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it's time for Real Egg Radio on rural radio channel 147 on Sirius. RealAg radio and reallgculture.com is your home for insight and analysis of the issues that are impacting your farm business. Let's get real and get connected with RealAg Radio. Welcome to RealAg Radio here on Rural Radio 147. SiriusXM. Shaun Haney, your host here on this week Wednesday midweek edition of the show. Thanks so much everybody for making Real Life Radio and Rural Radio 147 a big part of your workday and of course, as always, just a huge shout out to be listening out there on the RealAg Radio podcast as well. Please encourage you to continue to spread the word about this podcast. It is Canada's only national radio programme that allows you to stay connected on what's happening in the world of agriculture as it reflects back to Canadian farms. But also we got a really big US audience as well and really appreciate everybody in North America that tunes in and listens here every single day. Appreciate it so much. Thank you. It is truly an honour to be able to speak to you and try to help you out. Trying to weave through the the fog and the cloud of all the information that's being thrown at us in a year like 2026. And one of the big topics that is out there is land values in the face and how it cross, it kind of cross crosses with some of the farm profitability issues here in 2026. And we've got the Farm Credit Canada land value report is out for 2025 and JP Gervais is going to be with us from Farm Credit Canada to talk about that land value report. Now there's a national average, but what we're going to hear from JP is it does not necessarily tell the entire storey. Okay, so 25 land values were up the same as 24, but I know that he has a little bit of a further breakdown to try to provide some context and perspective on that number. So looking forward to hearing from JP today on the programme. We're also going to hear from Brett Hasard talking about livestock price insurance with afsc. We'll have that in a product spotlight today and we'll also play for you the farm safety round at the latest Episode we've got Chad Roberts from WSPS and Drew Spoelstra FE from the ofa. Now if you have any feedback on today's show, you can send me an email shaneeyealagriculture.com you can also call or text the real life feedback line 855-776-6147. I am, I'm broadcasting today from Calgary, Alberta. I am had a great time, great time yesterday with the Iowa Banking Association. It was the Iowa Egg Bankers Conference and really Fantastic ran to Dr. David Cole who gave a great presentation. There was a discussion as well as from one of the head government policy people with the American Banking Association, 200 ag bankers from across Iowa, community banks and really honed in and focused on how to serve their farming clients better. No different we would see in any of the states or across Canada. These are challenging times. These are really challenging times. So I had a great, it was just fantastic. I really enjoyed myself in Ames, right there on campus at Iowa State. And of course the Cyclones are big time in the sweet 16, so lots of people talking about basketball on campus there yesterday. Now today I'm in Calgary. I am headed to Manning, Alberta later today. That's right. It looks like we've got some snow. Winter does not seem to want to end. So be in Manning, Alberta. Looking forward to the discussion tomorrow with the Applied with their Applied Research organisation there and going to give a talk on ag policy and trade and economics and it's going to be a lot of fun and those are going to be a great group there in Manning, Alberta. It's my second time in the piece in two weeks. Now I don't want to hear from you people farming in the Alberta Peace region that Shaun Haney and Real Agriculture never get up there because I've been there twice in two weeks. I was in Grand Prairie two weeks ago and tonight I will be in Manning, Alberta. Next week gonna be speaking in Saskatoon or just outside of Saskatoon at a meeting. So yeah, the road trip not over. We're still rowing planes and hotels and still making it all happen. Okay, we're gonna take a break and when we come back we're gonna talk to JP Gervais, Farm Credit Canada. Let's find out what the details are on land values across Canada and how that reflects on farm profitability, interest rates and just the overall geopolitical climate relative Back to farming. You're listening to Real Life Radio, Rural Radio 147, Sirius XM. If you're serious about agriculture, Real ag's got you covered.
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It's now time for a product spotlight, joined right now by Cocoa Economic Services. Bryce Geisel. What's the key takeaway for growers heading into this season on this topic? That nitrogen management strategy is really going to be different, farm by farm, depending on all those different things that go into it.
