No farm, no problem: Young farmers start in the industry in other ways

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It was the Netflix documentaries that Michael Nantais watched in the early months of the pandemic that cemented his passion for sustainable farming.

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Nantais, who grew up outside Montreal in Pointe-Claire, began experimenting in his mother’s backyard_ growing kale, cucumbers, and zucchini for the first time more than four years ago.

“I didn’t know much at the time,” said the 26-year-old. “I was buying seedlings and planting them.”

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Then came rapid changes in his life and career plans.

Nantais switched from an economics degree at university to a biology program to learn more about plants. He focused on learning everything about farming – first in a soil laboratory and later on a permanent farm in Montreal. Vertical farming stacks plants vertically in layers, usually indoors, allowing growers to control light, humidity, and temperature. It is becoming popular, especially in urban areas.

“Was my mind focused on farming and looking up when I switched to biology? The answer is no,” Nantais recalled.

“I had an open mind … I wanted to learn,” he said.

Young Canadians may not own farms or the heavy machinery needed to start traditional agricultural operations, but they are equipped with technology. That changes how they get their foot in the door – even when they don’t come from farm families.

Traditionally, many agriculture students come from rural areas and plan to eventually own a farm, said Jay Steeves, dean of the Werklund School of Agriculture & Technology at Olds College in Alberta.

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Now, many students from urban areas are joining agricultural programs in schools, and graduates are finding good positions in this field.

“It’s not just farming large acres with big jobs,” said Steeves. We are starting to see indoor farming, the idea of ​​producing and creating food for an increasing number of people.”

Steeves recalled a school project last year where a student planted lettuce in their bedroom and was able to control different areas, humidity and light intensity from a distance.

“That idea of ​​a student or a person in a small, small room with a growing function the size of a small refrigerator is part of agriculture at this time,” Steens said, “and now it’s producing food that can be used and eaten by anyone in the world.”

Innovation is key for aspiring farmers, says Craig Klemmer, chief economist at Farm Credit Canada. Starting small can be the first step.

“With the changing face of the Canadian population, it creates new market opportunities,” he said. For example, there has been a growing demand for sheep and goat meat, which can be started small and raised.

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Others are looking at the best areas of the industry, he said — growing herbs or sustainable agriculture — that require less investment and resources to run the business.

“If you look at the opportunities, there’s a lot in a small niche,” Klemmer said. “Finding a new and old solution, making some partnerships would be good ways to start.”

Nantais moved to Toronto last year to start his own vertical farm business with investment from his uncle but faced a logistical problem: finding suitable rental space to work.

Instead he decided to partner with an existing sustainable farm, Living Earth Farm, which grows sunflowers, peas, radishes, basil, cilantro and arugula, among other greens.

He uses the farm as a partner and plans to be there for a while. “Hopefully we can expand, grow our offering and start selling more of it.”

Exploring niche areas of farming comes at a time when the cost of farm and farm equipment has increased significantly in recent years.

Farmland prices in southern Ontario have risen from an average of $2,616 per hectare in 1996 to about $23,100 per hectare in 2023, according to Farm Credit Canada’s historical farm price report. Other states have seen similar price jumps.

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“The truth is, when we look at traditional crop production in Canada on a large scale, it’s a very high barrier to entry,” Klemmer said. “It will take less money to make that investment.”

That means that not everyone is in a position to own or manage a farm, no matter how big.

Steeves said many young agricultural college graduates are looking into areas such as plant science and working with large producers to help them become more efficient.

“A farmer is not your old image, (a) person standing in a field, getting their hands dirty working with animals,” said Steeves.

Field work including drone inspections, pest management and soil testing are jobs that are increasingly gaining ground among modern agricultural workers who want to be part of the food system but are unable to manage their jobs.

“It’s not so much about owning but doing a lot of consulting on production,” said Steens.

Resilience can be of great help to a young farmer. Like any other profession, Steeves said, small-scale farmers need soft skills such as communication and navigation skills to find jobs.

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Despite the growing interest in farming and the growing culture of growing your own food, there is still a shortage of workers in the agricultural sector.

As a large number of Canadian farmers retire, fewer young people are stepping up to take on those roles. About 61 percent of Canadian farm workers were 55 and older, according to Statistics Canada’s 2021 report. Meanwhile, the number of farmers under the age of 35 has dropped to 8.6 percent by 2021, compared to 11.5 percent in 2001.

“I think we still need more people,” Steens said.

He said there is room for everyone to be a part of agriculture _ if not at the farmer or producer level – and feel connected to the industry.

“We are still trying to dispel that myth that you have to come from this industry to participate,” said Steeves.

This Canadian Press report was first published on December 21, 2024.

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