Those of us long in the tooth have been sadly aware of the decline in young people entering the agriculture industry.
Those folks are the future survival of the business and without them there is an ominous trend. At the same time the average age of farmers and ranchers continues to increase albeit slowly. I would suggest the trend probably started in the early 1960s.
But a recent event has caused even a cynical old farm writer to see that there is a glimmer of hope to the survival and renewal of agriculture in this province. Young people are entering the industry, but not in a way they used to, and that should not be a surprise.
I recently attended the Outstanding Young Farmers (OYF) organization event in Olds. That group runs an annual provincial competition to find what their title says and it involves a rigorous nomination and judging process. It’s designed to find not just the young — but the successful.
That’s not always an easily found combination. Judges for the event are drawn from various sources from production to banking. They also look at the total picture, which includes participation in organizations, family and community involvement and other factors.
The idea is to find a well-rounded individual. The provincial winner then goes on to participate in the national OYF event. The entire provincial and national competition is funded by ag industry suppliers, ag media, financial institutions and government sources. It’s managed by a well-organized alumni group.
Those that win the OYF competition are outstanding, even astounding, as to their abilities and successes — and yes they give one hope as to the future of agriculture in Alberta.
There are a few characteristics that many of the OYF winners share. Firstly, they are very smart entrepreneurs and understand that business knowledge is the key to success. They also realized very young that in today’s commercial agriculture its economies of scale and risk management that decide the future of their operations. The reality is that outside of the supply management commodities, marketing and finance have become the key components in managing big operations.
Another characteristic is that OYF nominees and winners use any initial success to expand production and that tends to build on itself. It allows for even more efficiencies in leasing and renting land and machinery. Inputs can be purchased cheaper and expert agronomic advice can be afforded.
Some naysayers mention that many of these young folks received considerable support from their parents or relatives mainly by means of land use. There is some truth to that, but what most of the OYF folks have done is expand on that initial support far beyond what their parents ever managed.
That’s where the talent comes in — in using modern financial tools and marketing options that would have been alien to their parents. The reality is 1,500 acres of cereal cropland just doesn’t make much of a living today even if you own the land. To survive and thrive you need to be big.
Those that pine for the good old days when farms and ranches were of modest means and saw a much larger farm population are dreaming. Those days are gone, the main reason is that most young folks today want to make a living similar to other sectors of the economy.
To stay in agriculture, it requires smarts, guile and yes some good luck. Those that don’t have those attributes leave.
Many of those that want to stay in agriculture have seen a renewed interest in ag education. That’s been a boon to our ag institutions being they were seeing a real decline in enrollment in the not too distant past.
Because of that decline, the ag colleges have seen some consolidation with Olds and Lakeland surviving, Fairview College as an ag focused college has disappeared. The colleges have also rationalized programs to avoid duplication.
Other general-purpose colleges like Grande Prairie and Lethbridge have also offered specialized ag programs. This was all done because of declining enrolment over the years.
Prospective students tended to follow the lure of the energy industry for a more secure future. That seems to have changed over the past few years. Ag colleges also began enticing students with very specialized production, marketing and management courses. The days of learning general animal husbandry and all-purpose mechanics are no longer the focus.
Yes, it’s looking a lot more hopeful for the future of agriculture in Alberta.
— AHEAD OF THE HEARD