WHEN I attended my first gathering of a national farm organization years ago, I was surprised to see so many grey heads. There was no shortage of wisdom and experience, but where were the young farmers? Who was going to rally the troops as these retired?
The greying of farm leadership reflects the aging of farmers generally, of course; Statistics Canada tells us that more than half of Canadian farm operators are now older than 50.
But there’s more to it. Some aspects of modern rural life make it increasingly difficult to grow new leadership.
Read Also
Worrisome drop in grain prices
Prices had been softening for most of the previous month, but heading into the Labour Day long weekend, the price drops were startling.
Economic factors play a big part. One of them is regionalization.
Most shopping for farm and family inputs is now done in larger regional centres where you aren’t likely to meet many people you know. The sense of mutual responsibility to one’s immediate neighbours is reduced.
So when folks are asked if they’ll serve on a local school board or planning committee they may be less likely to say yes than their parents did.
Off-farm work is another contributing factor. According to StatsCan, 54 percent of all farmers under 55 work off-farm while only 27 percent of those over 55 do. And 61 percent of smaller farm operators, often those relatively new to farming, work off-farm. Half of those put more than 40 hours per week into the off-farm jobs.
The reason of course is that younger farmers usually carry significantly higher debt-to-equity ratios than more established farmers. Also insurance and support programs tend to be based on one’s production history and profit margin and so pay out least to those who are struggling to get started.
So, most younger producers must work at other jobs to help cover payments. It doesn’t leave much time for community leadership. Time that is left over is generally needed for family.
There are social barriers too. Leadership in rural communities can be a thankless task.
A town councillor who owns a local business may find it boycotted by those who are upset with the position she took on closing the school.
People who oppose a leader publicly may find it hard to back down or reconcile without losing face. So leaders can end up being at odds with particular community members for a long period of time. And gossip on the part of antagonists can be destructive and hard to refute.
Does that mean the future for rural leadership is bleak? Not if it includes young people like 14-year-old Rhyanne Duffey who organized some friends and picketed the Burger King in Moose Jaw, asking it to buy Canadian beef.
She might have made a fool of herself, but she took a risk and helped change the buying habits of a national food chain. She also forged a network of relationships that will serve the community well as it undertakes new projects.
There are young folks like Rhyanne in all of our rural communities – people who have thick skins, strong people skills and a solid understanding of and love for their communities.
If we want to live in lively rural places with good services, then we have a moral responsibility to identify potential leaders, to encourage and support them.
That might mean chipping in to cover the costs of some training. It might mean helping with planting or harvest to free up time for community involvement.
Wheat and potatoes are not the only things rural Canada knows how to grow. We’ve grown some great leaders. Can we revive those skills?
Cam Harder is associate professor of systematic theology at the Lutheran TheologicalSeminary in Saskatoon. The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of The Western Producer.
