Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Do you want your kids to farm?

Gredig: From the Fencerow
Bookmark and Share
Do you want your kids to farm?

As a farmer and father with a young son, it’s a question that has started to creep into the back of my mind. The old saying is, “farmers farm for their sons and daughters”. The inference is that for a family farm to succeed, each generation builds onto what came before and passes it on in better shape. This pattern has served us well for the past 150 years or so, but is it an out of date way of thinking or does this approach still have merit?

I never felt any pressure to come home to the farm. I was encouraged to find summer jobs off the farm to get some exposure to other ways of making a living. I laid a few million yards of sod (well, it seemed like millions) for a landscaping company for a couple of summers, harvested tobacco, and worked at a golf course. After high school, I went to university chasing a degree in agricultural economics. At home, the message was, if you want to come home after university, the farm will be here.

When I took a job in the big city as a policy researcher after graduation, I could tell that my parents still held out hope that I would farm, but either way, they were moving forward and the farm was evolving.

After a couple of years of fun in the city the light bulb went on and I knew I wanted to give it a shot at home. It was an easy decision that took 24 years to become apparent. I guess I learned from my parents that it’s important to encourage the next generation to consider all the opportunities available to them, including agriculture. And this could mean primary production or a job related to agriculture.

By the time I came home, the hog operation had been shuttered and a progressive apple orchard was added as a new enterprise. If I had shown interest earlier, there is a good chance that there would have been more land and more pigs, but there would also have been more pressure to follow that model. Because my parents had moved forward with enterprises that were right for them, there was room for me to start my own direction when I started farming.

Now I am the farmer with a kid. Some days the boy thinks living on a farm is the best ever (go-carts rock!). Other days, he wonders why we can’t live in town where the kids play street hockey every day after school! I think I was the same way.

Some people say the economics of agriculture today make it very difficult for farmers to keep the farm viable and available for the next generation. I think this has always been true, but I agree that high asset values make it more difficult for some to forego cashing in, especially if there are numerous siblings that must be considered in succession planning.

I guess at this early stage I’ll do my best to be a positive influence and to keep as many options open as possible, both for myself and my son. I’m not as concerned about building a certain scale or kind of operation. My experience is that the next generation should be encouraged to consider new enterprises and new approaches.

What do you think? Do you want your kids to farm? What are the opportunities/challenges? 

Peter Gredig
Farms.com Media
Peter.Gredig@Farms.com

Follow me on Twitter. I’m Agwag.
 
 
 
This commentary is for informational purposes only.  The opinions and comments expressed herein represent the opinions of the author--they do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Farms.com.  This commentary is not intended to provide individual advice to anyone.  Farms.com will not be liable for any errors or omissions in the information, or for any damages or losses in any way related to this commentary.

Views: 1384

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Robert Hillman on December 13, 2011 at 11:43am

because of selfishness

the dad should have said NO

the dad should have been a man and done what he wanted



Roadrunner said:

I was talking to a friend the other day....the son wants to farm but the challenges of succession between the 3 generations of the family made it impossible....they needed to sell the land and operation to satisfy the siblings...still bitter feelings between everyone.
Permalink Reply by Robert Hillman on December 13, 2011 at 11:45am

we just want to farm one hundred acers

 

there is three of us to work full time

 

we will live in the country and work for  free for ten years  for a farmer that will help us get   our own hundred acers

i can make  25 thousand a year with a hundred acers and thats all we want

 

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Minister MacDonald sets the stage ahead of NPF meetings

Ministers and other stakeholders are in Halifax this week

Farm Management Canada launches Canada’s Young Farmers

The platform is designed to support and amplify the next generation of Canadian ag leaders

Watch for the development of Sclerotinia stem rot in canola

Information is OFFERED TO THE PUBLIC FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Environment Canada, and their employees assume no liability from the use of this information.   June surface soil moisture conditions indicate that much of the Prairie canola growing region currently has sufficient soil moisture to support germination of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum sclerotia (Fig. 1). Cumulative rainfall from May 30 – June 28 was the highest in the Edmonton, Lethbridge, Winnipeg areas, and lowest in northern Saskatchewan and the Peace River area of Alberta (Fig. 2). When rainfall over the whole growing season (April 1 – June 28) was considered, the Edmonton area was much higher than average (Fig. 3). Recent heavy rains across the Prairies have significantly increased these amounts. Temperature over the May 30 – June 28 period was highest in southern Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan and lowest in western Alberta (Fig. 4). For the whole growing season temperatures have

Table Beet Harvest has Begun

Ontario's 2026 fresh beet harvest is underway with a positive outlook and steady supply, reinforcing the province's position as Canada's leading producer of this resilient crop.

Cereal rust risk report April 1 to June 29 2026 stripe rust reported in Alberta and eastern Canada along with leaf and stem rust in eastern Canada

Stripe rust development in Alberta There are reports of stripe rust developing in Alberta, though at low levels to date. The wheat crop is maturing in the Pacific Northwest and will decline as a source of inoculum as it is harvested. The spread and development of stripe rust in Alberta now depends more on weather and crop conditions within the province going forward. No rust reports to date in Saskatchewan and Manitoba Cereal crops in the southern US states have nearly been harvested and were affected severely by drought this crop season. Spring cereals in the northern states are still developing but there are no reports to date of rust infection in these northern states. Crop development in many parts of Saskatchewan and Manitoba is delayed relative to normal, and frequent and heavy rains raise the risk of disease development in all crops. To date though there have been no reports of rust development in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Cereal rusts reported in eastern Canada Colleagues

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service