Young farmers amplifying farmers’ crisis message on social media

Quebec’s Fédération de la relève agricole has launched a new social media campaign to point out the stress and strain caused by uncertainty for young producers in the farming industry.

Taking to Facebook and Instagram with the sarcastic hashtag #maistoutvabien (#everythingisfine), the FRAQ hopes to highlight the distress facing young producers in an industry where Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada forecasts a 49.2-per-cent drop in net farm income in 2023 and an 86.5-per-cent drop in 2024.

The social media movement was unveiled at the federation’s annual meeting on March 15 in Longueuil, where outgoing FRAQ president Julie Bissonnette spoke of the frustration of seeing governments undervalue agricultural work.

“During my presidency I was able to see that young farmers everywhere share the same dream: that the premier would speak of agriculture as a real, concrete project for society,” Bissonnette said.

Pointing out double standard

“Why is it that developing, say, an electric car battery industry is considered a plan for the future — a great collective project — but when it comes to investing in agriculture, we have to scrape the bottom of the barrel?”

At the heart of the FRAQ’s social media campaign is the income crisis forcing many young producers to take on a second job and make enormous personal and financial sacrifices just to stay in business.

FRAQ-affiliated producers took to social media, posting photos of themselves holding signs that air their grievances.

“I work for free to feed the world,” one said.

“I took out a second line of credit to start the 2024 growing season,” reads another, each accompanied by the hashtag #maistoutvabien, which the FRAQ hopes will catch on as other young farmers are invited to post similar photos.