'It's a dying thing for the kids to take over': Report points to looming farmer shortage as many retire

A new report is suggesting that aging farmers are hanging up the tractor keys, with no-one to take the wheel.

The study by the University of Guelph and commissioned by the Royal Bank of Canada, said 40 per cent of farmers will retire in the next ten years, and 66 per cent of farmers do not have a succession plan.

Crispin Colvin, vice president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture board of directors, said fewer farmers means domestically produced food will be harder to find.

“If a company or a factory loses 40 to 50 percent of its employees, it’s going to have trouble meeting production targets,” explained Colvin. “Agriculture will be no different. We’ll have trouble meeting our production targets to feed Canadians.”

Twenty-year-old Ally Arther is bucking the trend.

The Thames Centre resident grew up on a family farm, and just graduated from Ridgetown, Ontario Agriculture College.

“I’ve grown up with it, and I really have a strong passion for it,” said Arther.

She hopes to start her own poultry farm one day, but she knows it won’t be easy. She said she’ll need about $2 million in start-up capital.

“The challenges would be getting the quota for the barn, and then having all the financials for it, and getting loans.”

Fourth generation dairy farmer, 26-year-old William Johnson said he feels “blessed” to be able to continue with his family legacy. He admits, though, many of his peers have turned away from the family business

“You know you can make more money in town, and they don’t want the hours this job demands,” he said. “Nothing wrong with that, but it’s a dying thing for the kids to take over from their parents.”

Colvin believes senior governments should offer financial support, in much the same way they do with other businesses.

“Land in the Middlesex, Elgin, Oxford areas all around 40 to $45,000 an acre. So a hundred acre farm, you’re looking at at least $4 million,” he said. “That’s a big challenge for young people to get in to. One of the things we probably should be looking at is some type of small business loan.”

In the meantime, Arther said if all goes as she hopes it will, she expects to be up and running with her own farm in about two years.

“I think I have quite a lot going for me with having a family farm and being able to expand on that,” she said.