Agriculture
Alberta needs to fill agriculture jobs, amid a Covid- 19 created foreign worker shortage
Albertans out of work because of the COVID-19 pandemic, have a new resource to find a work in the province’s essential agriculture businesses and companies that make-up the food supply chain.
“There are great job opportunities on Alberta farms and ranches.” Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry announced at the Alberta Legislature as the government launched a new web-based support page called, Agriculture Job Connector. Dreeshen added, “this new website will help Albertans find an exciting new job in this essential service.”
A pork farm worker in an open sow housing unit in Alberta. Photo Courtesy/Maple Leaf Foods
Alberta is not the only jurisdiction in Canada and around the world that is having problems filling farm and food supply chain jobs.
In the United Kingdom, due to temporary farm worker restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, farmers have been scrambling to find workers so the crops can get planted and to stop crops from rutting on the trees or in the fields. Britons, usually make up only one percent of the temporary farm workforce. Citizens have responded to calls for a “new land army” to help fill the farm and food chain jobs. Up to 70,000 workers are needed. People looking for work have flocked to websites, searches for terms including “fruit picker” or “farm worker” surged by 338% and 107% respectively, with applications up 83% in the last month.
Alberta’s beekeeping industry and honey producers depend on temporary foreign workers during the busy season. Photo Courtesy/Alberta Beekeeper Commission
Family farms and companies throughout Alberta’s food supply chain rely on the “federal temporary foreign workers (TFW) program” to hire seasonal and full-time jobs that Albertans do not historical fill. Although the federal government recently announced loosing some of the TFW rules, the industry is nervous about a worker shortfall. The coronavirus’ on-going world-wide travel restrictions, along with a mandatory 14-day quarantine, once a foreign worker arrives, has raised serious concerns about a possible pending foreign worker shortage.
During this pandemic, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is working to reinforce that the, ‘agriculture and agri-food industry has never been more critical to the health and safety of Albertans and to our economy.’ Dreeshen added, “Thank-you to all who continue to work that keep our food supply safe.”
A combine works a field of wheat in Alberta. Photo Courtesy/Alberta Wheat Commission
Alberta’s Agriculture Job Connector has opportunities for both skilled and non-skilled workers. Some posted job openings are for one person, others need up to as many as 50 new hires. Job openings in Alberta can be found through these links, Alberta Alis, AgCareers.com, Career in Foods, Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association and Grasslands Recruitment Specialists. A sampling of some of the openings in Alberta, with the offer salaries can be found through the links below.
A woman works at a beef cattle operation in Alberta.
Some of the jobs open in Alberta from the links above;
- Farm Foreman/Woman in Hussar, $26.75 to $28.00 an hour
- Worm Picker in Stony Plain, $15.50 an hour *(Update, Job filled April 11th)
- Packer Vegetables Farm in Medicine Hat, $15.20 an hour (30-vacancies)
-
Grain Services Coordinator in Fort Saskatchewan, salary not posted
- Supervisor, Food Services in Wabasca-Desmarais, 15.50 an hour (2-vacancies)
- Vegetable Farm Worker in Wildwood, $15.00 an hour (6-vacancies)
- Farm Labourer in Acme, $15.00 to 22.00 an hour
- Branch Manager Crop Input Retailer, in Fairview
- Swine Herdsperson in Mayerthorpe, $16.00 to $17.50 an hour (2-vacancies)
- Dairy Herdsperson in Isidore, $20.00 an hour(4-vacancies)
- Video of day in the life at a beef cattle operation. Kolk Farms Ltd., in Iron Springs
- Beef Cattle Herdsperson in Picture Butte, $21.75 an hour (4-vacancies)
- Labourer Beef Processing in Calgary, $15.00 to $17.50 an hour
- Cattle Farm Worker in St. Michael, $18.00 to $20.00 an hour
- Apiary Technician (Bee Keeper) in Morinville, $15.00 to $24.00 an hour (3-vacancies)
- Certified Crop Advisor in Brooks, salary not posted
- Dairy Sales Rep in Edmonton, salary not posted
- Cheese Maker in Ponoka, $23.00 to $24.00 an hour
- Farm Machinery Operator in Olds, $20.00 to $25.00 an hour (2-vacancies)
- Mushroom Harvesting Labourer in Crossfield, $15,00 an hour (28-vacancies)
- General Poultry Farm Worker in Ferintosh, $20.00 an hour (5-vacancies)
- Poultry Farm Foreman/Woman in Millet, $21.65 an hour
- Poultry Farm Worker in Ponoka, $15.00 to $17.00 an hour (6-vacancies)
- Greenhouse Worker in Redcliff, $15.20 an hour (3-vacancies)
- Food Processing Labourer Pork in Lethbridge, $15.40 to $22.75 an hour (5-vancanies)
- Pork Production Technician in Falher, $15.90 an hour (8-vacancies)
- Food Processing Labourer Beef in High River, 19.55 to $23.50 an hour (50-vacancies)
Covid- 19 has created thousands of temporary & full-time jobs on Alberta Farms & in the food supply chain.
