Some Looking to Government for Incentives for Potential Ag Labour Shortage

Apr 13, 2020

As the number of Canadians being laid off during the pandemic continues to rise, many politicians are calling on Ottawa to bring in incentives to address a potential labour shortage in agriculture.

Even though the federal government is easing restrictions on having foreign workers enter Canada during the pandemic, to help with spring work on Canadian farms, some politicians like PEI senator Diane Griffin is worried about timing. Griffin says those workers arriving in the country will have to self isolate first for two weeks, meaning they won't be able to help at all.

Griffin is hoping Ottawa can work with all provincial ag departments to encourage more Canadians to seek a job in agriculture, even if it's temporary. Griffin said those workers should still be paid any benefits they're currently receiving from the government. Griffin points out, having to isolate foreign workers when they arrive, is also an added cost to producers at seeding time.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.