C1-How can we stop the decline and increase the number of farmers?

 proposed by Tom Manley

Problems identified with attracting young people to the farming profession:

• lifestyle choices keep people away from farming (hard work, long days, outside work, low income)
• return on investment is too low
• it's too costly to startup
• prices of commodities vary wildly and cause revenue instability
• fewer younger people in the population to choose from (strong competitive demand for young people by all professions)
• immigration policies and immigrant selection drives immigrants to urban areas, which is the opposite of immigration before 1950
• It seems the younger generations want instant gratification, instant income, which farming cannot provide.
• University and college graduates are pressed by debt and parental responsibilities that require stable instant income, which is not farming.
• Children used to take on the profession of their parents. But almost every other profession now recruit, train, and develop new recruits from outside their profession and their families. Farming still expects the farmers come from farm families. But farm youth want other professions and non-farm youth are not coming to farming.
• Farmers still expect farmers to grow up on farms - that population is declining.
• business model - get big or get out. This leave little room for new small farms.
• The local small scale food processing and marketing infrastructure was eliminated, thus shutting the door to small entry-level farms.
• Supply management has driven up the price of quota and imposes a high minimum volume, thus closing the door on entry-level farmers.
• Excessive regulation hinders small entry-level operations.

Solutions:

• Niche marketing allows for smaller farms, smaller set up costs, and greater margins.
• Diversity of production and products and mixed farms can make smaller operations viable and reduce revenue risk.
• local food marketing can allow new farmers to share and leverage marketing efforts.
• regulatory change - land transfer tax prevents farmers from transferring farm land outside the family to a new farmer.
• generic tax issues
• need to rebuild the local food system to allow entry-level farming: provincially inspected abattoirs, millers, spinners, farmers markets.
• Need mentoring, internships, incubator farms to welcome new people to farming.
• Need to better publicize the existing programs and education already available.
• The next generation of farmers will be a combination of young people from the city and second career middle-aged people looking for a farm and rural lifestyle. Need programs to target both.
• Encourage existing farmers to take on interns without a farm background.
• Need to replace the government support system such as agriculture societies, farm extension agents, farmer education.
• value added production can provide more margins on smaller operations.
• design program flaws for CAIS which requires 5 years of history that new farmers do not have.
• Kingston area has a $10,000 grant for young farmers to start up. Public and private lenders need new programs targeting new and young farmers.
• what about agriculture courses in urban high school curriculum? Need to integrate agri-food awareness in the education system to show that farming is a viable profession for all youth.
• turn policies around - instead of encouraging rural ontarians to leave rural Ontario and move to urban areas, why not reverse it?
• students learn about agriculture and are well educated but are driven to employment instead of the farm because of a guaranteed income.
• more emphasis on processing products in Canada would show an investment in home-made goods. Better process commodities and animals in Canada than ship raw goods and standing animals to the USA.
• help connect farmers directly with consumers
• why can't I repay my start-up loans the same way I repay my student loan?
• Will tomorrow's farmer do the same job as yesterday's farmer? Should we consider changing our definition of farmers?  more than food production? Such as energy production, marketing, value added processing.
• Farmers need stable government programming.  ONtario has the Risk Management Program, but it's a pilot program set to expire in 2010.  The federal government hasn't even contributed to it. How can we encourage young farmers to enter farming unless we show them a stable business environment where their older colleagues are able to make a stable living?
• What about producing what we need? Problems with the US farm bill - half of an American farmer's income comes from subsidies from the US farm bill, so they overproduce food just so they can collect the government pay cheque.
• One young farmers claims "I'm not a farmer - I'm in direct sales."

What happens next?

• improve government policies
• talk to MP/MPP
• get consumer support - encourage them to ask "where are your Ontario tomatoes?  What is your Ontario wine selection?  Do you serve Ontario lamb?" The consumer is the voter!
• buy local (walk the talk)
• origin labeling (not COOL)
• informed food purchases
• Put agri-food into the education system
• Talk to young people about what they need to get into farmers; we (the existing farmers) are the wrong audience.