A freshly minted group wants to be the voice of young farmers in
Saskatchewan.
The Saskatchewan Young Farmers’ Forum, which held its inaugural meeting
in Saskatoon Jan. 11, represents farmers under the age of 40.
Its goals include education and communication, said forum co-ordinator
Norm Hall of Wynyard, Sask. He is also the national chair of the
Canadian Young Farmers’ Forum. That forum, launched in 1997 to allow
farmers to collaborate and exchange ideas, will hold its annual
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conference in Halifax next month.
The Saskatchewan group, one of several provincial affiliations the
Canadian forum hopes to create, seeks to “bring understanding and
knowledge of challenges facing young farmers.” That includes issues
like start-up financing, said Hall.
“Right now, with depending on bank financing, nobody wants to take that
plunge,” he said.
It will inform an anticipated 3,000 members on the reasons behind
government policies and prepare them for roles in other farm groups.
“We are not a lobby group,” said Hall, noting that its principal
supporter, the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan,
fills that role. With an aging farm population, Hall said it is
important for the forum to explore ways for youth to choose farming as
a profession.
The group’s website is www.youngfarmers.net.
