Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Vegetable Greenhouses NEED new, young growers--but where are all the jobs?

Statistics Canada shows that most of the horticulture/greenhouse management is reaching retirement age, and that almost all of these management positions will turnover within the next 20 years, making the demand for young greenhouse growers very high.

 

This is great for me, because I am a young Greenhouse Technician, recently graduated from a 2 year program where I focused mainly on Greenhouse Vegetable Production.

-Entemology

- Integrated Pest Management

-Water, Media, Fertilizer Management

- Priva, Computerized Controls etc.

 

In addition, tomato and pepper greenhouses are starting a new crop RIGHT NOW,

 

The demand is there..so, why is it so hard to find a job?

 

I am very resourceful, and have pooled together all my contacts to maximize my chances of landing a contract in an Ontario vegetable greenhouses as soon as possible. I have been using forums, following up on all leads, and even revisited the Niagara/Chatham/Leamington area several times to secure a Grower position. I have contacted growers and consultants I know, which has given me good leads but I still have not secured a position and contract.

 

I have excellent references, and lots of experience... Help!

Any suggestions, advice or discussion  is greatly appreciated!!

You can find my resume on my website if needed: jamieboland.blogspot.com

 

Thanks!

 

 

Views: 1238

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by David Ritchie on December 2, 2010 at 3:03am
Jamie, You will have to actually go to many of the greenhouses directly and let them meet you. There are several good operations outside of the areas you are currently looking in. Exeter has a couple large operations, Petrolia has a good one, St Thomas and Jarvis have top rated propagators, and there is a lot of individual greenhouses scattered around Delhi, Simcoe and Bradford.
You should also get a copy of Greenhouse Canada magazine since many job oportunities are posted there.
If you can switch over to bedding plants there are several oportunities in that field also. They should be listed in the same magazine.
Good luck,
Dave
Permalink Reply by Jamie Boland on December 2, 2010 at 4:28am
Hey Dave,
Thanks for your reply to my discussion. I will definitely be checking out these operations in Exeter and I will also check out the propogators you mentioned. I have been checking greenhousecanada.com for job opportunities and have got some really great leads, do you think the hardcopy magazine has additional career listings separate from the ones on the website?

Thanks again for the tips, I'll let you know how it goes!
Jamie
Permalink Reply by David Ritchie on December 3, 2010 at 2:00am
Jamie, I think the hard copy may have jobs posted that may not be online as I see them frequently. Something to keep in mind is that these companies who are looking usually are attempting to find a seasoned grower. Having a new grower coming into the market is also a good thing as they can then train you to suit their needs rather than you changing them. Good luck.

Jamie Boland said:
Hey Dave,
Thanks for your reply to my discussion. I will definitely be checking out these operations in Exeter and I will also check out the propogators you mentioned. I have been checking greenhousecanada.com for job opportunities and have got some really great leads, do you think the hardcopy magazine has additional career listings separate from the ones on the website?

Thanks again for the tips, I'll let you know how it goes!
Jamie
Permalink Reply by Jamie Boland on December 7, 2011 at 7:16am

Dave,

Thanks for the advice! I have now been working as Assistant Grower @ Veris in Exeter for 7 months.

Cheers!

Jamie



David Ritchie said:

Jamie, You will have to actually go to many of the greenhouses directly and let them meet you. There are several good operations outside of the areas you are currently looking in. Exeter has a couple large operations, Petrolia has a good one, St Thomas and Jarvis have top rated propagators, and there is a lot of individual greenhouses scattered around Delhi, Simcoe and Bradford.
You should also get a copy of Greenhouse Canada magazine since many job oportunities are posted there.
If you can switch over to bedding plants there are several oportunities in that field also. They should be listed in the same magazine.
Good luck,
Dave

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

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

Bull Rider TJ Gray Wins PRCA Top Gun Award at 2025 National Finals Rodeo

Oregon bull rider TJ Gray captured the PRCA Top Gun Award at the 2025 Wrangler NFR, winning big and making history.

B.C. mink farmers drop legal challenge of ban, citing costs after four-year fight

Mink farmers in British Columbia and elsewhere in Canada are dropping their legal challenge over a pandemic-era ban in the province due to legal fees they say are “far beyond their means.” The British Columbia Mink Producers Association and the Canada Mink Breeders Association had been petitioning for a judicial review of the province’s ban on mink farming and had been challenging the policy decision, which dates back to November 2021. In a statement, the mink farmers say they remain angry at the move by the province, which they describe as driven by “an aggressive anti-fur lobby.” The farmers say they have fought the province unsuccessfully in several separate court attempts while no financial compensation has been offered to operators who had to tear down their farms. The B.C. Court of Appeal ruled in August that the farmers’ lawsuits have “no reasonable prospect of success” and dismissed a bid for damages against the province, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, and othe

Oilseed crushing and major grain deliveries statistics, November 2025

Oilseed crushing statistics Data on oilseed crushing are now available for November 2025. Deliveries of major grains Deliveries of major grains across Canada rose by 14.2% in November from the same month the previous year, totalling 5.6 million tonnes. Increases in total wheat (+21.0% to 3.4 million tonnes), canola (+11.1% to 1.6 million tonnes), and rye (+11.2% to 11.9 thousand tonnes) contributed to higher deliveries. Major grains include wheat (excluding durum), durum wheat, oats, barley, rye, flaxseed and canola. Focus on Canada and the United States Producer deliveries capture grain that is destined for a primary elevator, feed mill, crushing plant or flour mill. This includes grain elevators that hold grain before it is exported, as well as shipments to US markets that are not licensed by the Canadian Grain Commission. The imposition of tariffs by the United States may have an impact on producer deliveries of major grains in the coming months. In 2024, Canada exported a tot

Parrish & Heimbecker to buy GrainsConnect Canada

Further consolidation of Western Canada’s grain sector is just around the corner. Parrish & Heimbecker (P&H) is purchasing GrainsConnect Canada (GCC), a joint venture currently owned by Australia’s GrainCorp and Japan’s Zen-Noh Grain Corp. GCC was formed by the two international firms in 2015. P&H is getting four high-capacity grain elevators as well as GCC’s 50 per cent stake in Fraser Grain Terminal at the Port of Vancouver. The elevators are in Reford, Sask., Maymont, Sask., Huxley, Alta., and Vegreville, Alta. The 35,000-tonne facilities are each equipped with 134-car rail loops. P&H has a longstanding partnership with GCC through its shared ownership of Fraser Grain Terminal. The port terminal exports up to four million tonnes of cereals, oilseeds, pulses and other commodities per year. It can handle and discharge 120 railcars and has 70,000 tonnes of storage. It can load grain into vessels at a rate of 2,000 tonnes per hour. The purchase is expected to close in early 2026

Farmers face new challenge as group 14-resistant kochia spreads across western Canada

A new study shows that Group 14-resistant kochia has developed and spread rapidly across Western Canada. Group 14 is an important herbicide group for controlling the prolific weed because it already has widespread resistance to glyphosate, a Group 9 product, and has long had resistance to Group 2 chemistries. Back in 2021, the first known case of Group 14-resistant kochia was discovered in West Central Saskatchewan. In 2022, it was discovered in North Dakota. Charles Geddes, a research scientist in weed ecology and cropping systems at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lethbridge is a leading expert on herbicide resistant weeds. His team designed genetic tests to identify Group 14 resistance using leaf tissue samples. This increased the speed and efficiency of identification. In a post recently published on Linked-in, Geddes has published a map showing instances of Group14 resistance across all three Prairie provinces. The greatest concentration is in the brown and dark brown so

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service