm will definitely help us get there.”

– This article was originally published as, ‘A smarter farm start’ in the October 2023 issue of Country Guide.

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At Rockwood, Ont., Mike Sharman would like to send some advice to farmers at the start of their careers.

If farming is your dream, Sharman says, don’t give up.

“I’d give the same advice to any other young farmer that I would have given to myself when I first started out — don’t give up,” says Sharman. “And when you get there, enjoy every day.”

All sorts of good things can come out of that kind of commitment, some of them quite unexpectedly.

When he took over the family farm, Sharman’s great challenge was capital. “Countless financial institutions said no, and if I had stopped after the first few that turned me away, I wouldn’t be farming today,” he explains.

After a series of rejections, he found a banker who believed in him, with the result that he operates a successful cash crop farm today with a unique field crop and horticulture business doing third-party contract research.

No one else in his family was interested in farming, but Sharman says there were still complications transitioning the farm while skipping a generation.

“My grandpa and I had plenty of chats on the front porch, and I knew we should get our plans in writing, but I didn’t want to make him feel like I was entitled or pushing him out,” says Sharman. As on many family farms navigating their farm transition, though, he experienced countless sleepless nights as a result.

When Sharman’s grandfather passed, the formalized succession plan was only three days old. “We were down to the wire, but I was able to execute all the plans we had discussed,” he says.

Sharman had been actively farming since 2014, renting farmland and borrowing his grandfather’s equipment, and formally took over the farm in 2020. Once again, accessing capital became a challenge when he set out to purchase the farm equipment from his grandmother. He says purchasing the farm and acquiring the farm equipment took serious funds at a very young age.

“I was fortunate to farm alongside my grandfather for years, and looking back, the thing I’m most proud of is being able to keep the farm going for another generation so that my kids can have an opportunity to farm too.”

If farming is your dream

Meanwhile, at Glenlea, a half hour south of Winnipeg, Will Bergmann knows what he wishes somebody had told him. And he knows that if he had listened to the advice they were ready to give, he would have put a lot more effort at the start of his farming career into building relationships, and he would have worried a lot less about expansion and buying land.

For 12 years now, Bergmann has been farming alongside his dad and uncle and he has his hands full growing field crops, finishing hogs, operating an organic vegetable CSA and raising a family.

Still, he always makes time to have a conversation with anyone who asks about farming and how food is grown on his farm.

“When I came back to the family farm, I thought we needed to grow and acquire more land. That turned out to be one of my greatest challenges,” admits Bergmann. “Six years ago, I had a massive mentality shift and realized that we don’t need to get bigger, we need to be more efficient and capitalize on niche markets.”

Bergmann says it came as a surprise when he finally realized his farm didn’t have to match other farms in terms of size or acreage, but it wasn’t too late to shift gears.

While he wishes he had come to that realization earlier in his farming career, the decision to pivot has been a game changer.

His focus shifted to finding fertilizer efficiencies and to technologies like precision planting, and he put time into researching grain marketing opportunities too. An entrepreneur at heart, he also leveraged his organic vegetable CSA to establish a seat at select Winnipeg restaurants as a business partner.

It’s also important to look back, says Bergmann. He’s the third generation of Bergmann Bros. on the farm. Continuing that family farm tradition is a priority for him, but he also sees it’s because of the investments made by previous generations that he is able to diversify and capitalize on opportunities today.

Get started

Looking back at his own start, Bergmann wishes he could have told himself to prioritize building food connections and relationships earlier in his farming career, especially talking to his urban neighbours about their questions and concerns.

He recognizes, though, that he needed to learn and understand the gap for himself to help him focus and build business opportunities. And his endeavours are making up for lost time. Using the vegetable CSA, Bergmann has been able to connect with local food enthusiasts in Winnipeg and surrounding areas.

Social media influencers and the popularity of sharing photos and real farm experiences was gaining popularity around the time Bergmann started farming.

Leveraging this opportunity with his passion for photography and connecting with consumers, he started his own social channels, taking followers behind the scenes on the family farm, explaining production practices, and doing his best to bridge the gap between producers and consumers.

