Message from the Chair of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council

Springtime is the start of the year for agriculture. Farmers are busy delivering the offspring of livestock, planting crops, and preparing their operations for the growing and marketing seasons of summer and fall.

Spring also signals the beginning of a new fiscal year for the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council. We’re starting new projects and moving to the next phase with existing ones. We’re also taking account of our achievements over the past year for an annual report.

In this edition of Field Notes, we’re featuring new activities at the Council: the Agriculture Career Focus Program, and our partnership with the Canadian Agricultural Education Network. We’re also including a progress report on the three projects underway, and what we plan to complete over the summer.

The Council’s first annual report is a testimony of what we have accomplished so far. We’re presenting a brief summary of its highlights in this newsletter, but we encourage you to read the complete version.

Lastly, you’ll notice that we’re adding a new section in Field Notes to profile the industry leaders that are represented on our Board of Directors. This edition features the biographical information on the Board’s Executive Committee. Look for profiles of other Directors in future editions – and on-line.

We welcome your feedback on this newsletter and on CAHRC’s activities.

Terry Murray, Eastern View Farms Ltd.
Wild Rose Agricultural Producers, Alberta

Feature Activities

Agriculture Career Focus Program
Talk about an instant success! The Agriculture Career Focus Program received widespread support from agriculture employers when it was announced in May.

The program offers employers a 33 per cent wage subsidy for hiring post-secondary graduates in agriculture to work in their operations for a minimum of four months or until March 31, 2009. The maximum subsidy contribution is $12,000 per intern.

Sponsored by CAHRC and HRSDC, this program is one way we’re working to solve agriculture’s recruitment and retention challenges. It provides employment opportunities to young people in Canada who are pursuing a future career in agriculture, while helping agriculture employers with wage contribution assistance. It also gives agriculture graduates opportunity to work in their career areas – while linking employers with educated workers.

More information about the program, including answers to frequently asked questions, application forms, and the eligibility criteria for employers and interns, can be found at www.cahrc-ccrha.ca/CareerFocus.html.

New Partnership
CAHRC and CAEN
When the Council signed a memorandum of understanding last year with the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC), we made a commitment to work together to increase agriculture’s participation in education and training.

One of the key goals of the ACCC is to ensure that Canada’s colleges and institutes respond to the emerging needs of Canada’s industry sector. For agriculture, ACCC set up the Canadian Agricultural Education Network (CAEN) specifically to achieve this goal.

CAHRC and CAEN have met on several occasions to discuss education and training for agriculture; particularly, as these programs relate to labour market challenges. As a result, a two-year work plan of activities was developed for implementation, including a commitment to increase the number of enrolments in Canadian colleges offering agriculture programs.

The Council and CAEN are meeting in June in Saskatoon to validate the activities within the work plan and establish industry partnerships. We look forward to keeping you up-to-date on this education, skills and training collaboration!

Project Progress

Labour Market Information Research on Recruitment and Retention
Project Dates: May 2007 – May 2009

Collecting up-to-date labour market information to understand the complexity and scope of labour needs across Canada – by region and by commodity – so we can determine where workers are needed the most, and identify alternative sources of labour and strategies to gain access to these sources.

Recent Progress
More than 480 telephone surveys and on-line interviews were conducted with farmers and agriculture employers to add context to the labour market information data collected at the beginning of this project. For example, we sought information from employers about anticipated hiring plans; vacancies, and the ability to fill them; future labour requirements by occupation type; and recruitment methods, challenges and barriers.

The farmers and employers interviewed represented every province and territory across Canada, as well as the following commodity groupings: aquaculture; cattle (dairy and beef); crops; field fruit and vegetable; greenhouse, landscaping and floriculture; other and non-traditional agriculture; other animal; poultry and egg; swine; and tree fruit and vine operations.

Fifty key informant interviews were also conducted with individuals from agricultural associations, businesses and government agencies to provide additional scope and perspective to labour market issues.

NEXT STEPS:
Surveys and interviews are being analyzed. Combined with the labour market information gleaned from the literature review, the results of this analysis will be added to an agricultural labour supply and demand model and matched against demographic data, region, size of operation and commodity type. We’re also in the process of developing case studies on best recruitment and engagement practices, which we expect to complete in August 2008.

Inventory Database for Gap Analysis of Learning Programs
Project Dates: May 2007 – November 2008

Gathering information on available agriculture training and learning programs across Canada, and the supply and demand for these programs, so we can determine and address the training needs of specific regions.

Recent Progress
A total of 380 employers completed a survey on agricultural training programs, and more than 1,000 training courses were gathered from the surveys of training providers. Members of the advisory group for this project and their respective commodity organizations were instrumental in encouraging employers to complete the survey. Their efforts helped the Council to ensure that survey respondents were representative of agriculture’s diverse commodities in each of the provinces and territories across the country.

NEXT STEPS:
Survey results are being analyzed to identify the opportunities and gaps in agriculture education. This information will be included in the final report so the Council and its partners know which regions and agriculture commodity groupings have the most pressing training needs. Work continues on the development of an on-line searchable database of Canada’s available training programs.

