If more Canadians participate in the international exchange, more workers can come to help out on farms here
Farm labour is in short supply across Canada, and one solution could be finding skilled workers from farms overseas.
Anita Warriner, executive director of A-Way to Work International Rural Exchange, made an urgent call for host farms at the SaskOrganic’s Advanced Organics conference in Saskatoon on March 27.
Two programs provide opportunities for Canadian farmers.
The Youth Exchange program works in both directions, bringing in skilled workers from across Europe and a select few Asian and South American countries. It also helps young Canadians find farm placements in other countries.
Read Also
Ag in Motion speaker highlights need for biosecurity on cattle operations
Ag in Motion highlights need for biosecurity on cattle farms. Government of Saskatchewan provides checklist on what you can do to make your cattle operation more biosecure.
Through the Farm Stay program, anyone over age 18 can find agricultural work for up to 12 weeks around the world, either to experience Canadian agriculture and improve their English, or experience farming in another country.
Participants coming into Canada already have a minimum of two years of on-farm experience.
Warriner hosted exchange participants for 20 years before her recent retirement from farming.
She said the young people coming to her farm were always knowledgeable and dependable, so that helped her in many different ways.
“We didn’t have to push ourselves to the nth degree … Having the right labour can help you have a life that you want to live instead of always feeling like your nose is to the grindstone.”
She said there have also been challenges such as language barriers, social anxiety and homesickness.
However, some of the most challenging participants have been the most rewarding.
“They came back to us in five or 10 years later and said ‘that was a turning point in my life, and thank you for your patience because it made me who I am.’”
Warriner said the exchange has plenty of hosts on large conventional Canadian grain farms, so they are looking for farms focused elsewhere in the industry, such as organic and agri-tourism. Farms with horses have been in high demand as well.
Glenys and Mark Neuman of GlenMar Acres near Frobisher, Sask. were participants in the 1980s, opening their organic farm to farmers from around the world, both young people and others through the Farm Stay program. They said they’ve made lifelong friends and the program has been great for their children to meet new people from different cultures and countries. It’s also allowed visitors to see a bit of the Canadian Prairies while gaining valuable agricultural experience.
Glenys said that no matter where they’ve come from, visitors have been passionate about coming and sharing ideas.
“Even (some) Farm Stays are not farm people, but they’ve had experiences on farms and they all come with just a desire to work and a desire to please.”
Warriner told the conference that the number of placements available in Canada is determined by the number of Canadians being sent abroad, so if anyone is looking for a new opportunity, (or needs to get a young person out of the house, she laughed), the exchange could be a great new experience.
She said it’s also a safe way to see and work around the world, including for women, people of colour and LGBTQ+ people without worrying for their safety.
“We have your back. We don’t want to send you into a situation that’s not good, and so we would work with anyone to make travel safe for them.”
Warriner said she sees more Canadian women taking advantage of these travel opportunities, but the exchange is working on targeting different groups through social media and in-person presentations.
For more information, visit https://awaytowork.ca/