Want to make sure that you're using the right product for the right application.
We have a lot of different options that farmers can use depending on how they're using their nitrogen. It's going to help help reduce those losses and making sure that people are
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haven't even realised that nitrogen loss is a concern, I really encourage you to look at utilising a urease inhibitor again. An example that would be Anvil nitrogen stabiliser to help make sure we reduce those volatilization losses. So to learn more about protecting your nitrogen investment, make sure you go to defend your N CA or talk to your local retailer. And welcome back to Reel Ag Radio. FP Genetics brings new seed genetics to Canadian farms, empowering growers to thrive in ever changing conditions. Visit FPGenetics CA and join thousands of Canadian growers who trust FP Genetics to deliver innovative, reliable seed genetics season after season experience. The next wave go to FP Genetics. One of the metrics that we continue to watch with some of the challenges that are out there in farm country is the value of farmland. Every year, Farm Credit Canada puts together, puts together, you know, puts brings all the data up and tells us kind of what's happening with land values across the country. And the 2025 report is out this week. Joining us right now to break it down and provide some analysis is JP Gervais. He's Executive Vice President of the Ag Lending Portfolio at Farm Credit Canada. How are we doing today, jp?
I'm doing all right. What about you, Shaun?
Hey, man. Pretty good, Pretty good. So I guess the question is we've got a national average of 9.3% increase across the country that's exactly the same as 2024. How do you break this down? What sticks out to you? Are things okay or is there other reasons for caution and concern?
Well, things are certainly okay. Doesn't mean that there are no reasons for caution. We can talk about that a little bit. I think, you know, I think the one thing I'd like to point out first is that the 9.3% increase in the average farmland value in Canada being identical in 25 that it was to what it was in 2024 actually is a bit misleading because if you, you know, and I think that's the really, the value of the report is we're able to dive into the dynamics of each province and each region within a province. And so if you look at, you know, provinces in Canada, five provinces actually recorded an increase in 25 that was higher than what it was in 2024. Flip side of that, five provinces actually recorded an increase in or a, a lower rate of increase in 25 than what it was in 24. One of the provinces, British Columbia, recorded actually a small decline. So I would say that, you know, there is no single Canadian farmland market. So that's one takeaway and that's not a surprise. We all know that farmland is quite local, but I think more so now this year than in previous years. And if you look at area strength, well, you know, look at the prairies. We got three strong increases in the prairies. Manitoba and Alberta actually recorded two of the provinces that recorded an acceleration of the rate of increase. So I think it speaks to a positive outlook over the long term, not discounting some of the big challenges we have. Short term valuations are extremely high right now for farmland all across the country. I think that's the one common theme. But overall, I think it speaks to a resilient and some strength in the farmland market for 2025.
Can you explain a little bit the methodology of how you put the average together? Is it evenly weighted across all the provinces? You just do an average of what each province was, or do you look at a percentage of acreage basis, how exactly you put that number together?
Yeah, so good question. So I think it's important as well to spend a little bit of time on this. So first off, the average or averages that we report are weighted by the areas, right? So the province of Saskatchewan, roughly accounting for 40% of farm acres in Canada, would account for roughly 40% of the weight in the national average. And we do the same thing within a province. So different regions of the province will have different weights again based on how much of the farm area they represent within a province or within a country within a region. So everything is weighted by the share of acres in any given area. So that's one thing. Second thing is that to be able to, I think the value of the report is, provides insights as to not just the percent increases, but as well as the range of values that exist within a region. And to do this, to report on a year to year basis and have a consistent view of the farmland market, we make sure that we have what we call benchmark properties, benchmark farmland areas in the country. And we keep those benchmarks constant throughout the years. And so that gives us kind of that consistency year to year and on top of it. So we appraise these as part of our normal operations and then report what the outcome is. And to make sure that those benchmark areas are representative of the trends. We also look at the pure data sets that we collect throughout the year. We don't think that we have 100% of all the transactions in Canada that would be too big of a, of a, of an endeavour, but we do have quite a bit of the transactions in a data set. So all in all the things, the benchmark properties, overall transactions, I do think that it represents a very, very significant share of the farmland market in Canada.
