N.B. farmers grow older, and fewer have succession plans
CBC
The average age of farm operators in New Brunswick has risen to 57, according to the 2021 agriculture census done by Statistics Canada.
That isn't surprising to young flower farmer Ellen Folkins, but it's disappointing.
"Young farmers are a generation of people who are really innovative," she said on her family's farm about 70 kilometres northeast of Saint John.
"Things are changing really fast, and we're allowing it and we're supporting it, and we're not afraid to see it happen."
Folkins and her sister Sophia Sharp grew up on their family's seventh-generation dairy farm in Lower Millstream. In 2020, they decided to take the plunge and start Sharp Brook Flower Farm on the same property.
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"During COVID, my sister and I were looking for a little outlet, so we started a small cut flower garden thinking we would sell a few bouquets at the end of our driveway," Folkins said. "And it blew up."
They have planted more than half a hectare and are growing more than 30 different varieties of flowers.
The sisters have been selling fresh-cut bouquets in their roadside stand and will begin booking U-pick appointments later this month.
As women in their twenties, Folkins and Sharp are in a minority of farm operators, 37.2 per cent, who are under 55.
Folkins, a board member of the New Brunswick Young Farmers Forum, said there are a number of barriers for young people trying to enter the field.
"I think there's a lot of young people that are interested in farming, but there's no access to the help they need to get there," she said.
"We see a lot of farms that are selling out. And then there's a lot of young people that would love to take over that farm, but they just don't have the capital available to purchase it."
She would like to see some sort of matching program that pairs young people up with farmers who don't have a successor.