The essential work of farming Labour is a big part of the economics of producing food, and just as with other businesses, farmers often need to hire extra people outside of their families to help get everything done. Technology and equipment are helping to make some work easier, but people are still the most important […] The post The Essential Work of Farming appeared first on Real Dirt on Farming ..read more

Farming and other careers in agriculture Working in agriculture is much more than growing crops or raising livestock. One in nine Canadian jobs is linked to agriculture. From communications, engineering, and economics, to food and animal sciences, tourism, robotics, and the environment, the career possibilities are endless. There are many more jobs available across the […] The post Farming and other careers in agriculture appeared first on Real Dirt on Farming ..read more

Food and farming are a big deal in Canada. To put it simply, farms give us food, fuel, fibre, flowers, and jobs. Canadians depend on farmers to produce the food we eat, and the agriculture and agri-food industry provide jobs for more than 2.1 million people One in nine Canadian jobs is directly linked to […] The post Canadian Farms And Farmers – Who Is Growing Our Food appeared first on Real Dirt on Farming ..read more

Share This Article: International farm workers (often called migrant workers) who come to Canada legally can work here through two government regulated programs: the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP), or the agricultural stream of Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program. In 2022, over 70,000 workers came to Canada through these programs to work on Canadian […] The post Canada’s international farm workforce appeared first on Real Dirt on Farming ..read more

Share This Article: The sheer diversity of Canadian agriculture is part of what makes Canada a global leader in food production. This is a big country – the second largest in the world – and the kinds of farms we have vary from coast to coast depending on our geography and climate. Here’s a snapshot […] The post Farming Across Canada appeared first on Real Dirt on Farming ..read more

There are many items farmers have to pay for to raise livestock and grow crops, like electricity, equipment, water, fertilizer, animal feed, seeds, and fuel, as well as employees to help them get all the work done on the farm. Even though food prices have been going up at the grocery store, this doesn’t mean […] The post The Cost of Producing Food appeared first on Real Dirt on Farming ..read more

The cost of producing food There are many items farmers have to pay for to raise livestock and grow crops, like electricity, equipment, water, fertilizer, animal feed, seeds, and fuel, as well as employees to help them get all the work done on the farm. Even though food prices have been going up at the […] The post The Cost of Producing Food appeared first on Real Dirt on Farming ..read more

The economics of food Food is top-of-mind for Canadians. Food cost and availability, in particular, are leading concerns for consumers – and these are issues farmers care about too. Canadians across the country are challenged with food costs that have been increasing much more rapidly than in the past. This is called food inflation. As […] The post FOOD COST, AVAILABILITY, AND EATING LOCAL appeared first on Real Dirt on Farming ..read more

One of the aspects on which the sector has only recently started to focus is that of farmers’ mental health. As you’ve read in this publication, farming is rewarding, but also can be incredibly challenging. The stresses of a changing climate, market uncertainty, evolving public perceptions, disease and pest threats, activist threats, and more, can ..read more

Fewer than two per cent of Canadians farm, and those that do are getting older. In fact, the average age of Canadian farmers reached 55 in 2016. But for the first time in 25 years, we’ve also seen an increase in the number of young farmers in Canada (those under 35). More than half of ..read more