Bergmann was initially inspired by old black and white photos of farm scenes taken on his farm by previous generations. His outreach efforts have led to speaking and writing opportunities and providing new ways to reach his audience, and these helped result in Bergmann and wife, Jen, being named Manitoba’s 2019 Outstanding Young Farmers.

“I saw the CSA as another facet of education and a tool to discuss agriculture and bridge the gap between organic and conventional practices,” says Bergmann, noting his farm is one of only a few fully organic and conventional farms in Canada. “There are so many pros, cons and misconceptions of both farming practices and we have the opportunity to share reliable information.”

In 2013, Bergmann started a two-acre organic market garden using a CSA model, providing fresh produce to 40 members and serving a selection of Winnipeg restaurants. The garden has provided opportunities to be part of the local food scene and has since led to investing in partnerships with three Winnipeg restaurants. “Having a farmer in the restaurant business mix helps with messaging and extending the real food story to patrons who appreciate the authenticity,” notes Bergmann.

Every farmer is at the mercy of the weather, and Bergmann experienced a significant setback in 2022 when severe flooding of the Red River meant he couldn’t plant his market garden. As a result, he was forced to cancel his CSA share subscriptions. He cancelled the program again in 2023 when his mother passed away but anticipates being back up and running next year.

It brings up another point where Bergmann and Sharman share a key learning: Don’t sweat what you can’t control.

“You can’t do anything about the weather, so there’s no sense in worrying about it,” says Sharman, who reminds himself of this practically every day, and also tells it to other young farmers too.

Bergmann agrees, noting that while it’s hard not to worry, there are so many things you can control on the farm, like your relationships with neighbours, fostering healthy communities and actively seeking business opportunities. “I recognize my life and business endeavours have come as a result of putting people first and building relationships,” says Bergmann.

“I wish more farmers, especially young farmers, would make the time to form relationships with their farming and urban neighbours. Just go have a coffee together and learn from each other.”

Sharman shares that outlook, and says he’s found great value in turning to the surrounding farming community for a helping hand and advice.

Bergmann agrees. Keeping a positive mindset and relying on family and trusted neighbours is a winner for any early-career farmer, he says.

There’s another key bit of advice too, he says. “I would also encourage young farmers and their families to make time for themselves outside of work. Make plans with family and friends, and rest.”

– This article was originally published in the Oct. 3, 2023 issue of Country Guide.

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The VanDeVeldes, both 40, transitioned out of tobacco into a diversified farming operation that includes U-pick strawberries, raspberries and pumpkins, a bakery and a market stocked with seasonal, local products from fruits and vegetables to meat and cheese.

Their farm, Wholesome Pickins Market & Bakery, isn’t just a successful example of diversification, it represents a nationwide shift in how young farmers are entering the industry.

“When we were all in that 25 to 30 age range, there were fewer of our peers going back to the farm,” says VanDeVelde.

The 2021 Census of Agriculture found the average age of Canada’s farmers that year was 56, compared to an average age of 49.9 in 2001. Over those same years, the number of farm operators under 35 declined 43 per cent.

The so-called “greying of Canadian farms” begs the question: does Canada have enough young farmers?

“We are seeing a downward trend in the number of young farmers,” says Allan Melvin, president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture. “It’s a bit concerning, obviously, that there doesn’t seem to be the uptake of interest in the profession. We need to ensure there’s a … sustainable future of agriculture and food supply in Canada going forward and … we need to have the talent and skill set in place to make that happen.”

Attracting the next generation

It’s not the first time there has been a downward trend in the number of farm kids returning to agriculture.

Jake Ayre, vice-president of Keystone Agricultural Producers and cash crop farmer in Minto, Man., points to a period in the 1980s when interest rates were high and interest in farming was low.

“Interest rates as high as 20 per cent made it tough to farm back then,” Ayre says. “It squeezed out a lot of farms … a lot of people didn’t come back because there weren’t a lot of opportunities in those years.”

Unlike the farm kids who left the farm in the 1980s and never returned, Ayre believes today’s next generation recognizes there are opportunities in agriculture and significant numbers of young people are returning to the farm. It’s happening in Manitoba where 11.45 per cent of farmers are under 35, the highest percentage in the nation.

