b'LABOUR SHORTAGEHELP WANTEDStudies warn of the growing shortage of skilled labour in agriculture.LABOUR SHORTAGES are not new in agriculture. In the early 20th century, harvest trains travelled from east to west providing farm hands on threshing crews. Back then, you just needed a strong back and a willingness to work from dawn to dusk. Times have changed and a new labour shortage is looming, but now it isnt a strong back that is needed, its a good understanding of technology. A large-scale survey of the farming sector called Agriculture 2029: An Update on How Labour Challenges Will Shape the Future of Agriculture by the Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council (CAHRC) determined the current 1,100 unfilled positions in grains and oilseeds cost Canadian farmers $594 million in lost sales or 2.6 per cent of all sales. This is the largest loss of sales as a result of labour shortages in all of agriculture, reports Debra Hauer of CAHRC. There were $2.9 billion in losses in agricultural sales across all sectors of agriculture, she adds, which is double that of 2014. The reason the number is so high in grain and oilseeds is due to increasedHumphrey Banack is a grain grower and member of the Canadian Agricultural productivity and mechanization. Human Resources Council board of directors.While it is true more crops can be grown with fewer people to do the work thanks to larger equipment, technological advances,Our grain farms are growing, and you end up with a business and the efficient use of herbicides, someone still needs to driveyou cannot run by yourself, says Humphrey Banack, a grain the combine, and it is helpful for another person to be there withgrower from Camrose and a member of the CAHRC board a truck to empty the hopper. Smaller families and young peopleof directors. From a seed growers perspective, you have to unable or unwilling to take over the farm, as well as the desiremaintain quality and you need someone working for you who of the baby boom generation of farmers to retire, could mean aunderstands the importance of maintaining that quality. How future with fewer people raised into the industry to do the work.can you expand your seed growing acres if you cant find help It isnt easy to pluck someone from the city and give themto manage the expansion?a job driving the combine or operating the seeder, as modernAlso aware of the labour shortages and how agriculture equipment can look like the cockpit of an airliner requiringwill be affected is the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC). The bank knowledge or training. In addition, wages can no longer be arecently published Farmer 4.0, a comprehensive examination minimum with an offer of room and board or a cot in the barnof the issue and an identification of how the industry needs to loft. In order to attract someone from the city to settle in a smallchange to meet its future needs.town to work in the fields, growers need to pay competitiveOver the last two decades, agriculture has outpaced the rest wages and, if possible, offer benefits. of the economy with annual 5.5 per cent productivity gains, 30seed.ab.ca'