Young farmer calls new lending program announcement in the federal budget a step in the right direction

Mar 02, 2018

Sarah Jackson would like, however, to see a program for all young farmers

By Diego Flammini
News Reporter
Farms.com

A key focus of the federal government’s 2018-29 budget is the expansion of the role of women in the workplace.

One specific budget item relates to women in the agricultural industry.

“To support women entrepreneurs in agriculture, the Government will create and launch a new lending product in 2018–19 designed specifically for women entrepreneurs through Farm Credit Canada (FCC),” the budget states.

Sarah Jackson, the 26-year-old owner of Uplands Pheasantry in Lambton County, likes the idea of new lending program.

Sarah Jackson
Photo: Facebook

“As a young farmer it can be difficult to come up with a whole bunch of equity, compared to a farmer who’s been doing it for a long time,” she told Farms.com today.

She’s curious about the focus on women in the industry, however.

Women have fought to be respected in what’s been considered a male-dominated industry, she said. In her experience, female entrepreneurs in ag haven’t had issues accessing capital, adding that a program designed to help all farmers might be a better project to explore.

"It is my understanding that this government has put an emphasis on closing the gaps for women in the 2018 budget, which is good," she said. "Though I worry about us women being singled out. What about young farmers in general? I know my male colleagues also face financial hurdles to farm ownership.

"I will be curious to see how this effort will work in practice."

For more information about the agricultural elements in the budget, check out yesterday’s coverage.

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.