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: 1188

▶ 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

Farm Equipment's Best of the Web: Dec. 1, 2023

Farm Equipment editors encounter a variety of articles, social media posts, podcasts and videos that offer a unique look at various aspects of our great farm machinery industry. Here is our favorite content from the past week from across the web: Proven in the most demanding of ag conditions, CLEANFIX reversible fans provide the most efficient diesel engine cooling and radiator cleaning available. The multi-patented reversing fan technology maintains machine cooling as needed and, when required, provides the strongest blowout of dust and debris -- without halting or slowing operations. Will New Holland Combine Get Enough Votes to Become Lego Set? Before Lego will consider putting the set into production, the design must first receive 10,000 votes. The project has been on the site since Nov. 13 and now has 1,982 votes, but voting is still open for 590 days. Marketing’s Next Frontier — Through Seed? Flowers appear on this California hillside in the shape of McDonald’s iconic ‘M’ logo.

Preparing for the Next Generation of Precision Technology

Recent generations of ag technology have seen new features undercut by rising reliability problems, says Clay Mitchell, co-founder and managing director of Silicon Valley-based Fall Line Capital, a farmland and venture investment firm. Mitchell says the shift to autonomy will accelerate reliability problems beyond anything we’ve seen before. The fifth-generation farmer (the precision farming “poster boy” of the 1990s and 2000s), who holds board seats on Farmwise, Guardian Ag, Pluton Biosciences and Sound Ag, says the role of dealer technicians to keep North America’s farm fleet running is about to increase 10 fold. During the 2024 Precision Farming Dealer Summit, Mitchell will set the stage for what’s yet to come in precision farming, and how to prepare for the challenges that lie ahead. During Clay Mitchell's presentation, attendees can expect to learn: 1. How to service new technology/equipment coming to the market 2. The skills that are needed to support farming in 2024 & beyond

APAS report shows food prices are not driven by the price at the farm gate

The Agricultural Producers of Saskatchewan have released their final report on Farmers and Food Prices. President Ian Boxall said they wanted the report to clear the air, as some people thought the increase in food prices was related to the increase in commodity prices. APAS worked with Kevin Grier Market Analysis and Consulting to determine the farmer’s share of the retail price of eight products flour, bread, canola oil, margarine, lentils, beer, retail beef, and retail pork. The report uses the USDA's methodology to determine the quantity of a farm commodity required to produce a unit of the final consumer food product. Boxall says the independent study indicates that food prices are not driven by the farm gate. "For example, the total retail price of canola oil went up 41%. They've started to fall off now, but when this report was done, the farmer share only went up 18%. So yes, the farmer got extra when the price went up, but not comparative to what it went up on the groce

At White House Tribal Nations Summit, USDA Fulfills Long-Standing Tribal Requests to Strengthen Food Sovereignty and Expand Indigenous Roles in Forest Management

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced ways the Biden-Harris Administration is fulfilling long-standing Tribal requests for USDA to support and better partner with Tribal Nations in empowering Tribal food sovereignty and co-stewardship of federal lands and waters. Secretary Vilsack announced the first grant recipients under the Indigenous Animals Harvesting and Meat Processing Grant Program, as well as advances in Forest Service co-stewardship with Tribes, including 120 new agreements totaling more than $68 million in investments. Secretary Vilsack also announced the inaugural appointees of the new Tribal Advisory Committee. Secretary Vilsack made the announcements at the 2023 White House Tribal Nations Summit, where Tribal leaders gathered for Nation-to-Nation conversations with President Biden and senior administration officials on key priorities, new policies and critical issues facing Tribal Nations. “As Tribes have requested, we are reshaping

On-farm technology report findings released

Astudy of American farmers’ adoption of precision agriculture technology indicates that during the first two decades of the 21st century, acreage farmed with automated systems has increased 10-fold or more. The findings are reported in a study conducted by Kansas State University precision agriculture economist Terry Griffin and colleagues with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service. The report, Precision Agriculture in the Digital Era: Recent Adoption on U.S. Farms, is available online. Griffin said the report studies adoption of precision technology on several major crops, including corn, soybean, winter wheat, grain sorghum and more. “The most adopted technologies typically have the word ‘automated’ in their names,” Griffin said. “The reason for that is that they tend to make life a little bit easier for the operators than if they didn’t have the technology.” As an example, Griffin said equipment that provides automated guidance makes life easier for farm

© 2023   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service