A new report serves up a dire warning on the state of farming over the next decade.
The report from the Royal Bank of Canada and the University of Guelph advises more than 40 per cent of farm operators will retire in the coming 10 years.
Crispin Colvin, vice-president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture Board of Directors, tells myFM there is also an ongoing shortage of seasonal farm workers.
Researchers at the University of Guelph estimate 66 per cent of farm operators don’t have a succession plan in place.
Colvin – who farms east of Thorndale – notes succession planning is a challenge for many farm operators.
To address the shortage and lack of succession plans, the report says Canada will need to accept 30-thousand permanent immigrants by 2033 to take over existing farms and greenhouses, or establish their own.
Colvin says the various levels of government need to offer financial incentives to entice young people to take over farms or establish their own.
The report says the shortage will come at critical moment because Canada’s agricultural sector will need to produce significantly more food for a growing world population, but must also cut emissions to meet climate targets.
Colvin adds a deterrent for young people hoping to get into farming is the high cost of land.
He stresses the Ontario Federation of Agriculture really needs senior levels of government to get involved.
The report recommends bolstering agriculture education and increasing spending on automation, which can make existing farms more efficient.
Written by Ian McCallum with files from The Canadian Press