So these aren't just transactions that FCC has been a part of. These are outside of FCC's ecosystem as well.
Correct. So when we finance a transaction we would appraise the asset and to appraise the asset we would require transactions that are not necessarily been financed by fcc. So that accounts for a lot of what is going on outside of the FCC ecosystem. For sure. Yeah.
What's going on outside of the prairies? You mentioned the prairies are strong. What about outside the prairies?
I think, you know, if you look at Central Canada, Quebec and Ontario, smaller rate of increase still positive. But buyers are very, very cautious. I think it's. We've had a quite a bit of activity in the prairies, certainly in Manitoba, parts of Alberta. But if you look at Central Canada, a lot more cautious caution. And I do think that buyers are more selective, right. Looking at certainly the top end of the market a little bit more closely, let's say, than the lower end of the market. And maybe that's just where how buyers felt that there was value there to achieve. But overall valuations in Central Canada are very high. You know, they are at, at or near the historical record in each of the provinces but certainly in central Canada when you're looking at what you can gross out of an acre of farmland and relative to an accounting for inputs and accounting for payments of the land, we're talking about valuations that are quite stretched and an all time high. So that perhaps explains why and surely explains we have those valuations that have not gone up as fast as we would have had in previous years. Having said that, you know the rate of increase that we have in these provinces still speak to a healthy market. It's just that there is just no room for those valuations or less room for those valuations to go any higher.
One of the other land markets in Canada that is very high priced and did not have a good first six months of 2025 is British Columbia. It was flat to the prior period. What's going on in British Columbia when you look at the 2025 in totality?
Yeah, I mean some areas actually recorded a decline in the value, the average value of farmland and that speaks to I think some of the production challenges that the province experienced in some very specific sectors over like certainly in the fruit sector. But even if that's not accounted for specifically in the ripple support, I mean the spillover effects overall in the market certainly as, as part of the storey there in British Columbia that has experienced quite a few production challenges over the last few years and the market in B.C. is so diverse just to make up the mix of agricultural activities in the province. Explain as well that we're going to get some variability in the values because it's not a homogeneous type of market. Certainly less or more genius than say a province like in the prairies, Saskatchewan, Alberta. So bottom line is more diversity in the values, production challenges coupled with some pressures on revenues in B.C. are really actually what are driving some of the market dynamics in bc.
You know as you do too jp, you travel across the country, give a lot of speeches, interact with not only a lot of different lenders inside of your house but also farmers that are borrowing that money. And there is a lot eyes watching this land market given some of the financial challenges in the cropping sector. So as a banker how do you evaluate what's going on here at a time where some people are saying oh we're going to see a big pullback here, it's inevitable because of farmers ability to service that debt. How do you evaluate what's going on right now?
Well I mean there's no doubt first off the ability to service the debt is challenged. I mean you look at the input costs and prior to the conflict. And we got some breaking news this morning that who knows exactly how the next few days are going to evolve. But the bottom line is that inputs were high to begin with and we were expecting some pressures on margins to begin with prior to any of the Middle east conflict that we've actually witnessed over the last few days. So the bottom line is that we know profits are tight and we know that the ability to service Deb pressured because of that profitability. Commodity prices have somewhat rebounded in for a few commodities, but it's still very, very, very tight. And so that's the short term picture. Long term. I am still very positive about the outlook for Canadian ag, but I think we're at the point where and folks might say, well, jp, you've said this in the past. Absolutely. I've said that I would have expected the rate of increase of farmland values to actually slow down bit more and a little bit sooner than they have. Bottom line is that those valuations are really high at a time where profitability is challenged. So I would expect that there is going to be a lot more cautious on the part of buyers. The fact of the matter is that land available in the market is still tight and that supply is tight. And when producers have a business plan that is geared towards expansion growth, they're going to see some opportunities in the marketplace. Despite the fact that valuations are super high. And I think that still drives some of the market right now or what we've seen in 2025. I do expect that cautious purchasing behaviour that we have in 25. I do think that this is going to extend into 26. We're going to see a lot more cautious buyers there and that should be perhaps reflected on farmland values. Having said that, I think the underlying positive trend for the industry, the world needs more of us. I do think that it's still very much present for the most part. I think farm operations see this as well in terms of like what they think of the future. But there is no doubt that there's going to be a really difficult 26 to navigate when it comes to profitability.
