Farms doing their Part to Stem Rural Exodus
While Atlantic Canada is concerned about the continuing exodus of rural residents to major urban areas, Merv Wiseman knows the situation would be much worse if not for agriculture.
“One of our biggest problems has been trying to convey to the public, government, and others that we create a very significant number of jobs,” said Wiseman, a fur farmer and president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture.
“You may only be talking about one or two or three jobs on a farm, but when you look at the big picture – on a provincial and regional scale – those one or two or three jobs add up. We create a lot of jobs and a lot of economic activity for other businesses in our communities and region.”
Farms and businesses in primary agriculture could be creating even more jobs, said Wiseman, adding that’s why he’s become heavily involved in the newly launched Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council. It’s known as a “sector council” – one of 32 federally-funded, industry-driven organizations that work with employers, employees, educational institutions and governments to address human resource issues facing Canada’s businesses.
Given agriculture’s well-publicized struggles with low commodity prices, some may find it hard to believe that farms could be a job-creation engine that could help revitalize rural areas.
But that’s because the general public doesn’t understand the changing nature of farms, said Wiseman, whose fur farm at North Harbour employs four people year-round and another 14 seasonal workers.
“Yes, we have a lot of operations struggling to be profitable, but there are many who could expand but can’t because it’s so hard to find people – especially people with the skills we need in modern agriculture,” said Wiseman, who has agreed to co-chair the council.
“In my business, for example, nutrition, animal husbandry, and environmental requirements are much more complex than they used to be. If I could find the right people with the right skills, I could definitely expand, and maybe even double the number of people I employ.”
“Increased recruitment for the agriculture sector is a long-term priority for the Council,” said Danielle Vinette, executive director (www.cahrc-ccrha.ca). “We are working to develop solutions to attract people to this industry, including increasing awareness on the wide range of exciting careers that agriculture may offer as youth consider their future lines of business.”
“We need to talk more about the positives in agriculture; to get this information into our schools and to share successful ventures amongst the industry itself.”
One of the council’s priorities, she said, will be to encourage farmers to share best practices, such as how they attract and keep workers, how they’re using new technologies and training opportunities to improve productivity and performance.
“There are some innovative agriculture businesses in Canada that have found new ways to target their products to the consumer and throughout the agri-food value chain,” said Vinette. “This is good for the economy and for Canadian society as a whole.”
Wiseman said he doesn’t want to paint too rosy a picture, but hopes that rural residents put aside old stereotypes about farm jobs and look to see agriculture’s potential and promise.
“I live in a fishing community, so I know what an industry looks like when it’s winding down,” he said. “That’s not the case in farming – we’re probably the only growth area right now in the renewable resource sector in my province and probably much of Atlantic Canada.
“If we’re going to make good on that opportunity, we need to have people engaged in our industry. That’s why this human resource initiative is so important. If we’re successful, I think it’ll make a big difference in a lot of rural communities.”
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