Canadian agriculture needs a labour strategy, says FCC

Jun 07, 2013

Farm Credit Canada (FCC) chief agriculture economist is advocating that agricultural stakeholders need to focus on a labour strategy.

Jean Philippe Gervais, FCC’s chief agricultural economist says that labour is a vital asset on the farm, noting that agribusinesses need a comprehensive employee recruitment and retention plan for workers. Gervais expresses concern over key trends such as an ageing population and urbanization as having an impact on the availability of finding good skilled farm labour. The demand for farm labour is growing as Canadian agriculture production expands. According to Statistics Canada, wages for agriculture workers increased by 22% during the past five years. Despite this, the agriculture sector continues to lag behind other primary based industries, such as oil, gas and mining, which typically offer higher wages.

Lyndon Carlson, FCC’s vice-president, said that the agriculture community should speak positively about the industry and talk about the opportunities available. Carlson encourages producers and agribusinesses to participate in the Agriculture More Than Ever campaign.

The following are some key recruitment and retention advice:

•Host a job fair to attract potential employees.

•Engage on social media (LinkedIn) and post on online job boards.

•Post videos showing team work and company success.

•Consider recruiting summer students (co-op or interns)

•Use a firm to assist with overseas agriculture recruitment.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.