The first 20 people between the ages of 15 and 25 to apply with Egg Farmers of Alberta could become the province’s next egg producers.
The EFA recently launched its youth development program, which is designed to bring younger farmers into the industry.
“We want to make sure that we’ve got the next generation of farmers lining up to be egg producers, so it’s important to us that we start to dialogue with these people now to see if we can get some interest,” said EFA general manager Susan Gal.
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It’s likely that those who apply will already have small flocks or experience with poultry, she said.
To qualify for the program, participants can have no more than 300 laying hens, which is the maximum allowed without official quota in the supply managed egg system.
“They probably already have birds. What we’re trying to do is bring them more into the egg industry in terms of promoting youth to come in,” Gal said.
Successful applicants must live on an Alberta farm, operate their flocks according to on-farm food safety and animal welfare regulations and can remain in the program for up to 10 years. Inspections will be done to ensure requirements are met, said Gal.
Compliance will entitle participants to an annual 50 percent rebate on levies that are paid to processors by all egg producers.
This is the second recent initiative by the EFA to attract younger farmers to the industry. Several weeks ago, it announced the names of seven farm operations that qualified for a new entrant program that allocated quota at no cost.
Applications for the youth program are available from the EFA by calling their Calgary office at 403-250-1197.