Brought to you by Field Heroes, powered by the Western Grains Research Foundation. Whether you're a farmer, Researcher, Educator, Visit FieldHeroes CA to learn how beneficial insects can work for you. We've got more of my conversation with JP Gervais of Farm Credit Canada. We're talking land values for 2025 right after this quick break. Peter
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As you look ahead to the next growing season, there's a lot to consider when it comes to your crop. You need every possible advantage available to you. The Pulse School on RealAgriculture.com has everything you need to make the best choice for you and your Farm on Demand videos with leading industry experts available anywhere, anytime. Go into the season confident and ready with the Pulse School on RealAgriculture.com. We're going to continue my conversation with JP Gervais of Farm Credit Canada talking about land values in 2025. I would appreciate your feedback. You can send me an email shaneeyealagriculture.com or of course you can always call or text the relike feedback line 855-776-6147. Before we get to JP, I want to mention we're looking for new and exciting builds, renos and retrofits to feature on our video series. RE Like Shops. This is essentially MTV Cribs for farm shops. It is legit. It's awesome. So many fans of this series. We want to feature your shop on your farm. You can do that by sending me an email shaneeyealagriculture.com even if you have a neighbour you think would be great, like nominate your neighbour? Why not? That could be in Canada or the us. We'd love to hear from you. Let's continue my conversation with JP Gervais of Farm Credit Canada. Do you have any additional adjacent data to this? We're talking about the farmland values. What about number of transactions in 25 or days on the market? Do you have any of those kinds of insights that we can we can combine with these, these land values that you're, you're. You're talking about Here today.
The short answer is no, we don't have, you know, wish we could report that we had X fewer transactions in any area or any province and so forth. The bottom line is that we can never be 100% sure that we are. We would be collecting all of the data. We collect a large amount of data. Now there is no way for us to be 100% positive about the fact that, oh, we got all the transactions that occur in the marketplace and so at arm's length and so we can make statement. I mean, I do know that, you know, because the numbers are so different year to year that in Central Canada market has been a lot less active. Buyers have been very cautious. You know, if you look at, you know, in Manitoba, we got more transactions than last year or recorded more transactions than last year. So which at the very minimum, which suggests that, you know, the market in Manitoba is been very active. Now peace country in Alberta, like there are some different areas like this that has been a lot of activity, but overall can't really say for sure that the data would tell us that there are fewer or more transactions overall.
Is this, is this all farmland? Like does it include pasture land for example, or is it just cropping land?
Pasture lands available in the report, it's those separate from what we cultivated land. So you'll have a section on crop on, sorry, on pasture land that would, would report the same kind of data, kind of average increase, minimum maximum of the transactions that we've seen in the data set and that build that range of values for people based on different regions. So you would have that information in the report. Now bottom line is when it comes to pasture land that we haven't seen the same rate of increase with pasture land that we have had over the last three, four years dating back to 2022. I think it speaks that cattle producers have a long term memory when it comes to some of the, the challenges that they've seen prior to this run up in cattle prices that we've all recorded experience and are aware of. But yeah, pasture land have gone up, but less so than what all the other land has.
