Farmers discuss industry challenges and opportunities CORMACK KATHERINE HUDSON The Western Star

Eugene Legge, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture, speaks to farmers on agriculture opportunities in the province. — Star photo by Katherine Hudson

If you’re not “grandfathered” into the industry, as one farmer said at Thursday’s workshop, it’s very hard to get established with the local markets.

About 40 farmers, and other members of the agriculture sector, met in Cormack to discuss agricultural opportunities and industry challenges, and to brainstorm ways of improving communication throughout the industry.

Paul Lomond was a speaker at the event and is a farmer himself. He has farmed fruit and vegetables for about 20 years in Little Rapids and has seen the province’s agriculture industry grow and falter over time.

“The back door to some of these stores is probably gone,” Lomond said. “One day you could to be able to drive up in your truck and say ‘I got a load of greens or strawberries do you want them or not?’ That day is pretty much gone. Locally, if you know the produce managers you could do a bit of that, but once you go beyond that you’re not getting in anywhere. If you’re into the wholesale business, you’ve got to get established.”

During an exercise, attendees split into four groups to list what they believed were the industry’s greatest faults and hurdles, and what favourable tools and information were available to them.

The list of challenges was long for all groups.
Lack of storage space, transportation costs, labour and training problems, access and availability of land, getting products bought locally, and the large sum of money required to enter the industry were all examples of headaches farmers said they have to deal with.

“I think labour is becoming a bigger and bigger issue,” Lomond said. “Getting qualified labour is probably one of the biggest drawbacks for farmers right now. The marketing strategies is a challenge as well as getting a fair return for your product.”

“Farmers don’t have the information that they need,” added another farmer at a brainstorming table. “It’s there. They need to get out and get it. If they take the incentive to go to the Department of Agriculture or whoever and learn how to get established, they’ll figure out a way to get in the door. But if you sit there at the kitchen table and say ‘It’s some hard to get into Sobey’s,’ you’re not getting into Sobey’s. You have to get out there and learn how to do it.”

President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture, Eugene Legge, during a speech, touched on how challenging it was for young farmers to step into the business on their own.

“The average age of farmers is rising with few new entrants,” Legge said. “The average age of a farmer in Newfoundland and Labrador is 58. When you think about what you need to get into farming, 50 acres of land and to clear that 50 acres of land and then purchase a tractor and other equipment, by the time you’re set to go, you could be looking at anywhere between $500,000-800,000 to get into farming. This is a huge turnoff for young people.”

Legge spoke about agricultural opportunities available to farmers and specified how different sectors were faring or had changed over the years.

“In the egg industry 20 years ago there were 40 producers in the province,” he said. “Now we’re down to seven and when you look at the seven, three are one family. There are only four families left in the egg industry in this province.”

Despite the ups and downs of different sectors in the agriculture industry, Lomond said he was optimistic and saw potential for a lot of growth in Newfoundland and Labrador agriculture.

“I see mass amounts of opportunities,” Lomond said. “There is a large potential for increase in strawberry and fruit production. The demand is there for sure. We’re only producing five to 10 per cent of what’s consumed in the province. All the rest is imported. There are all sorts of opportunities for expansion.”

Legge said farmers are business people like any other sector, and that sharing information and working together, will benefit the entire industry.

“We believe by sharing information and speaking with a united voice, farmers can work more effectively for the betterment of agriculture,” he added. “This is a better way to get the strength in numbers and getting the message across.”