Canada may see a significant shortage of farm operators over the next 10 years, as a new report says more than 40 percent of farmers will retire.
The report from the Royal Bank of Canada, Boston Consulting Group Centre for Canada's Future and Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph, says over the same period, a shortfall of 24,000 general farm, nursery and greenhouse workers is expected.
66 per cent of farm producers do not have a succession plan in place, leaving the future of farmland in doubt.
To address the shortage and lack of succession plans, the report says Canada will need to accept 30,000 permanent immigrants by 2033 to take over existing farms and greenhouses or establish their own.
Speaking on AM800's The Shift, Leo Guilbeault, President of the Essex County Federation of Agriculture, says he's not really surprised by the report as many current farmers are getting too old to keep up with their farm land.
Guilbeault says the main issue is the shortage of farm labour available.
"It's still the same amount of land being worked, just by fewer and fewer farmers. But, the help to find to work all that land is getting harder to do because we used to be all family owned operations, so, two or three off the family used to work on the farm. Well, now from that two or three, there might be only one left."
He says the staffing shortages have become a big challenge.
"Working in a greenhouse that are out in the open field on a nice, hot day is no fun. But, certainly there's work out there if people want to work. During the summertime there's more job openings in the agricultural business than there's people willing to work. So, it makes a big challenge."
Guilbeault says it's worrisome the number of farmers without a succession plan.
"If we look at the average age of our farmers, I'll bet 66 per cent, probably half of that are 60-years-old and up. So they're going to want to be either passing the farm off to somebody, or putting it up for sale and implementing your retirement plan."
The report also recommends the country build a new pipeline of domestic operators and workers by bolstering agriculture education and increasing spending on automation, which can make existing farms more efficient.
Many farms and greenhouses are already looking to other countries to address the need for low-skilled labour.
Canada's agricultural sector is among the most diverse in the world, according to the study.