The Rural Voice, 1988-02, Page 32ANEW MANDATE AND NAME
FOR THE FARM LABOR POOL
by Cathy Laird
AES, or Agricultural Employment
Services, is a new name for an old
friend of the farming community.
Formerly the Canada Farm Labor
Pool, AES is more than an employ-
ment agency for farm workers. With
21 offices and sub -offices in Ontario,
AES is a department on contract under
the federal Ministry of Employment
and Immigration. It works closely
with several community agencies and
co-operates with various federal
ministries across Canada.
As Doug Grant, manager of the
Owen Sound office, notes, AES "is an
anomaly within the system. There is
not other agency of this type that is
funded directly on a tendered resume
basis." The manager of the service is
contracted under the federal govem-
ment for a fixed term.
Why did the Canada Farm Labor
Pool change its name? The agency is
changing its focus, playing a larger
role as advisor to the farming sector,
especially in the area of labor disputes
and negotiations. The new name bet-
ter suits what the agency has become
and points to its focus in the future.
AES, however, remains very much
involved in job placement and referral
services. The biggest demand for
regular farm jobs is in the dairy sector.
Workers are also regularly needed on
pork, beef, orchard, horse, and berry
farms. Most of the workers placed by
AES have worked on farms before and
want to continue working in agricul-
ture. At one time, the majority of
workers were farm kids, but now the
typical applicant is male, between the
ages of 18 and 30, and a high-school
drop-out. Married couples seeking
housing along with an agricultural job
are also common candidates.
In addition, the number of young
urban workers has increased. Farm
kids, meanwhile, are heading to the
housing and construction industries.
"They are good workers and they get
hired," says Wilmer Beckett, field -
AES manager, Doug Grant
Clerk -interviewer Karen Vaughan and fieldperson Wilmer Beckett
person at the Owen Sound AES office.
Most AES placements are seasonal
or temporary. Seasonal jobs include
haying in June, stone -picking in early
spring, picking berries in summer, and
picking apples in fall. Workers with
their own chain saws cut wood in the
spring and fall. Summer jobs on
orchard farms include pruning and
suckering apple trees and repairing
bins. In June there is a run on farm
jobs by local high-school students.
30 THE RURAL VOICE