The Rural Voice, 2005-01, Page 18Young farmers are the
hope for the future of
agriculture. There are
some programs to
help them get started.
Getting Started
P
Yes, times are tough, but they've been tough before, one farm succession expert
points out and young people who really want to farm will find a wag.
There are those who are helping.
By Keith Roulston
wish for many farmers.
But that's nothing new says Peter
Coughler, OMAF succession
planning and business agreements
program lead. "Previous generations
certainly had difficult times," he
points out. "The 1980s were certainly
difficult." If young people are
determined to farm they will find a
way to make it happen, he says.
Still, the problem of an aging farm
population exists. The 2001 farm
census noted that of 85,000 census
farmers, fewer than 9,000 were under
the age of 35 while nearly 32,000
were 55 or over.
Cougler has been part of the
beginning and young farmer
committee with the Canadian Farm
Business Council which is looking at
programs to give young farmers the
tools and information they need to
successfully take over from the aging
generation. A couple of mentoring
At a time when the average age
of Ontario farmers continues
to increase, what is being
done to encourage a new generation
to take over the province's farms?
While some farm leaders have
been urging new programs to assist
young people to enter the industry,
there hasn't been much emphasis by
government, certainly not in funding.
Of course with all the problems
they're facing right now, many
farmers wonder whether they should
be encouraging their children to farm
at all. Many have taken up the old
joke that they wouldn't want their
children to take over the farm
because that would be child abuse.
And one of the first pieces of advice
that succession planners give farmers
looking toward retirement is to look
at the profitability of their operations.
Right now, between BSE and low
crop prices, profitability is a fond
14 THE RURAL VOICE
programs have been set up to pair
young farmers with experienced
farmers: one in French in Eastern
Ontario and one in Alberta.
The Farm Centre also offers an
informative "new farmers" website at
http://farmcentre.com/english/newfar
mer/index.htm which features topics
such as: new farmer profiles;
profitable trends in farming; "what it
takes to be a farmer"; what grants
and government programs are
available in various provinces;
where to go for commodity -specific
information; business planning and
risk management; farm spreadsheets
and other software; a sign-up for free
new farmer updates and start-up
manuals, including "So You Want to
be a Farmer" booklet designed to
help young people learn about the
business of farming, address the main
factors to consider in starting a farm
business and to provide sources of