8 Story Idea? Email Paul.Nolan@Farms.com Better Farming | January 2024 Beyond the Barn CAHRC REPORTS LOSSES FROM LABOUR SHORTAGE The Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) recently shared research demonstrating large losses to the industry due to the ongoing labour shortage. The report, released in November, estimates that in 2022 on-farm ag businesses lost up to $3.5 billion in sales because of an insufficient number of workers. It was also found that agriculture has an above average job vacancy rate at 7.4 per cent, and 40 per cent of employers stated that they couldn’t find enough workers. This report was based on an analysis of the Canadian agriculture sector’s labour market trends and challenges. In 2022, agriculture had a workforce of some 420,000 people, including farm businesses, support services, and wholesalers. At this time, 17 per cent of workers were foreign workers, a 30 per cent increase from 2017. “We cannot solve the issues facing our sector if we do not know exactly what they are and where they exist. That is why this new data is so important,” said Jennifer Wright, CAHRC’s executive director, in a recent release. “The information tells us there is an urgent need to boost labour supply and empower domestic and foreign workers to secure the industry’s future viability. CAHRC, as it works in partnership with industry, is committed to tackling these challenges head-on through the ongoing development of its resources and projects.” With an updated labour forecasting system, CAHRC’s National Workforce Strategic Plan will have more data to support agriculture. CAHRC plans to continue releasing data about the Canadian agriculture workforce, including occupations, skills gaps, recruitment strategies, training opportunities and best practices for improving agricultural workers’ working conditions and well-being. BF - Emily Croft A new initiative from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) is designed to support Canadian innovators with ideas on how to reduce methane emissions from cattle. The Agricultural Methane Reduction Challenge will award up to $12 million to fund low-cost and scalable projects. “At the forefront of agricultural sustainability, our cattle industry in Canada is setting global benchmarks,” Francis Drouin, parliamentary secretary to federal ag minister Lawrence MacAulay, said in a recent statement. “The new Agricultural Methane Reduction Challenge will drive further innovation in the sector to help fulfill a growing demand from consumers who are asking for Canadian sustainable beef and dairy industries.” The methane reduction program will operate in multiple phases. In Stage 1, up to 20 projects will receive up to $250,000 each to support the development of a technology, practice or process that helps reduce emissions. In Stage 2, up to 10 finalists will receive up to $500,000 each to test their solutions. In the third and final stage, up to two prizes of $1 million each will be awarded to innovators who best demonstrate their ideas and solutions. At the end of each stage, an external review panel will determine which applicants move forward in the challenge. Members of Canada’s ag sector are pleased with the government’s support for methane reduction initiatives. “Dairy farmers’ progress in terms of reducing our carbon footprint is in large part because farmers embrace innovation and research,” David Wiens, president of Dairy Farmers of Canada, said in a statement. “They do not shy away from applying new technologies and progressive ideas on their farms in order to improve their production and to protect the land and the environment. The Agricultural Methane Reduction Challenge will add to our toolbox and help us on our journey towards reaching net zero 2050.” The application deadline is Feb. 7, 2024. AAFC expects to announce its 20 semi-finalists in Summer 2024. BF - Diego Flammini Reinoud Verhoef photo AAFC’S NEW METHANE CHALLENGE
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