Programs needed to teach young farmers

Many Manitoba farmers are worried there are less young people replacing retiring farmers because of the lack of access to the career, programs, and rising costs.

“It’s such a huge thing we’re coming up against, and there’s no proper plan to deal with this huge transition that’s coming up,” said Katie McInnes, a first-generation farmer near Clearwater, Man.

Less than one in ten, 8.6 percent, farm operators were under 35 years, according to Statistics Canada. Three in five, 60.5 percent, farm operators are 55 or older in 2021.

McInnes, 39, and her husband grew up in Winnipeg, and she had no ties to farming, land, or anything agriculture related — until 2013 when they decided to move.

She said some of the barriers she and other young farmers faced includes land access, taking out loans, not having enough capital, and housing.

The average farmland price stayed at 9.3 percent across Canada, and Manitoba’s average farmland price went up 12.2 percent in 2025, according to Farm Credit Canada’s report.

For each acre of farm land in Manitoba it costs $3,697 in 2024 compared to $2,532 in 2020, according to Statistics Canada.

McInnes said because of the lack of labour on farms, Canadians will see more increased food waste, and unharvested crops, increased food prices, less food availability, and food insecurity.

McInnes said farmer to farmer hands-on experience is one of the best ways to learn, and is a mentor at Young Agrarians, a farmer-to-farmer education network that provides classes, training, and apprenticeships to work at different farms.

McInnes has mentored six young people on their farm from the Young Agrarians program.

Kishon Warmington, a first-generation farmer in St. Clements, Man., said he didn’t know what he was getting into when he traded city life for the country.

He said without programs, things can go wrong very quickly.

“There’s been days where I would be literally in tears,” he said, citing 16-18 hour days and animals dying. “I think farmers are one of the most resilient people out there.”

The 2026 provincial budget announced plans to increase the Young Farmer Rebate from $400,000 to $425,000.