Pilot Project: Occupational Standards and Learning Tools for the Ornamental Sector
Project Dates: September 2007 – October 2009

Increasing and standardizing the professional status of workers in the ornamental sector through the review and validation of the essential skills profile and national occupational standard for the Landscape Horticulturist.

Recent Progress
The National Occupational Standard and Essential Skills profile of a Landscape Horticulturalist have been finalized and translated. The publication is scheduled to be printed and posted on the Council’s website in June. In addition, the Task Learning Source Report outlining where occupational tasks for landscape horticulturalists are best learned has been completed, as well as a national occupational standard and non-apprenticeship course testing requirements comparison report.

NEXT STEPS:
The next phase of the project will involve the development of learning tools designed specifically for on-the-job-training in order to improve the industry’s ability to deliver appropriate training directly in the workplace.

CAHRC's 2007-08 Annual Report

The Council released its first annual report in June! The report includes a summary of all of the work we’ve undertaken and completed over the past year to:

address Recruitment and Retention challenges;
enhance Skills and Training;
increase understanding of agriculture’s HR issues and awareness of CAHRC initiatives;
ensure CAHRC is representative, responsive, connected and results-based; and
operate CAHRC in a fiscally responsible manner.

As the annual report demonstrates, the Council Board and staff have worked hard to produce concrete results This is due in large measure to the leadership of our Board of Directors who are committed to ensuring agricultural employers across the country have the skills and workforce required to be competitive in today’s economy.

Building human capacity within Canada’s agriculture sector requires creative solutions by those experienced in primary agriculture. We also need buy-in from farmers, training institutions, and governments.

The Council has had the participation and support of its stakeholders since the idea for a sector council first surfaced in 2003. Our annual report demonstrates how this collaboration has moved from concepts to action to results.

Meet the CAHRC Board of Directors

Executive Committee
Terry Murray serves as the Council’s Chair, Merv Wiseman as Vice-Chair, and David Rolfe and Mark Wales as executive members.

	Terry Murray is involved in a family-run 3,600 acre grains and oil seed operation and beef feedlot in Wainwright, Alberta called Eastern View Farms Ltd. The present Chair of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council has served on an impressive number of agriculture-related organizations and committees on federal and provincial levels over the past 22 years. This includes serving as Vice-President of the Wild Rose Agricultural Producers, Chairman of the Agriculture and Food Council’s Innovation in Agribusiness Management Fund, Board Member of the Alberta Dairy Control Board, Chairman of the Alberta Farm Business Management Council, Founding Director of the Lakeland Milk Producers Association, Director of Alberta Dairy Products, Founding Chairman of the Lakeland College Agriculture Advisory Committee, and Chairman of the Alberta Dairy Association. As Chair and CEO of the Canadian Farm Business Management Council, Terry was instrumental in the creation of the Canadian Agriculture Lifetime Leadership Program, in addition to many projects to educate the industry in effective management practices. Terry is a graduate of the George Morris Centre’s Canadian Total Excellence in Agriculture Management program, and the recipient of many awards. In addition to his agriculture commitments, Terry is actively involved in multiple community, education, and sport associations and activities.
	Merv Wiseman is the owner of the largest silver fox farm in North America, located in North Harbour, Placentia Bay in Newfoundland and Labrador. Currently serving his fifth term as the president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture, Merv is also president of the NL Livestock Council and president of the NL Fur Breeders Association. Merv’s active work in these organizations has led to his participation on numerous provincial and national committees set up to advance agriculture in NL and across Canada. In addition to his responsibilities in agriculture, Merv is a full-time Search and Rescue Coordinator at the Canadian Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Centre in St. John’s, where he has worked for the past 30 years. He studied political science at Memorial University of Newfoundland and later completed studies in nautical science at the same institution.
	David Rolfe farms 1,600 acres with his wife Fay at Elgin, Manitoba growing cereal grains, oilseeds and pulse crops. David recently completed his four-year term as president of Keystone Agricultural Producers, Manitoba’s general farm policy organization representing 7,000 farm families across the province. Prior to serving as president, he was vice-president for two years. David continues to be involved with the organization as executive member for his district. During his time with KAP and other groups, David participated with many provincial and national organizations including the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, the National Safety Nets Advisory Committee, Meteorological Services Canada Advisory Board, and the Canada Manitoba Farm Business Management Council. He is currently Chair of the Infrastructure Council of Manitoba.
	Mark Wales is a farmer and long-time agricultural advocate in the areas of land stewardship, environmental concerns, labour and farm leadership in the Province of Ontario. A graduate of the University of Guelph in 1976 with a BSc Degree in Agriculture, a graduate of the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program, and a Nuffield Canada Scholar, Mark has worked with a variety of agricultural organizations for the past two decades. This includes serving as Chair of the Elgin County Peer Review Committee for the Environmental Farm Plan, President of the Garlic Growers Association of Ontario, Chair of the Safety Nets Committee on the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, Vice-Chair of the Labour Issues Co-ordinating Committee, and Director of the Elgin Agricultural Society. Mark has also been a representative for the Elgin Federation of Agriculture for the past fifteen years, currently serving as director-at-large (formerly a regional director and president) as well as currently an executive committee member of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture. Mark continues to fight for the rights of farmers, regardless of commodity choices, at regional, provincial and national levels.