How you look at the last 24 months, bank of Canada has been in a period of rate reduction. We do have some interest rate risk in the market given what's happening in Iran here this last month. But, but how much of an impact has the bank of Canada lowering rates had on keeping land values increasing at that same as average for 24?
It does have an impact. I don't think though that this is the main driver. I really don't. I think it helps, you know, it helps on the profitability side, it helps on the buyer side. It helps in a number of different ways. And yes, you know, if you look at the risk of seeing interest rates now slightly go up, I think that risk is a little higher now than what it was at the beginning of 2026, you know, where we thought that there would be actually maybe a cut in interest rate because of the Canadian economy slowing down and so forth. Now we still are in an environment where the Canadian economy is kind of just wait and see, depending on how the outcome of the trade negotiations are going to look like for Kuzma, based on a number of these different things. But you have this, this threat of inflation because of a conflict that raises the cost of some very basic commodities, energy, fertiliser and so forth. So I do think that interest rates perhaps will have less of an impact in the marketplace going forward than maybe we would have anticipated. But it plays a role, definitely. Is it the main driver of what we're seeing in terms of purchasing behaviours and decisions? I don't think that. I don't think interest rates are, as
you look ahead to what we're going to see in 2026. And of course, we're almost through Q1 already. What, what are, as an economist, what are you watching and paying attention to? Is there, is it kind of the same old things or are there some different metrics that you're, you're watching pertaining to this land market?
Well, it's the same old things with maybe more of an emphasis on farm revenues. I mean, net income would be the one thing. I mean, inputs are so high and like I said, I mean, we can't expect producers to be able to navigate this and be profitable in any type of normal situation with what we have in terms of dynamics. And on top of this, you high, you know, you put on some high uncertainty when it comes to the cost of inputs. You know, from a commodity standpoint, I do think that it will need, will need something in the marketplace to absorb some of the stocks that we have that are projected to be available because supply is abundant. So that's what I'm going to watch for, hoping for another good year when it comes to yields so that we can actually, you know, have a little bit of a boost on revenues that would help a tremendous deal. But of course, way too early to actually have any type of assessment there. So would be the same thing that I would, I would, I would, I would monitor on A day on a, on a normal basis. But really I think farm income trends are really critical this year because we're stretching valuations for farmland and we have some interest input costs that are not matching the pace of what we've seen the commodity markets.
Let's, I was just going to ask you is farm income detached from some of these values? Because you look at 24 yields not super fantastic. We were disappointed. 25 yield surprises. Some people were yielded into some profitability but a lot of producers would say on the prairies not a great year. Why is land value still rising in the face of have a couple years or multiple years of poor profitability?
Well, I think it is decoupling to some extent in the sense that those valuations. Right. Think of price per acre relative to revenue per acre. I think that valuation is no doubt trending up. I mean the multiple that buyers are assigned in on the ability to derive income from an acre of farmland is actually one up and now is stretching as I said historical record in a lot of different provinces and you can account for interest rates and of course we've overall on a very long term basis we've seen interest rates come down. So it's, it's, yes, you know it's, it's lately it's, it's stopped now but I mean the trend has been, has been coming down and yes it has helped kind of boost some of those valuations but the bottom line is that yeah I think it, it does speak to different ways to value the asset going forward and, but at some point those valuations are reaching a point where you would expect those valuations not to have a lot more room to go up. And I think that's going to be reflected in a very cautious outlook for 2026 given the dynamics with regards to profitability.
Great stuff JP. Really appreciate you joining us here today. Always. You know this is very insightful and important reporting to have out in the marketplace. People understand what is happening with such an important asset like farmland values. Thanks so much for joining us.
Yeah, thanks so much Shaun for the opportunity.
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Welcome back to Real Life Radio. I am Lindsay Smith. It is time for today's Product Spotlight. Joining me now, I've got Brett Hazzard. He's the product coordinator with Agriculture Financial Services Corp. Or afsc. Brett, how are you?
