Future Farmers of Ontario

June 29, 2018 | Josh Kraemer

In July, the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario will be hosting two Farming Under 40 Barbeques. The CFFO hosts annual summer barbeques in various districts to celebrate young farmers and their families.

By hosting our annual Farming Under Forty BBQs, the CFFO hopes to bring together young farmers from around these areas to enjoy an evening together and to offer CFFO members, and others, the opportunity to have a face to face with our organization’s staff.

With a new generation of farmers comes a new approach to common challenges that farmers face in agriculture today, which will lead to success in the agricultural sector for years to come.

Young farmers who take over family farms, and any new farmers in general, face a number of challenges if they wish to successfully continue their family’s agribusiness.

New approaches to some of these challenges, such as public misconceptions about modern farming practices, offer the chance to build public trust in ways that are relatively new, as one Crop Science article explains. For example, the social media savvy that is obvious in the younger generation can foster public trust by keeping society connected to farming practices.

Not only will the next generation take new approaches to issues such as public relations, but young farmers will bring with them new ideas for the future of farming. The importance of young farmers has never been more significant than now. By 2050, there will be another two billion people on the planet; combined with the increase in livestock requirements, that means we could see crop production double in that time.

With these forecasted pressures facing the agricultural industry, farmers will need to innovate to find creative new ways to meet the needs of future populations while also farming in a sustainable manner.

For that reason, we celebrate our young farmers, and future farmers, who bring with them new ideas and innovation to the agricultural industry. Their fresh ideas and approaches will help build a strong, innovative sector, ready to meet the changing needs of tomorrow.

This summer, the CFFO will be hosting Farming Under Forty BBQs in our Grey-Bruce and Dufferin-Wellington districts. Farm families in the area can register for these free events by visiting www.christianfarmers.org. For those in the Dufferin-Wellington region, don’t forget to sign up for the Truck and Tractor Show.

The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario hopes to see as many people as possible at these two events and looks forward to spending time with the farmers, and future farmers, of these areas.

Josh Kraemer is Communications Intern for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario. The CFFO Commentary represents the opinions of the writer and does not necessarily represent CFFO policy. The CFFO Commentary is heard weekly on CFCO Chatham, CKXFM Chatham, and CKNX Wingham. It is also archived on the CFFO website, www.christianfarmers.org. CFFO is supported by 4,000 family farmers across Ontario.