Click here to read more on Todayville Edmonton.
“…The more we know about our animals and our responsibilities to them, the better care we can provide. This, in turn, helps produce a better product and a stronger industry…” Alberta Veterinary Medicine Association
The Raised With Care sessions are a series of live-streaming interactive conversations with Alberta livestock owners about stewardship strategies that contribute positively to antimicrobial stewardship and animal welfare.
The sessions will explore four main areas of animal health: Vaccines, Healthy Facilities, Identifying Issues in Animal, and Impact of the relationship with veterinarians, veterinary technologists and the team at veterinary practices.
“We are talking equine health on Thursday with Dr. Greg Evans,” says host Daryl McIntyre. “The focus is on anti-microbial (anti-biotic) stewardship and general horse health.”
Schedule:
Sept 10 | 7PM – Equine
Sept 17 | 7PM– Apiculture
Sept 24 | 7PM– Dairy
Oct 1 | 7PM – Small Ruminant Animals
Oct 8 | 7PM-Poultry
Oct 15 | 7PM– Pork
Oct 22 | 7PM– Backyard Agriculture
Oct 29 | 7PM– Companion Animals
Open Farm Days returns to Alberta this Saturday and Sunday for its 8thannual provincial agriculture event. Hosted by the Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies in partnership with the province and Travel Alberta, Alberta Open Farm Days is an invitation from farmers, ranchers and brewers across the province for locals to come experience a day in agriculture.
Alberta is home to 31.3% of the total farmland across Canada, and the Alberta agriculture industry employs more than 50,000 people throughout the province. On August 15 & 16, Albertans will have the opportunity to meet those responsible for putting food on their table, while exploring Alberta’s agricultural roots and how they inform daily life across the province and the country.
Visitors can explore everything from produce, meat and dairy production, to the machinery and technology behind planting and harvesting crops, to what goes into their favorite local beers. Open Farm Days gives locals the chance to learn about and experience first-hand the processes that provide them with the products they rely on.
Every year, thousands of people province-wide venture outside of city limits to take part in Open Farm days. This year, 75 farms from Grand Prairie to Lethbridge will be participating, offering activities, demonstrations, tours and hands-on experiences for all ages. “It’s a great opportunity for people who are not familiar with farming to connect the dots between local agriculture and their products,” says Nicola Doherty, Marketing Coordinator for the Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies, “it really fosters an appreciation for all the products grown and produced here in Alberta.”
Along with promoting agricultural education and awareness, Open Farm Days also increases support for Farm to Table and Support Local initiatives by allowing people the opportunity to experience local products straight from the farm. “People are often shocked by the amount of work that goes into these products,” says Doherty, “for farmers, this is their every day – but for non-farm folk, they are in awe.”
In order to operate safely within provincial guidelines, Open Farm Days will look a little different this year. To remain in compliance with COVID-19 regulations and ensure proper social distancing, Alberta Open Farm Days has transitioned to scheduled visit times for this year’s event. Learn how to schedule your visit here.
This weekend, take the opportunity to escape the city and do something different – spend the day on a farm! Visitors are encouraged to bring cash, a cooler and dress for the weather.
For more information on Alberta Farm Days 2020, visit https://albertafarmdays.ca.
For more stories, visit Todayville Calgary.
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