I'm good, thanks.
How are you, Lindsay?
I'm doing well. Okay. We've got an exciting chat today about some of the products that of course, AFSC offers. We're going to talk about lpi, but before. So before we do that, we do love acronyms. Tell me, what is LPI before we dig into what it does.
Sure, yeah.
Thanks, Lindsey. LPI is Livestock Price Insurance. So it's a, it's a, it's a programme that gives producers the ability to set a floor price on their, on their cattle.
Okay, so that sounds good to me because I like to manage my risk. What does then LPI offer to producers who use it, especially with markets as they are now? How does it help producers navigate risk or uncertainty?
Yeah. Thanks, Lindsey. So it's a market driven, all in one risk management tool. So it's designed to be responsive and to take in current information
to keep
it responsive to ever changing market conditions. It protects the underlying value of a producer's cattle by setting a floor price in the form of an insurance policy. And it's designed to protect against the three main risks that are present in the Canadian cattle price, currency and basis. And you know what we're seeing with the current economic climate, we're seeing lots of volatility on the futures as well as with our dollar, all in response to different things that we're seeing, like screw worm news, the plant strikes in the US as well as the Iran conflict. So, so lots of volatility and always important for a producer to have access to a risk management tool to protect against that.
So now walk me through a little bit of what this might look like if a producer wants to give it a whirl. Are there different levels of coverage I can choose? What does it sort of look like as to what I have to navigate to use lpi?
Yeah. So we offer coverage or offer coverage for sale three times a week, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, starting at about 2:00 clock mountain time. And there's multiple different options for policy lengths. Anywhere from 16 to 36 weeks on the caf, and then feeder and Fed are 12 to 36 week length policies. And then we offer a range of coverage. So there's the top coverage which would be at the top of the table, the highest coverage as well as there's lower down the table, there's lower coverage as well for producers who want to have a little less premium attached and want just have that fair bottom floor price.
Okay, so as you mentioned, available for calf, feeder and fed cattle. So there, there would be a range here of producers that this may apply to. Why specifically would you encourage producers to look at it this year?
Yeah, over the last few years we've seen cattle prices strengthen to levels that we haven't seen before. And you know, with cattle at these record levels, it's, it's so important to be able to protect that underlying value. We're seeing coverage this spring quite high, some really good prices available for producers for the fall timeframe on the cap side of things as well as on the feeder and fed kind of the year round. There we are seeing lots of volatility as I mentioned before, and that has pushed the premiums higher a little bit. But when we look at premiums as a percent of the coverage, it's tracking in line with what we saw last year, only half a percent higher. So, and that's just a response to that large volatility. It also gives producers the ability to be flexible. And we know that producers want to be able to capture as much upside of the market as they can when we hit these record highs. So that's kind of the benefit of LPI in that a producer isn't locked into a contract. They're able to, able to capture all that upside if they need to as well. They're protected against an unexpected market decline.
I always feel like with cattle prices these days, it's like it seems almost too good to be true. And you don't want to be the one on the wrong side of it should they start to slide. So always a smart idea if there's an option to manage that downside risk. Why not? Alright. For those who are interested, of course, is it available to anyone or only certain provinces who all can make use of this lpi?
Yeah, that's, that's a good question. So producers who own or manage their own livestock are able to utilise the programme in the particip provinces that can be found on LPI ca.
Okay, so go cheque it out. Make sure that if you're in one of those provinces you can access this programme on to, though it is certainly, as you said, applicable, you know, across the board. For those who maybe are unfamiliar with LPI or maybe it's the first time, or maybe they just haven't used it in a while, where should they go? Where can they go to find more information or to essentially sign up?
Yeah. So we encourage producers to reach out to their local regional office as well as visiting LPI for more information. And we have a great programme guide that goes through on our website. Sorry, that goes through the details and how the programme works in a lot more detail. And you know, we also encourage producers to contact the local branch office or regional office for more information or stop in for a visit. And we're very happy to have those conversations with producers and answer any questions we can, so.
