Alberta Gives Funding to Support Ag Worker Recruitment

Nov 25, 2022

Alberta and the federal government are giving $2.5 million to Ag for Life to help companies recruit, hire and retain workers in the province’s agriculture and agri-food industry, a Nov. 25 news release said.

“Alberta’s agriculture sector continues to grow and set new investment and export records despite facing numerous challenges. This funding will help producers and processors with their labour needs so they can remain competitive, grow their businesses, and respond to an international food shortage,” Nate Horner, Alberta minister of agriculture and irrigation, said in the release.

The release noted that since 2011, Ag for Life has delivered agriculture education to over half a million Albertans across the province. The charitable organization works with producers to develop high-quality programming to inspire a better understanding of the integral role agriculture plays in our economy.

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Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?