At first glance, it appeared that seasonal and temporary foreign workers coming to Canada would flow relatively unimpeded, save for the pre-flight COVID-19 test. However, last week’s federal announcement of more stringent quarantine measures and additional costs is possibly a new stumbling block, in the path to getting thousands of people here to work on… Read More
Category: Labour
From business risk management fatigue, to the carbon tax, to adapting to changing labour demands, there’s plenty to cover regarding Canadian policy right now. It may be February, but horticulture farms and businesses are trying hard to navigate ever-changing COVID-19 travel rules in an effort to bring employees to Canada. Plus, not one but two… Read More
It takes heaps of management to grow perfectly-sized, quality sweet potatoes. Katie Keddy, of Valley Harvest Sweet Potatoes in Nova Scotia, shares how her farm grows this neat crop, plus strawberries for propagation, blackberries, and raspberries. Listen to Keddy (@VHsweetpotatoes) in conversation with host Kara Oosterhuis below (with a special guest voice appearance by producer… Read More
When it comes to choosing employees for your operation, it’s not as easy as many would think. There are many factors to consider: do you hire full time? Do you hire seasonal? How many people do you keep on board? And then comes the trickiest of them all — how does one determine who is… Read More
The federal government is providing immediate relief for temporary foreign workers that are stranded in Ontario. “Approximately 400 farm workers from Trinidad and Tobago who came to work in Ontario under the federal Seasonal Agriculture Worker Program, are currently unable to return home as they haven’t received COVID-19 travel exemptions from their home country,” says… Read More
A new Driving Back to Work grant program in Alberta will make the Mandatory Entry-Level Training (MELT) required to earn a Class 1 commercial licence more affordable. The new program, titled The Experience and Equivalency program, will reduce the time it takes for Class 3 drivers to upgrade to their Class 1. A dedicated $3… Read More
Three of Ontario’s ministries (Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; Health; and Labour, Training and Skills Development) have committed to a strategy to prevent COVID-19 transmission, and protect workers and the province’s food supply chain ahead of next year’s growing season. The joint government-industry Prevention, Control and Outbreak Support Strategy for COVID-19 in Ontario’s Farm Workers… Read More
From farm level to the corner office, there are more jobs available in agriculture than ever before. But the possibility of a future talent shortage is a definite concern, and that discussion was part of the recent farm management-focused week of the Syngenta Media Summit. “It’s been a hot topic lately, specifically in Syngenta, but… Read More
Benchmarking is a comparison, but it’s not a competition. Benchmarking can be a useful tool to understand where your farm management practices can improve on yield, profit margin, operation efficiency, or gross margin. Even human resources can be benchmarked, but it’s what you do with the numbers next that really counts. Maggie Van Camp, national… Read More
If I want it done right, I’ll do it myself. Is that a phrase that you often say or think as a farmer? Delegation is a learned skill and one that doesn’t always come easily, especially if you’re used to working independently. On a recent Farmer Rapid Fire segment over on RealAg Radio, host Shaun… Read More