Report shows 40 per cent of Canada’s farmers will retire by 2023

Minister of Agriculture Marie-Claude Bibeau explains how Canada is trying to boost interest in the agricultural industry.

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29 comments

  1. They needed to do a study? Im 58, I grew up in rural Canada on a farm with 2.5 sections of land. The closest town was 700 to 800, with about 800 to 1000, draw. As time went by the smaller farms sold out, to larger farms. This reduced the draw, and retired farmers moved to town. Now jump ahead 30 years, the town has a average age now of 60, there is not enough rural farmers to support a grocery store. So when I was twenty there was two grocery store, two mechanic shops, the town had 2 men’s ball teams and a senior men’s hockey club plus curling league. It now relies on imports for the hockey team, there is no ball and the curling rink is shut down. And they combined the elementary school into the high school. This is just one of many communities, and this has been going on for a while.

    1. Thats most likely what will happen. Farming will no longer be done by families but by corporations who will largely automate most of the work. Welcome to the future.

    2. That’s what’s been happening for decades, there are mutual funds that specifically finance such corporations which typically operate as banks.

  2. Can’t they just make one of their kids take over it? Much better to have lots of land and a business than to live in the big cities with unaffordable prices.

    1. Just try making your kids do anything once they come of age. What would you have done if told you can not pursue your own future because you have a responsibility to continue the family business.

    2. @John Wang Pursue your own future? You think the average kid these days have any? If I was given the opportunity to take over a family business I would do it in a heartbeat.

  3. Pretty obvious that was gonna happen. I would have loved to farm but it’s impossible to get into.

    1. @SummerSausage1 See, you’ve exemplified your cognitive bias by your derogatory reference to a political leader demonstrating yourself as a child who cries “changees” violently.

    1. At least they wound up with living in O’Neill cylinders at the end of the movie “Interstellar”.

  4. All that farm land is what is flipping into developments (outside major cities) as they retire. Not only is the problem not enough farmers, it’s the barrier to entry… The price of farm equipment is designed to milk (no pun indented) all the profit from the farmer. It’s a tough business model that mainly dominated by large corps using massive scale of production to achieve profits.

  5. There isnt and never will be a labour shortage in the agricultural sector. Automation replaces farmers as they retire. Every sector is like that. That’s why it’s so important for our country to REDUCE its population not increase it.

  6. Will almost need to nationalize it to make it sustainable. I agree with the other posters. Farmers selling their land to either mega farms or for development. Who wouldn’t?? I dine dozens of different jobs and the hardest job I ever had was working on a tobacco farm when I was 18. I can see what many shy away from it.

    They are needed but not appreciated.

  7. Why does it say it’s going to end in 2023 fix your title. This is a rookie mistake fire the person who uploaded this

  8. Yes! 😂 thank you for not answering a straight question!!
    Maybe the fact with taxes and fees the federal government is making mandatory Canadians see they can’t afford or make a profit!
    So let’s get food shipped in that is poor quality and last, if lucky 2 days in fridge.
    Let’s not try to supply and demand Canadian economy!!

  9. I know quite a few children from farming families, not one of them is going to carry on the family business.

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