by SUSAN MANN
Farming may be challenging but many producers would still recommend an agricultural career to a family member or friend, according to a recent Farm Credit Canada survey.
The FCC vision panel survey released Thursday found that 80 per cent of producers would encourage others to get involved. Moreover, 21 per cent of consumers across Canada who participated in the March survey would consider a career in agriculture and 27 per cent would encourage someone else to pursue it.
Both groups used similar words to describe farming when asked to choose five words from a list associated with the agricultural industry. The words were: weather dependent, struggling, under-recognized, underpaid, essential.
The online survey had 2,015 respondents and a margin of error of plus or minus 2.1 per cent. “Although farmers recognize the challenges inherent in the industry they still would encourage others to get involved,” it says in an FCC press release.
Bette Jean Crews, president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, says she would agree with the words picked by survey respondents. “The biggest challenge is getting our fair share of the dollar in the marketplace.”
Crews would also recommend farming as a business. Her father wasn’t farmer but he had his own barbershop business. One thing farmers like about the business is being able to make their own decisions and seeing the results of that, she explains.
“I do think society’s mind is coming around to the fact that they need to pay what agriculture is worth,” she says. “I think it’s going to take a few more years but I see us on an upswing.”
Agriculture employs one in eight Canadians, the press release says. BF
Comments
You cannot expect to get any other answers from FCC and others on this topic.
They would incriminate themselves!
My son, now almost 22, has been reading my copies of The Economist, ever since he started high school, and therefore, completely understands things like investment bubbles, the dangers of protectionism (supply management), and stratospheric price/earnings multiples when valuing things, including farm land.
Therefore, it came as no surprise, and absolutely no disappointment, when he left for Engineering school in 2009 (armed with boatloads of scholarships and bursaries) he told me that if I'd tried to interest him in the farm, he could probably have me convicted of child abuse.
It is a truly sad state of affairs when a well-read teenager knows more about the (truly wretched) state of Canadian agriculture, than the people in it.
Stephen Thompson, Clinton ON
Mr. Thompson, I am very curious, who should grow our food if you don't think that young people should get into farming?
Have you ever considered, even fleetingly, that maybe some of those paying those multiples that you view as unsustainable are simply better at what they do ? Good for your son that he found something that he wants to pursue but given your endless pessimism towards your chosen field it can be no surprise that he has gone off in search of greener pastures. Frankly given that we only get to go around this life once I can't understand that one who feels so negatively towards his occupation would remain in the business.
In the 1920s and 30s there were people worning of acts taking place that would cause harm and did lead to WW11. These people were laughed at, The majority of people just dont get it and it is now happening in Europe again.
Maybe we should be asking what if MR Thompson is a little correct, were do we stand. Maybe we all should be looking at the magazine Economist. I imagine it is hard to see the things in the 70s and 80s happened and see similar events taking place again and this generation not learning a dammed thing
It is so simple
"Frankly given that we only get to go around this life once I can't understand that one who feels so negatively towards his occupation would remain in the business."
The first 10 years of farming and learning you are trusting the elder farmleaders.
The second 10 years you see the politics of farming is not working FOR THE BETTERMENT OF NET FARM INCOME and the farm economy of ontario and Canada is not in sink with other sectors profit.
After 20 years farming there is enough examples of mismanaged farm politics,rural decay, municipal debt that you say what is going on!
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