Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Paperwork overtakes farming, studies find

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

by SUSAN MANN

Paperwork to obtain government licenses and permissions is taking up the majority of time in farmers’ days, say participants of farming industry studies in five southwestern Ontario counties.

Jill Halyk, executive director of the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie, says red tape was the main issue they heard from everyone they talked to with participants saying “the administration side of farming was overtaking the actual job of farming.”

Participants didn’t expressly say they found the amount of required paperwork overwhelming, but Halyk says that was the general sense they got. The studies were based on surveys with farmers, agriculture-related companies and others along with detailed research.

The Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie and the Elgin Middlesex Oxford Workforce Planning and Development Board published a separate Agriculture and Labour Force Analysis Study for each of Brant, Norfolk, Elgin, Oxford, and Middlesex counties. The Sand Plains Community Development Fund provided funding.

Halyk says they also did a study for Haldimand but there was a different source of funding for that one.

Among the studies’ recommendations are:

•    develop strategies that make it easier for more people to enter farming;
•    promote farming as a career for young people and newcomers;
•    provide training opportunities for farmers to learn new skills;
•    build on opportunities for new commodities; and
•    help farmers produce energy on their farms to reduce costs.

The two workforce planning boards had flagged agriculture as a major source of employment and business within their communities.  But they’ve been watching changes happening in the industry, particularly in tobacco. “We’re seeing changes in the number of businesses, particularly on the crop side of farming and changes in the number of people employed,” she explains.

One of the things the boards are concerned about is many farmers are nearing retirement age and reaching the point where they have to think about who will replace them. The average age of farmers in the study areas is 55 years old.

The other thing that’s happened in the study areas is there has been a lot of interest from young people thinking of farming as a career.

Halyk says the boards’ main concern is to protect and sustain the industry sector that’s so important to their communities and that’s what prompted them to do the studies. BF

 

Current Issue

June/July 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Ontario Promotes Local Food to Boost Economy and Jobs

Thursday, June 5, 2025

Ontario is celebrating Local Food Week from June 2–8, 2025, honoring the people behind the province’s strong and self-sufficient food supply. From farmers and food processors to retailers and restauranteurs, these individuals contribute to the economy and food security. The agriculture... Read this article online

Scientists at Guelph Target Avian Threat

Thursday, June 5, 2025

The University of Guelph (U of G) is activeey engaged against the spread of avian flu. Experts from a variety of departments, including virology, engineering, veterinary medicine, and computer science, are working together to stop this growing threat. “This is not just a crisis for the... Read this article online

Trouw Nutrition launches IntelEgg

Thursday, June 5, 2025

Trouw Nutrition has announced the launch of , a digital platform designed to empower layer producers with real-time insights and data-driven decision-making tools. The image above shows an demo screen. This browser-based application is set to transform how poultry farmers monitor,... Read this article online

New Precision Ag Digital Digest Coming Soon

Wednesday, June 4, 2025

The Summer 2025 Farms.com Precision Ag Digital Digest will be released on June 11. Summer is upon us! Tillage and seeding are mostly completed (…hopefully), so we are shifting focus to irrigation, baling, spraying, guidance, and harvest (among other topics and technologies). In... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2025 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top