2018 MOYF Pleased With Extended Young Farmer Rebate Program

Manitoba's 2018 Outstanding Young Farmer says support, like the extended Young Farmer Rebate Program announced last week, is helping young people find an entry point in to the industry.

Brooks White and his wife Jen operate a grain farm and bison ranch in Pierson, MB. He got into farming right out of college in 1999 and he and Jen took over the operation in 2012.

"I had an excellent opportunity because my parents already farmed...(and) as many young farmers in Manitoba have that opportunity, many don't and I think that makes it more challenging for them to get involved," he explained.

However, White feels there are some unique ways around this and says it's important to try to find partnerships and opportunities within existing farms.

"I think there's room in farms to staff enterprises and find opportunities for other young people to come in and try to find another...revenue source that isn't being utilized that they can integrate where some of these entrants don't have to own the land."

He noted even for established farmers, it's difficult to expand land base due to current land prices.

Brooks added it is shifting thinking away from large-scale operations to these small-scale opportunities that is the biggest challenge for new farmers.