Canada invests in the future generation of agricultural leaders May 9, 2022 (Photo: LNN)

By Drew Stremick

Government of Canada invests in the future generation of agricultural leaders

May 9, 2022 | 4:39 PM

OTTAWA, ONT — The federal government announced that it is investing $2.1 million dollars towards three organizations as part of the AgriCompetitiveness Program in order to continue to develop opportunities for Canadian youths in agriculture.

The Canadian 4-H Council (4-H Canada) is going to receive $1.8 million dollars over two years in order to develop a new curriculum and resources to empower youth via leadership programs aimed at growing their practical knowledge and skills in key areas in regards to agriculture.

Shannon Benner, CEO of 4-H Canada, says this investment will go a long way to help empower youth.

“4-H Canada is grateful for the support from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, as it allows us to empower even more youth across Canada,” Benner said. “From conferences to internships to outreach activities that focus on innovation, inclusion, business excellence, and growth, our goal is to empower youth to be responsible, caring, and contributing leaders who effect positive change in the world around them.”

The Canadian Young Farmers’ Forum (CYFF) will receive just over $195,000 dollars to build industry capacity while also providing education and training to younger farmers so they can improve their operations’ profitability and efficiency.

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Guenette Bautz, General Manager of CYFF, is hopeful with this investment that CYFF will be able to help young farmers become more resilient.

“We appreciate AAFC’s matching contribution to our organization’s activities, as it will be used for a variety of learning opportunities,” said Bautz. “The goal is to create exceptional young agvocates for agriculture by building strong leaders, encouraging young women and men and other diverse groups and addressing mental health and business planning, so that our young farmers can remain resilient for years to come.”

Lastly, Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers (COYF) is receiving almost $120,000 dollars to support regional recognition events, as well as its three-day national recognition event. The events are held to showcase young farmers who demonstrate excellence in agriculture and for their contributions to the sector.

Steve Cooper, Chair of COYF, is appreciative of the financial assistance provided by the initiative.

“Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmer Program is appreciative of AAFC’s continued support. Their financial assistance allows the program to showcase outstanding young farmers (ages 18-39) who exemplify excellence in Canadian agriculture at its seven regional recognition events and annual national event,” Cooper said. “We appreciate being able to share the recognition events virtually and posting them to our website and social media channels. They are great ‘good news’ agriculture stories worth sharing with the public.”

The federal government hopes that with this investment, the agriculture and agri-food sector will continue to be innovative and competitive moving forward.