Saskatchewan JobFutures

Nature of Work

Farmers and farm managers manage the operations and functions of a farm. They are responsible for growing crops; raising and breeding livestock, poultry and other animals; and marketing farm products.

Nature of Work

Farmers and farm managers manage the operations and functions of a farm. They are responsible for growing crops; raising and breeding livestock, poultry and other animals; and marketing farm products.

Duties

A farmer's or farm manager's regular duties may vary significantly from one farm to another. Managers of orchards, for example, have different responsibilities than mangers of grain farms, dairy farms or cattle ranches. Nevertheless, there are several general duties common to most farmers and farm managers. Most in this field of work are responsible for managing the overall operation of their farm, ranch or orchard. This involves determining both the amount and the kinds of crops to be grown and livestock to be raised.

Farmers who grow wheat or other grains or specialty foods, such as apples or potatoes, plant, cultivate and harvest crops. Livestock farmers raise and breed beef cattle, hogs, chickens or other livestock and poultry. Other common duties include hiring and supervising farm workers; establishing a marketing program; and purchasing farm machinery, livestock, seed, feed and other supplies. Farmers and farm managers also maintain farm machinery, equipment and buildings and develop and keep financial and production records.

Example Titles

• apiarist
• apple grower
• rancher
• dairy farmer
• fur farmer
• fruit farmer
• feedlot manager
• vineyard manager
• horse breeder
• market gardener
• potato farmer
• vegetable grower
• wheat farmer
• chicken farmer
• grape grower
• hog breeder
• seed grower
• sod farmer
• breeder, domestic animals

Training Paths

U of S offers degree programs in Agribusiness, Agriculture Biology, Agricultural Economics, Animal Science, Environmental Science, Plant Science, Renewable Resource Management, Soil Science, and Food and Applied Microbiological Sciences as well as a diploma program in Agribusiness and Agronomy. SIAST offers related programs in agricultural areas such as: Beef Cattle Production, Custom Harvester, and Commercial Pesticides Applicator. SIAST also offers technical training for the Pork Production Technician apprenticeship program, which is a designated trade in Saskatchewan.

Trends and Outlooks

The employment prospects for this occupation are: limited

The very serious challenges facing Saskatchewan farmers are well documented, and it may come as little surprise that the employment forecast is not good for this huge occupational group. Employment numbers for Saskatchewan farmers and farm managers dropped steadily throughout the nineties. This is of huge significance to the provincial economy. According to Statistics Canada, there were 45,445 farmers and farm managers employed in Saskatchewan in 2000. This marks a decline of 5%--or more than 2,200 jobs--from 1995. However, this five-year drop in employment was not entirely due to farm closures.

Due to often-bleak economic conditions during the last decade, many farmers and farm managers acquired full-time employment off the farm after 1990. A number of these workers may not have listed farming as their primary occupation during the 2001 Census. Consequently, many farmers and farm managers who were classified under this group in past Census years were classified elsewhere in 2000. Still, additional employment does not fully account for the enormous drop in employment for this group over the last decade; there were thousands fewer farmers and farm managers in the province in 2000 than there were in 1990. n many respects, farming is a unique job in Saskatchewan. For one thing, there are rarely new job openings in agriculture, particularly in grain farming. Most useable farm land in Saskatchewan is already in use, and the farm jobs that become available typically are replacement positions left open by retirement or turnover.

Farmers and farm managers are among the oldest workers in Saskatchewan. In 2001, over 70% of all workers in this group were at least 45 years of age. While many of these workers choose to keep working, many others feel unable to retire. This too makes farming unique. On the surface there are ample opportunities for young workers. However, farming is expensive to get into and not the career of choice for many youth. This often translates into a disconnect between supply and demand. Younger workers are frequently unable to afford land purchase, and older workers are often unable to find buyers for land and retire.

At present, a well below average rate of job openings is expected for farmers and farm managers over the next few years. Given the current economic conditions, however, this rate could increase or decrease within a short period of time. There is precedent for this instability. Prior to 1998, the employment for farmers and farm managers was reasonably good; better than it had been. Coupled with the near-collapse of the Asian market and reduced world grain prices in the late nineties, the discovery of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE or "Mad Cow" disease) early in this decade has damaged the farm economy more quickly--and more significantly--than most analysts expected. Even if conditions improve, the ill effects of this downturn may close many more Canadian farms in the near future. Still, it is difficult to accurately forecast employment trends in the Agricultural industry. Climatic conditions or drastic fluctuations in grain or livestock prices can result in employment numbers that are much higher or lower than expected.

Farmers and farm managers are not highly paid in Saskatchewan. In 2000, the average full-time income for these occupations was $19,304 per year. This marked a decrease from the 1995 average full-time farming income and remains well below the provincial full-time average income for all occupations in 2000 ($35,461 per year). Of course, there is a wide range of incomes among farmers and farm managers. Full-time workers in this group earned as much as $63,213 in 2000. Farmers and farm managers based in or around Regina or Saskatoon typically earned more in 2000 than farmers and farm managers employed elsewhere in the province. According to Statistics Canada, 76% of all farmers and farm managers in Saskatchewan were male in 2001. However, a high percentage of Saskatchewan farms are still family run, and this statistic does not reflect the enormous contribution of women to most farms in the province. Employment in Saskatchewan for these occupations is distributed evenly throughout the province; only 6% of all farmers and farm managers in the province worked in or around Regina or Saskatoon in 2001.

In 2000, less than 30% of all farmers and farm managers in the province were not employed year round on a full-time basis. Over 90% of all full-time farmers and farm managers in Saskatchewan were self-employed in 2000. Employment in this occupational group is not very sensitive to overall economic conditions but is highly seasonal.

Professional Associations

Related Occupations

• Agricultural and Related Service Contractors and Managers (8252)
• Farm Supervisors and Specialized Livestock Workers (8253)
• Nursery and Greenhouse Operators and Managers (8254)
• Supervisors, Landscape and Horticulture (8256)