CROSSFIELD, Alta. – Youths must become part of the decision-making process for agriculture or they risk losing a stake in their future.
Jill Hurt, with the Alberta chapter of Canadian Young Farmers Forum (CYFF), said politicians need to listen to young people when creating the next generation of farm programs.
“As youth will be the next farmers out there, we need to be acknowledged and noticed,” said the 24 year old who lives on her family’s mixed farm at Crossfield.
“We are trying to help (farming) go where we want it to go instead of sitting back and letting it happen to us,” she said.
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Her siblings, Darcee, 20, and Dan, 22, share her concerns about the future.
All have studied at Olds College: Jill in agricultural production; Dan in seed and grain technology and Darcee in agricultural business.
Their family farm produces 2,700 acres of wheat, barley, peas and canola and maintains a 1,300 head feedlot and a small cow-calf herd.
Both Dan and Jill want to farm while Darcee, an agricultural intern at the Royal Bank, looks to a career in banking.
All have been actively involved with groups ranging from 4-H and the Ag Advocates to the Aggies Club and the Canadian Agricultural Marketing Association.
Those involvements exposed them to like-minded individuals in agriculture, allowed them to share their skills and provided insights into their industry and where the food they produce ends up.
“It is good to get involved and see what others my age are getting themselves into and see what they have to say,” said Dan.
He said there is an urgent need to straighten out government programs like the Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization.
“Switching between programs, you can’t budget on what you’re going to get out of it,” he said.
Farmers cannot run their businesses with such uncertainties, agree the Hurts. They say terms must be pre-set and not changed in mid-term.
Inflated farm and land prices in Alberta and the changing face of rural communities are also a concern. They say development needs to be controlled and limited and noted how much their own town has changed in recent years.
“It is now more of a commuter town. It used to be an ag town,” said Darcee, who added that newcomers who work in nearby Calgary tend to be busier, less connected and less involved locally.
“A rural community thrives because everyone pitches in,” said Jill.
She was drawn to CYFF by the opportunity to join others her age with similar ideas, goals and backgrounds and who have hope in the future of agriculture.
Jill said youth often get lost in the myriad farm organizations, which generally are represented by older farmers.
The CYFF is a group of farmers aged 30 and under, who have a lot of optimism that things can be different for them in agriculture, she said.
“It’s nice to talk to someone who hasn’t been jaded yet,” said Jill.
Darcee said youth have a clean slate compared to their parents.
“We are more excited about the future than they are because we haven’t had any bad experiences,” she said.
Dan said youths also bring a different perspective to the table, noting, “we have different thoughts than past generations.”
Youth can think outside the box, identify things that are not working and why, said the Hurts.
“We see different avenues and (do) not just do things the way they’ve always been done,” said Jill.
Their home farm has tried different crops and approaches.
Dan said farms can improve efficiencies and make smaller fields into larger sections to create a more efficient landcape to streamline farming operations.
Jill, an assistant cattle manager at an area feedlot, thinks spreading out the calving season can reduce the risk.
Value-added is also helpful, they said, citing direct sales of beef from their farm. With repeat customers and word of mouth advertising, the Hurts expect a wider promotion of their products in the future.
“People can get what they want and it tastes better,” Jill said. “People have confidence in where the animal comes from and how it is handled.”
They all agree farmers should be able to make a living from their farms and not need to be tempted by the money of the oilpatch.
“We want to live, not live to work,” Darcee said.
