Conference Board of Canada Archives

Editorial, Farmit Manitoba, Opinion, Other

Editor’s Take: Canada’s farm labour gap needs holistic solution

By Gord Gilmour August 1, 2019

Farm labour, or rather the shortage of it, is getting much attention lately. In recent weeks, there’s been a pilot program announced to provide temporary foreign workers (TFWs) with a path to permanent residency. There’s also been a study that suggests farms are going high tech, automating and mechanizing at an even faster rate —

News, Other

Ag labour in the next 10 years

An upcoming survey aims to update agriculture’s labour needs for the next decade

By Alex Binkley October 23, 2018

It’s time to dig deeper into the labour shortages facing Canadian farms. So says the Canadian Agri-Food Human Resources Council (CAHRC) which says the sector needs to understand the labour shortages facing farm operations across the country to determine the extent and cost of them. A CAHRC report in 2014 forecast the 26,400 farm jobs

Comment, Opinion

Celebrating modern agriculture

The farm of today is nothing like the ‘good old days’ and thank goodness for that

By Cam Dahl October 23, 2018

Most farmers are reluctant to talk about modern agriculture. Our own industry advertisements promote the image of a farm with a faded red barn and a few chickens running about in a pastoral setting. That is not modern agriculture and we need to stop letting agriculture be portrayed this way. It is not hard to

About 40 economic development officers from rural communities listen to economist John Harper speak on what’s to come in 2017.

Local news

Economist cites layoffs as fuel for economic slowdown

John Harper, senior economist with Western Diversification Canada, says there are a lot of job cuts coming to Manitoba

By Alexis Stockford June 28, 2017

Manitoba may be staring an economic slowdown in the face as a number of major companies prepare to cut their workforces. That was the less-than-bright economic outlook delivered by John Harper, senior economist with Western Diversification Canada to a gathering of rural economic development officers. Speaking June 1 at the Economic Development Association of Manitoba’s

packed frozen food in a freezer in a supermarket

Local news

Conference board issues provincial food ‘report card’

Manitoba rates high on food safety but low on security and manufacturing growth

By Lorraine Stevenson June 5, 2017

Saskatchewan has earned nearly all As for industry prosperity, household food security and other areas in Canada’s Food Report Card 2016. Funded by the Conference Board of Canada and released last week, the report is a series of provincial report cards looking at domestic food by comparing the 10 provinces against each other. The report

Editorial, Opinion

Editorial: A shaky foundation

By Gord Gilmour December 8, 2016

It’s often said employees are the bedrock of any business. Without them wheels don’t turn, work isn’t done, products aren’t created and customers aren’t served. If that really is so, and there’s a small library of management manuals to back that claim, agriculture in Canada is in real trouble. A joint study from the Conference

Female Farmer with Digital Tablet in Vegetable Garden

News

Women lag in agriculture leadership roles

Of 65 national and provincial associations, only eight have a woman as their board chairperson or president

By Alex Binkley June 14, 2016

While many women work in the agri-food sector, few reach decision-making positions, says a report by the Canadian Agriculture Human Resources Council (CAHRC). The number of women working in the sector is unknown, the council says. At the farm level, about 30 per cent of workers are women but not many are regarded as decision

As older workers are set to retire, few replacements are to be found. One factor contributing to that is the lack of growth in rural population in Canada.

News

Agricultural labour shortage will worsen, new report says

Cash receipt losses to Canadian farmers from job vacancies pegged at $1.5 billion,  or three per cent of the industry’s total value in sales and production

By Lorraine Stevenson March 28, 2016

Canadian agriculture’s already acute labour shortage will worsen over the next decade, as high numbers of employees retire and the domestic labour pool continues to dry up. The Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council released labour market information (LMI) research last week, showing a gap of 59,000 employees between primary agriculture’s need for workers and those

Dairy cattle, News

Buy out dairy quota with a retail price premium?

A former Liberal MP and a University of Calgary researcher are calling for an immediate phase-out of quotas

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff June 24, 2015

Drop the price of milk to the U.S. level, but then add a temporary premium to compensate dairy farmers for the loss of their quota. That’s the plan proposed in a July 10 Globe and Mail opinion piece by Martha Hall Findlay and Jack Mintz of the School of Public Policy at the University of

Crops

Health Canada continues to assess neonic herbicides

There is debate over how much damage would be incurred by corn and soybean producers if neonics are banned

By Alex Binkley June 10, 2015

Health Canada is seeking more information from farmers and technical experts before it completes its assessment of neonicotinoid pesticides. A TV network received a leaked version of the report, which environmental groups said proved neonic pesticides should be banned. In an emailed response, the department said the draft report, which has been shared with agriculture

Daily Network News

Mail strike disrupts grain sample delivery

U.S. grains: Soybeans tick up as market weighs crops, U.S.-China ties

Pulse Weekly: Good yields for Manitoba peas, beans

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