CAN: Worker shortage puts spotlight on creative hiring

It’s no secret that workers are in short supply in horticulture. Despite having posted strong growth in recent years, Canadian agriculture often struggles to match people with positions.

 

Why is it so hard to hire good folks? Start with the fact that the agriculture industry can be highly seasonal in its need for workers. Add to it that most agriculture jobs are in rural areas, while most Canadians live in cities. 

 

 

The great opportunities and good wages need to be promoted.

 

Recruiting for agriculture today requires a different way of thinking. Some Canadian producers will need to start targeting workers who are only interested in working part of the year or partnering with employers who have offsetting seasonal patterns. The great opportunities and good wages to be found in agriculture need to be promoted.

 

Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council (CAHRC) advises that immigrants, young Canadians, women and Indigenous people offer a viable solution to this challenge and bring fresh perspectives and new experiences to the workforce. This is particularly relevant when kids who have grown up on the farm choose a career path that doesn’t include working on the farm. Recruiting people who don’t have farming experience can be an asset, and less limiting.

Video: How the corn-soy diet transformed swine nutrition

At the 2026 ASAS Midwest Section meeting, Dr. Robert Easter, professor emeritus of swine nutrition at the University of Illinois, spoke at the U.S. Soy sponsored Swine Application Symposium, offering a historical perspective on one of the most important developments in modern pig production: the corn-soybean meal diet. What today is considered a foundational feeding strategy was not always obvious or even accepted.