The Canadian Agricultural Youth Council

I have a strong background in soil and environmental sciences and have spent much of my academic career considering the impacts climate change will bring to the Earth. I am a scholar in the Climate Smart Soils program at the University of Guelph which specifically seeks to train people who will help address the challenges that climate change will bring to the agricultural sector.

I have a unique perspective in that I combine both the traditional background commonly associated with agriculture (multi-generational, European ancestry) as well as a non-typical background having restarted a farm that had gone dormant prior to my return. I have also made the transition into the dairy industry rather than inheriting or succeeding a predecessor. This offers insight and perspective on how to bridge the past, present and future of agriculture.

As a francophone female scientist, I am passionate about merging the bridge between research and industry while also using the skills acquired through my various life experiences to solve complex problems.

Having a unique skillset of engineering, sciences, and regulatory affairs background, I see opportunity in every challenge posed in agriculture. Working in a start-up and established ag-biotech company helped me think not just about the farm level practices but to have a strategy for a short- and long-term vision for markets beyond the farm.

I am a farmer with work experience in the public and private sectors of the agriculture industry. I believe my diverse experiences can bring a unique perspective to challenges facing our generation in agriculture.

I am a female who brings experience in a multitude of areas of animal science, production and research in swine, poultry and dairy. Starting out in the industry can be difficult with its own set of challenges which I can speak for from a perspective of someone who has experienced these challenges.

As a relatively recent entrant to the agriculture industry, I believe my unique perspectives relate to generating awareness and excitement about the industry to attract new entrants, especially youth with no prior agriculture experience.

I’ve volunteered on small-scale organic farms in southern Ontario, spent two years on a large wheat-pea-canola farm operation in Saskatchewan during my MSc thesis, and worked with over 40 farmers across North & South America. During the last two years, I’ve been employed at PUR Projet. I hope to bring these different perspectives to the CAYC.

With a passion for research and animal welfare in the livestock sector, I will bring a unique perspective as a young female scientist in the poultry industry.

I have experiences in rural and urban Canada that have given me a unique understanding of how these two different communities think about and act on the dynamics of the food system.

As a business owner, I went through the start-up process and was confronted with various issues that the next generation of farmers can face.

I have been involved in significant parts of the value chain behind agricultural research in British Columbia at a federal level: from the administrative aspects of proposal development and communications to the technical aspects of research design and analysis. Beyond research, I have been involved in reporting regional climate impacts on agriculture and in consulting in integrated pest management. My diverse roles and experiences in the sector means that I can bring a multi-dimensional perspective to CAYC.

I am a female mixed animal veterinarian, a fourth generation farmer, and lived in a large city for 7 years. I can relate to the struggles that farmers may have but also provide a medical veterinary perspective to the many issues facing agriculture today. Furthermore, because of my encounters with the urban population, I hear concerns they may express about agriculture and can assist in their understanding.

With shearing I get to travel and meet different farmers which gives me a window into all sorts of sheep production styles. Additionally, in studying agriculture I get to see many other sides of the industry from crops to other livestock and processing. This gives me an interesting perspective on the interconnectedness of agricultural disciplines.

As someone with no prior background in agriculture, I can highlight useful resources and bring up challenges experienced from that viewpoint. As a graduate student in agriculture, I can also speak to the needs and priorities from that perspective.

I farm on rented land and am familiar with access to land issues for beginning farmers. I’m also a member of three agricultural groups, in addition to the Agriculture Industry Advisory Committee, so I’m familiar with the agricultural activities and challenges facing farmers in the Yukon.

I am a young first-generation Canadian with diverse studies, ranging from business to agriculture and now law, who lived in different settings and was exposed to many areas of work which are tangential to agriculture like chemicals and real estate and land development.

Having studied and worked in the agricultural and agri-food sector at the local (Quebec, Ontario), national (France) and international (Europe, Asia, Brazil) levels, I was able to understand both international and regional issues, their complexities, their complementarities and their divergences. This overview appears to me to be a force for developing solutions to the challenges of today and tomorrow, which the entire agricultural and agri-food sector is facing.

I was not directly exposed to the agricultural industry but instead became involved after exploring my passion for food. This demonstrates that there are opportunities for all Canadians to get involved and be inspired by the work being done in the sector, no matter their background.

I am an Algonquin man who studies traditional plant medicine, wild foods and permaculture.

The unique perspective I bring to the CAYC is developed from agricultural work experience in government, industry, and academia. Furthermore, I am bringing a perspective as the first agriculturalist in my family for several generations.

I'm a young immigrant with an urban background who faces the challenges of starting up a farm business, not having the generation before me to guide me prior to succession, and direct marketing on a small farm level. My focus of building a career around mental health is how I ended up in this position, and maintaining mental health happens to be an immense challenge in the busyness of the agricultural industry. This is one of the most important ways I connect with others in the agricultural industry and an area where I feel there is essential work to be done.

As someone who is just beginning their career, I think that I can bring insights into the experiences young people go through when trying to find their place in the industry. Additionally, through 4-H I have had many experiences working in youth-adult partnerships and understand the barriers that exist and ways to address them.

For two years, I worked with Agriculture in the Classroom NL – where I worked actively with a team to ensure that future and current Canadian consumers are informed and aware of how their food is produced. Now, I work with the producers daily and I hear first-hand the challenges that they face regarding the environment and climate change. I believe that both of these experiences make my perspective on Canadian agriculture rounded and unique.