“The (tools) that are required for farming today versus those of 20 years ago are a night-and-day difference in regards to technology,” says Ayre. “That’s appealing to the younger generation because there’s opportunity for growth.”

Olds College of Agriculture and Technology in Alberta continues offering programs in agricultural management to train the next generation of farmers, but the college also introduced a new bachelor’s degree in digital agriculture in 2022 in the hopes of attracting new talent to the field.

“We’ve got some creative stuff happening and we’re hoping that is going to be the link to the next generation in terms of trying to pull them in (with) technology,” says Jay Steeves, dean of the college’s Werklund School of Agriculture Technology.

Preparing for the worst case

Technology might also be the key to ensuring food security if the number of young farmers continues trending downward. In fact, the industry has already started shifting in response to larger farms and the dwindling number of farmers.

Between 2016 and 2021, the number of farms decreased 1.9 per cent. Fewer, larger farms mean less need for farm operators; it’s a worrisome trend that could continue if the next generation opts out of agriculture.

“When there’s consolidation, it inherently pushes people out,” Melvin says.

At Olds College, balancing the need to attract the next generation of farmers with the shifting numbers of new farmers is top of mind.

“We’re seeing the need for this efficiency with technology because we’re worried that there won’t be as many producers,” says Steeves. “Creating efficiencies with technology (would) require less bodies to produce the same amount of food. At the same time, we know we have a responsibility to try and increase the number of producers … and draw the next generation into production.”

Melvin points to the capital intensive nature of farming, uncertain interest rates and the high cost of inputs as some of the barriers preventing the next generation from pursuing farming careers, adding, “The risk-reward profile doesn’t quite line up for a lot of people when they’re looking at it from the outside.”

Practising patience

VanDeVelde wonders whether her children, now ages 13 and 15, will want to farm and, she adds, her concerns about transitioning Wholesome Pickins to the next generation are already having an impact on her farming decisions.

“It’s a battle we talk about every day,” she says. “Do we continue to expand and continue to invest in the business so that in 15 years, there’s a viable business for them to come into, or do we take a pause? It’s a tough one.”

Despite the challenges, Statistics Canada reported that the number of farms with succession plans increased from 8.4 per cent in 2016 to 12 per cent in 2021. The largest share of farms reporting a succession plan were grain and oilseed farms and intermediate farms with operating revenues from $50,000 to $99,999 annually.

There are opportunities ranging from government policies to creative lending strategies that could help overcome the obstacles and bolster the number of young farmers. But for Melvin, the need to “sound the alarm bells” and prioritize attracting a new generation of farmers is especially important for new entrants to agriculture who lack access to land and capital needed to produce food.

“It would be very difficult for a young person to come in and take over a full-scale farm at fair market value,” he says. “There can certainly be some financial engineering … from the outgoing generation … to make it possible. Otherwise, it’s not going to work.”

Ayre hopes that engaging post-secondary institutions and industry partners to spread awareness about the immediate and ongoing need for labour and opportunities in agriculture could help attract young farmers. But the biggest solution might be patience.

For those under 30, succession might not be realistic, and working for mom and dad, and perhaps grandma and grandpa, too, might not look like an attractive option.

“Some youth don’t want to come home and work for mom and dad and don’t want to do it like mom and dad did it,” says VanDeVelde. “When you’re 25, you have all these ideas. If everything (on the farm) is staying the same, it’s really difficult at 25 to come in and be anything other than an employee of your parents.”

But that doesn’t mean young people won’t return to the farm.

VanDeVelde noticed that her peers in their 30s and 40s who returned to the farm had different experiences; their parents were closer to retirement age, which created a more imminent need for succession planning and more openness to diversification. The returning farmers in that age group also had opportunities to build up the capital needed to buy into the family farm.

“Over the last 15 years we’ve seen a shift,” she says. “In the 10 years (between age 30 and 40), a lot more of those farm kids that had gone and found off-farm jobs were coming back to the farm with unique ideas … and adapting their farm business into something more modernized.”

Although VanDeVelde admits that she doesn’t know whether Canada has enough young farmers to take over agricultural production, she isn’t worried.

“Agriculture certainly has some of the best and brightest,” she says.

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