A lot has changed for Debra Harrison in the past 39 years. Almost four decades ago she was the first female engineer ever hired by John Deere. Today she is president of John Deere Canada. Earlier this week, Harrison shared that journey with 450 people attending the Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference at Niagara Falls,… Read More
Robotics are changing the dynamics of dairy businesses, and co-evolving along with them. “Today, conventional dairies spend 50-60 per cent of the total labour on the physical act of milking cows, (and) only 10 to 20 per cent on feeding cows, five to 10 per cent on health, and the other 10 per cent on… Read More
We’ve seen results from an early-campaign survey on what Canadians are worried about in regards to food, and we’ve heard from each of the four main parties heading into this federal election. But what I want to know is, what are YOUR priorities, Canadian agriculture? As media, I watched the debate, I interviewed Sylvain Charlebois… Read More
Canadian farms are currently facing a labour shortage, with no signs indicating it will get better in the short-term. In response, the Canadian government has announced plans to modernize the program. The Canadian government will put a focus on making the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program easier for users to use and understand better. Minister… Read More
Labour shortages in agriculture are a challenge across nearly the entire sector, and unfortunately the issue cannot be fixed overnight. At this year’s Canadian Beef Industry Conference held at Calgary, Alta., the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) gave an update on the state of labour for the beef industry, along with agriculture as a… Read More
As there’s many moving parts in agriculture, some may forget what’s happening in the background when it comes to policy. It might be surprising to some that farmers in other countries as close as the U.S. and as far as Africa deal with similar issues on both a large and small scale. At the inaugural… Read More
Like so many other countries, Canada’s birth rate is less than its death rate. The logical conclusion, then, is that if Canada wants to maintain or grow its population, it will have to not only welcome but also actively recruit people from other countries to live here. The topic of immigration is highly political leading… Read More
Over the past number of years, there has been an increase in labour shortages for both meat processors and those in mushroom production. To put it in perspective, there are nearly 1,700 empty butcher stations at meat processing plants across Canada, and as far as mushroom production goes, their job vacancy rate has almost doubled… Read More
Data from a new report by the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) shows that farmer’s across Canadian ag industry lost $2.9 billion in sales due to unfilled vacancies. The amount is an increase of $1.5 billion since 2014. The Labour Market Forecast to 2029 also shows 46 per cent of producers who reported vacancies… Read More
Changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations could be on the way, following proposed changes published in the Canadian Gazette. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) are seeking comments from all interested parties on a proposal to amend the regulations to allow temporary foreign workers more flexibility in… Read More
If you’re quick about it, you may be able to access funding from the federal government to hire a summer student. Earlier this week, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada announced that the Youth Employment and Skills Program was open for applications. The program offers cost-share of employee wages and benefits at 50%, up to a maximum… Read More
Statistics Canada is reporting last year’s 45.1 per cent decrease in realized net farm income (to $3.9 billion) as the largest since 2006. Realized net income is the difference between a farmer’s cash receipts and operating expenses, minus depreciation, plus income in kind. The attribution for the steep decline includes rising feed, interest and labour… Read More
From the barn to the boardroom, agriculture is full of job opportunities and employers are looking for talent. But it’s not that easy to find qualified people to do the job. That’s Melissa Brinn’s take on the challenges agriculture employers face and the incredible opportunities job seekers have throughout the industry. “Every company, everywhere is… Read More
In agriculture, when we talk about diversity we are usually talking about crop rotations, the cattle herd, or hybrid breeding. Diversity isn’t always a hot topic when we talk about the people working in this industry, but it can make a powerful difference. Dr. Jeneen Abrams is a soybean breeder at Purdue University and believes… Read More
It appears the Government of Alberta has listened to Team Alberta’s concerns over the timing of the Mandatory Entry Level Training (MELT) for new Class 1 drivers announced last month. Transportation Minister Brian Mason has announced agricultural workers may apply for a one-year exemption from the training, recognizing the quick turn-around to implement MELT would be incredibly tight… Read More
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