Ag Co-ops: Training Our Next Generation

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

How Some High Schools are Addressing a 'Desperate Need'

By Emily Croft

Farms and agricultural businesses continue to struggle with labour shortages, and an aging population of farmers means that many are looking toward the next generation to continue their work.

While the industry searches to fill vacancies, high school co-operative education programs, or co-ops, are an opportunity to introduce young people to ag careers, while sharing the passion for farming held by the current generation.

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture reports that four in 10 employers in agriculture are unable to find enough workers required to run their business.

"The conundrum right now is that we need a lot more people in agriculture. Whether it's farming, industry, or accountants – it doesn't matter. We are short people," says Deb Campbell, owner of Agronomy Advantage in Dundalk.

"Keeping people in the industry is challenging. It's hard work. There are long hours and not a lot of room for social life and taking days off, and that's hard to get around.

"And there are still some concerns around keeping women in the industry as far as retention. Family situations don't allow for long hours of work, so that makes it difficult for women to maintain a career in agriculture as well. That's a large pool of potential employees that we are missing out on."

The work conditions in agriculture make it difficult for younger professionals and farmers to achieve work-life balance. This may lead to recruitment and retention problems in younger generations.

"The companies are good to work for, and there are a lot of good things about working in agriculture. It's just not the most hospitable at times. It's challenging mentally and that poses a lot of stress in labour retention," says Campbell.

The average age of farmers in Canada is 56, according to the 2021 Census of Agriculture from Statistics Canada. Farmers under 35 made up only 8.6 per cent of the ag community in 2021, decreasing from 9.1 per cent in 2016. As that percentage drops, agriculture misses out on the innovation offered by that younger demographic.

"The longevity of the business is based on the age of your current team, and last thing you want is to not have any young people to move along with the business as it ages and grows," warns Shawn Schill, owner of Shawridge Farms near Arthur.

How do farming communities train newcomers and ensure the success of the next generation?

High school co-ops may be one way to support ag education and introduce students to long-term opportunities.

Finding & training students

Attracting young people is essential for industry growth and development. For students who were raised outside of a farming community and therefore lack the networks and contacts, it can be hard to get involved. Mentorship opportunities like high school co-ops can make these connections easier.

"There are young people wanting to get connected and they can't get there," says Campbell, sharing that she's found students through unexpected contacts, such as a hairdresser and a receptionist at a car dealership.

This problem exists for high schools as well – many students and teachers may not know the extent of opportunities that exist in the farming sector, so they rely on the business or farm owners to initiate the recruitment process.

"We are definitely seeing farms take on co-op students. A lot of these placements are reliant on students coming to the co-op teacher and saying they are interested in working on a farm," says Theresa Watt, technological education facilitator for Simcoe County District School Board.

"I think there needs to be shift of mindset by employers. They can reach out to high schools. Teachers don't always know what's out there. It's good for employers to reach out to the school."

Students who participate in co-ops leave with more prospects in ag through the skills and relationships they build. These students also build interest when they share their experiences with friends, family, and teachers.

"We've been accepting co-op students from high schools here for around 10 years," says Schill.

The Schills' cash-crop operation also includes a commercial grain elevator and they run freight and logistic operations, providing many learning opportunities for students.

"It started off with very local schools and students in the area that knew us and were looking for opportunities to get into agriculture and they approached us. Now it's a broader scope.

"A lot of it has been because of word of mouth. Schools have interacted and our names get passed around by students and teachers."

Soft skills like communication, teamwork, organization and critical thinking are often gained by co-op students.

"The hands-on and eyes-on experience, and witnessing what people are doing, is really beneficial. It's the real-world experiential piece," explains Silvio Bin, cooperative education facilitator at Simcoe County District School Board.

"Students are dealing with deadlines and budgets and clients, and those are things we can't really teach in the classroom. The time and ratio of teachers to students isn't there."

Students also gain hard skills during co-ops. Depending on the location, students can learn to operate farm equipment, machinery maintenance, animal husbandry, and agronomy practices.

"Training is different with everybody and depends on what their abilities are when they come to us," says Schill.

"We look at most students as a blank slate for us to mentor and train in equipment operation, machinery maintenance, and other things they can assist on. When they start, they go through a whole week of safety training to start. Being a young person, you want to protect them in the workplace.

"We build on the basic structure and knowledge base that they need. If they decide they want to stay after the co-op, we have the discussions and we set the goals. Then we put them on the trajectory to accomplish a lot of that.

"If they decide to take that some¬where else and at least utilize it, we like to see that as well."

Benefits to the ag industry

The agricultural community is planning for the future of the industry. How will new people be recruited and how will they learn the skills required?

Farmers take on a mentorship role and can ensure that their values are passed on to the next generation by hosting high school co-op students. These students have their own skills and passion that will, in return, con¬tribute to industry sustainability and efficiency.

Farming businesses have rapidly introduced more technology over recent years. Recruiting employees with backgrounds and skillsets that are not related to agriculture will gain importance as the industry changes.

"There are many opportunities that a student from an urban background maybe wouldn't have any idea exist. There's an outdated view of agriculture but there so much tech integrated into the current industry," says Watt.

Through co-ops, students with interests in computer science, manu¬facturing, transport, or communica¬tions can experience employment in agriculture where they can apply their unique talents to food production.

Farms and business owners also provide their own training to the stu¬dent, without the cost of paying an employee.

These students often remain in agriculture after high school, including many students who will return to their co-op location.

"Our goal with co-op isn't generally to fill a labour shortage. Most of our goals and aspirations are to find par¬ticular individuals that are looking for a long-term place in agriculture, and hopefully retain them after their sec¬ondary education is completed," says Schill.

"We want to continue to bring new people into the industry as a whole. We have pretty good retention with the right candidates, but if they do choose to move on, we hope they stay in an agriculture career. We want to continue to build young people into the industry because it will be desper¬ately needed in the future."

Finding the right student, with the personality and motivation to match the farm or business, is extremely important to the success of the co-op.

"For myself I had never really con¬sidered having a high schooler. I always felt I wanted someone a little more mature with a little more field and life experience," admits Campbell, who did have success the very first time she hosted a high school student.

"Seeing someone from high school come in – and the energy and enthusi¬asm and excitement to learn – really surprised me and intrigued me.

"It definitely opened my mind to having more of that and seeing how I can integrate high school students and young people into what I do."

Watt reminds us of the value in attracting young people who otherwise would not have considered commer¬cial agriculture for a career.

"We've seen co-op students who aren't typically interested in agriculture be brought into the workforce and be able to thrive and potentially stay on with company after their co-op term," she says. Bin adds, "there have been a lot of 'Aha!' moments for students that were set on one pathway, and then they go 'Wow this is what I want to do!' after their co-op."

"I feel so lucky to be involved in something that's a tipping point for students." BF