Becky Parker

Between 2011 and 2020, Agriculture More Than Ever estimates that 38 per cent of jobs in the Canadian agriculture industry will be unfilled. And in order to fill these jobs, Canada's youth could play a major role in the agricultural workforce.

The 2011 Census of Agriculture shows nearly half of all farmer operators in Canada are age 55 or older, with 54 marking the median age for Canadian farmers. While the agriculture sector covers more than just primary production, this number reflects an aging industry, as less than 10 per cent of Canadian farm operators are under the age of 35.

Becky Parker, a project and partnership strategist for Ontario Agri-Food Education, says in order to get young people interested in agriculture careers, the industry needs to work on providing kids with hands-on experience.

"In my mind it's absolutely ridiculous that somebody can understand what they want to do with their life if they haven't had a chance to try it out," Parker says. "Most students, it takes them a while to figure out what they want to do (when they grow up), so in my opinion, the earlier we can engage young people and get them to understand what agriculture is and what those opportunities there are... the more opportunities we have to talk to them."

Parker says programs like 4H and Agriculture in the Classroom are important for engaging young people in agriculture.