Dale McBurney sums up a sentiment shared by many in Manitoba’s hog industry when it comes to finding workers for their barns.
“It’s tough,” said McBurney, manager of Hogs Is Beautiful, a farrow to early weanling venture near Souris, Man.
McBurney believes the industry offers great opportunities to young people wanting a career in agriculture. The pay is competitive, he said, and there’s good opportunity for advancement.
Negative publicity about the hog industry may be one reason more people aren’t seizing those opportunities, McBurney said. It reinforces the stigma that is sometimes attached to hog barn workers.
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“All the negative publicity has been bad for us as far as getting local young people to work in the barns.”
But the industry has changed, he said. Due to automation, modern barns have eliminated the need for hard physical labor. As well, there’s an opportunity for young people to learn new skills while developing long-term careers.
“There will always be a large demand for the skills,” said Ted Eastley, chair of the agriculture and rural enterprise division at Brandon’s Assiniboine Community College. “It has accelerated simply because of the expansion of Manitoba’s swine industry.”
Industry support
The college and Manitoba Pork formed a partnership recently to help meet demand. Manitoba Pork made a one-time contribution of $105,000 to support college programs geared toward the industry.
The province’s council on post-secondary education also committed $176,500 to program expansion. Tuition fees will cover the balance.
The college’s six-week swine worker level one program will expand to train an additional 45 students, for a total of 90. Newcomers to the swine industry can learn entry skills through the program.
The 10-month swine technician certificate program will be redesigned to provide on-campus delivery of a distance education program. That will allow 30 students to train at the college each year, tripling the current number.
There is an immediate need to fill 180 vacant positions in Manitoba’s swine sector, according to industry officials. Another 900 workers will be needed in four to five years.
“To get enough workers for the swine industry (in Manitoba) will take at least five to 10 years,” said Dennis Penner, chair of Manitoba Pork’s human resources committee. “The ones being trained are getting snapped up as soon as they come out of the programs.”
