Young Agrarians invites young and experienced farmers to attend
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
An organization is hosting a networking and learning event for young farmers across the Prairies next month.
Young Agrarians is holding its “Rooted: Grow Deep” mixer at Beaver Creek Camp in Dundurn, Sask. from December 2-3.
Farmers from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are invited to attend, as are people without farming backgrounds.
“We have a lot of people who come from farms, and we also have a lot of people who don’t come from farm families and want to get into agriculture,” Dana Penrice, Prairie programs manager for Young Agrarians, told Farms.com. “These events are great opportunities for people to network with likeminded people, or to find a pathway into agriculture or to learn something new they can implement on their own farms.”
Though Young Agrarians focuses on new and younger producers, experienced farmers are invited to the mixer too.
About 66 per cent of producers don’t have a succession plan in place, a Royal Bank report showed.
And Statistics Canada data showed Canada only has 22,635 farmers under the age of 35, while the average age of a Canadian farmer is 56.
Coming to one of these networking events could be the first step in developing a plan, and provides for knowledge transfer.
“Some farmers don’t have anyone to pass their farm onto and wonder what they’re going to do with the farm and the land when it’s time to retire,” she said. “These kinds of events will have young farmers there looking for opportunities to become farmers, and it can be a great way to begin a relationship that way. Not only that, but we also invite established farmers to come and be a great resource and offer their knowledge to our younger producers.”
The two-day event will feature multiple guest speakers covering topics like marketing, newcomers, grassland restoration and environmental stewardship.
Anna Hunter, a first-generation sheep farmer and wool mill owner from Manitoba, will discuss her experience raising sheep and making clothes on Prairie grasslands.
And Arlie LaRoche, a Saskatchewan farmer, will make a presentation on the makings of a diversified farm business.
Tickets are available on a pay-what-you-can basis beginning at $50 and ranging to $250, which includes accommodation and food.