We have a pretty special LIVE for you as our own Kara Oosterhuis joins Shaun Haney for a discussion on farm management, as it compares to managing a sports team. They talk about specialization versus cross-training, mentorship, and taking the time to train your people. Not everyone is going to be good at operating the… Read More
Yield maps aren’t the only data points to collect and analyze. Farms generate all sorts of information that could be useful in determining profit, wasted time or resources, or identifying opportunity. The trouble is, some farms are either generating data with no clear means of using it, or are missing out on capturing simple data… Read More
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW Canada) recently presented to the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit to advocate for better health and safety protections for migrant workers labouring in the Windsor, Ont., area. The county and area has been hard hit by COVID-19 at local farms and farm businesses, including hundreds of positive cases… Read More
Recent restrictions placed on the temporary foreign worker (TFW) program in Canada have revealed the fragility of the Canadian food supply chain according to a new report from Robert Falconer, policy analyst with the University of Calgary’s Simpson Centre School of Public Policy. Falconer recently joined Shaun Haney on RealAg Radio to discuss the report,… Read More
The Canadian government has opened up the application process for a pilot program to give temporary foreign workers who work in year-round roles in the agriculture industry a pathway to permanent residency. The three-year Agri-Food Immigration Pilot program, originally announced in July 2019, is aimed at helping employers in meat processing, mushroom and greenhouse production,… Read More
A recently announced wage top-up program could apply to farm and food industry workers, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the $3 billion in funding “to increase the wages of low-income essential workers” late last week, and a press release from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) says that provinces and… Read More
The governments of Canada and Manitoba will be providing a total of $160,000 through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership to Direct Farm Manitoba to purchase a software platform that will allow Manitobans to order food online from local producers and farmers’ markets, the province says. The funding will also go toward the development of a network… Read More
Meat coolers are going to look a lot different as we navigate COVID-19, but according to the Canadian Meat Council, each step of the livestock processing chain is collaborating, communicating, and committed to keeping food moving to grocery stores. Chris White, president and CEO of the Canadian Meat Council, says the livestock processing sector is… Read More
Changes to the Canada Summer Jobs Program as a result of COVID-19 could mean real help for the agriculture sector. Because of social distancing and the closure of non-essential services, several companies will not be hiring students and youth to fill summer jobs. The federal government is in the process of re-allocating those funds into… Read More
Many temporary foreign workers are still in their home countries waiting for the green light (and an available flight) to come to Canada. Once here, the Government of Canada has laid out added measures and precautions for a mandatory 14-day isolation period. There are also new guidelines and rules in relation to seasonal workers, as… Read More
Ontario has launched a web portal connecting workers with employers looking to fill positions in the agri-food sector. The initiative is aimed at matching people to essential jobs and training resources throughout the provincial food supply chain in an effort to ensure grocery store shelves remain full during the COVID-19 outbreak. “Right now, there are… Read More
Each province is feeling the incredible economic hit from COVID-19, but Alberta — with its oil and gas-based economy — may be harder hit than some, as the price of oil has plummeted. There are many Albertans out of work, and many Alberta farm and agriculture businesses looking to fill a gap that seasonal workers… Read More
Update, as of 11pm EDT Friday, March 20: The Canadian government confirmed late Friday that it will be exempting seasonal agricultural workers from the travel restrictions put in place to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. “The participation of temporary foreign workers on our farms and our food businesses is absolutely necessary,” says Minister of… Read More
Editor’s note: CBC News is reporting that temporary foreign workers will be allowed to enter Canada, but must quarantine for 14 days. RealAgriculture is working to confirm this. As North America adjusts to a “self-isolation” lockdown to limit the spread of COVID-19, farmers are finalizing spring planting and seeding plans. For many farmers and farm… Read More
How do you find and keep great farm help? That’s a question all farmers are wrestling with as labour becomes tougher to find and often equally difficult to retain. With low unemployment rates, it’s tough to keep talent on the farm, says Mark Ferguson, business management specialist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and… Read More