After eight years in operation, the Canadian Young Farmers Forum is still working on getting every province and territory represented.
The forum, which operates under the wing of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, met last month in Ottawa with 30 representatives from across the country.
Quebec and Ontario are the strong branches, said Chris Kletke, who represents young farmers from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories.
The Brunkild, Man., farmer said one goal is to help individuals develop leadership and management skills, so the forum’s annual meeting had sessions on using accounting to analyze a farm operation and how to manage farm labour.
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But another goal is to educate a new generation of farm leaders who can take on organizational roles.
“It’s a stepping stone into agricultural policy and work in other farm groups,” said Kletke.
“We sit in on some of the CFA seminars and meetings.”
The youth forum’s general assembly, with three delegates from each province, meets once a year, but the executive board has monthly meetings, mainly by telephone.
The forum has been promised funding for five years from Agriculture Canada, starting with $225,000 this year. Some of the national forum’s money trickles out to the provincial branches.
But the forum hopes that general farm groups in each province will assist the young farmers forums. For example, the Manitoba youth group is a committee under Keystone Agricultural Producers, but there is no equivalent under the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan.
Kletke said there is no membership fee for the forum but prospective members must join the general farm organization in their province and be selected to represent it on the national forum.
Rod Scarlett, general manager of the national youth forum, who also manages Alberta’s Wild Rose Agricultural Producers, said members must be younger than 40. He agreed the structure is still being developed.
“Each province is a bit different. They’re all over the map.”
He said 2005’s effort will be about building structure so the group can look at meeting more often.
Saskatchewan’s member-at-large to the national forum, Lyndon Butler, said he would like to see a group organized in his province because farmers need more networking.
He and Kletke farm with family and would like to stick with it.
Zane Lewis, the representative for Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon, said he joined the Young Farmers Forum in Alberta this January and was one of three delegates to the national forum.
His goal is to get young farmers groups set up in B.C. and Yukon with the help of contacts with the 4-H clubs and the National Rural Youth Network. The latter is a federally funded program to keep rural residents younger than 29 connected, mainly through an internet chat forum. Technology will also help draw young farmers together said Lewis.
The Bon Accord, Alta., farmer has been working at construction jobs around Edmonton but has also resumed working on his family’s grain and hay operation. He hopes the forum will “make young people feel more empowered to choose farming as a career.”
