It was before an assembly of young farmers that, on behalf of the government of Canada, the Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Minister of State (Agriculture and Agri-food) announced an investment in the future of agriculture by funding the Canadian Young Farmers’ Forum (CYFF). Over the next four years, a federal investment of $1.2 million will help CYFF provide opportunities to educate and develop young and beginning farmers across the country.
“Agriculture is a powerful economic driver in Canada,” said the Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Minister of State (Agriculture). “With this investment, our Government is not only helping young farmers, we are also investing in the future of agriculture.”
Established in 1997, CYFF promotes the exchange of ideas and fosters collaboration among young and future farmers in Canada. The Government of Canada’s investment in CYFF will help young farmers stay on the leading edge of change.
Specifically, the investment will go towards:
• Organizing meetings where young farmers from across Canada have the opportunity to exchange ideas on solutions to the problems encountered by young people looking to become established in agriculture;
• Host workshops on farm business management practices to strengthen the capacity of young farmers to improve the profitability of their operations;
• Support provincial young farmers’ organizations;
• Provide increased information for young farmers through their newsletter and website.
“On behalf of young farmers across Canada, we are very pleased that the Government has invested in our organization and the future of agriculture,” said Ian Richardson, President of the Canadian Young Farmers Forum. “The funding will ensure long-term training for young farmers and assist in leveraging partnerships for growth and stability for the future.”
The funding allocated to the Canadian Young Farmers’ Forum comes from the Business Development program of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Growing Forward initiative – the national agricultural policy framework aimed at building a competitive and innovative sector for all farmers across the country.
“This investment in CYFF is just one way that our government has been supporting the future of the agricultural industry. The Economic Action Plan is also helping the future of the industry through measures such as the Canadian Agricultural Loans Act. Changes to the act are improving access to credit for new farmers, doubling loan limits to a maximum of $500,000” elaborated Minister Blackburn.
Having recently concluded a series of fruitful meetings with young farmers, agri-food industry representatives and academia from various countries, Minister Blackburn also announced that he is about to implement an action plan which aims to answer the issues that were brought up during these exchanges and help young farmers steadily shape the future of Canadian agriculture.