All right, Coffee's always on. Stop in. All right, Brett, thank you so much for joining me on the show today. Really appreciate it.
Thank you for having me, Lindsay.
All right, we'll be back with more Real Life Radio right after this. I'm Lindsay Smith from RealAgriculture.com Join me Monday nights for the Agronomists, a one hour live and interactive show broadcast across YouTube, Facebook and X. Monday nights at 8pm Eastern, I host expert agronomists from all over the country to give you answers to some of the toughest agronomic questions. Join us live or catch the replay Tuesday morning. That's the Agronomist with me, Lindsay Smith. Monday nights live at 8pm Eastern.
Hi, I'm Berner Tobin, host of the Soybean School on RealAgriculture.com throughout the year on the Soybean School, we'll bring you timely agronomic video content from planting to harvest, from the latest agronomic research to the latest in production technology. Cheque out our massive video library on YouTube, realagriculture.com or download the audio podcast versions wherever you get your podcasts. The Soybean School is brought to you by Mazec Seeds and Lalamom Plant Care. Well, last week it was Canadian Egg Safety Week and we talked about how know Ag Safety Week probably should be every week. But we're creating some awareness and some attention on a very important topic. Over 60 people die every year in Canada because of farm safety incidents. Now, we just recorded a new episode of the Farm Safety Roundup that's brought to you by WSPS and really talked about the importance of farm safety. We've got two guests. Chad Roberts, who's with wsps, and also Drew Spoelstra who's with the ofa. He's, you know, obviously also a farmer in Ontario. Here's the latest episode of the Farm Safety Roundup. With close to 200,000 farming operations across Canada, agriculture is a fundamental driver of our economic growth. But. But agriculture is more than just an industry. It's also a way of life. There's a family tradition to it. In a place where many kids take their first steps into responsibility and probably their first job as well. It's also one of the most hazardous environments for children and new young workers. We can't ignore this. Today we're going to dig into one of the most important and often overlooked topics in agriculture, protecting the young people who live, learn and work on the farm. Welcome to today's episode of the Farm Safety Roundup brought to you by WSPS. I'm your host, Shaun Haney of RealAgriculture.com We've got two guests here today. Looking forward to it. Drew Spoelstra is the president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and owner operator of Royale Lee Farms and Seeds. Hope I got that right, Drew. He joins friends and. Sorry, he joins friend and fellow farmer Chad Roberts, who's been on the show here before. He is senior Health and Safety Account Manager with Workplace Safety and Prevention Services to look at what safer culture really looks like on the farm as we recognise Canadian Ag Safety Week. Drew, welcome to the Farm Safety Roundup.
How's it going, Shaun?
It's going really good, man. I'm doing pretty good also. Chad, great to chat with you again.
Thanks for having me back, Shaun.
Okay, let's, let's dig in here. This is important. You know, just overall farm safety, just so important. And obviously WSPs and OFA, two organisations that see farm safety is a very, very high priority item. So despite, despite campaigns like Farm Safety Week that we just had, farming is still one of the most dangerous Ways to make a living, let's be honest. And the data shows that a lot comes down to the culture of agriculture and family being included in the operation. Drew, from your perspective, what makes farm environments uniquely risky for young people on the farm?
Well, I think the thing that we always need to consider is that most farms across Canada, home and the workplace are the same place. You know, kids are out there, they're living, they're playing, they're learning. And young workers as well, especially new hires, they're trying to figure out the complexities of their first job. Kids are growing, they're helping out in the same yards where equipment is moving. And it's a high risk environment. So we need to make sure that farm safety is held at a high Standard. It's a 24 hour responsibility, it's a high pressure environment. And lots of times, you know, farmers are out there multitasking, they're working, they're running their business, they're educating kids, they're parenting, they're doing a lot of different things. So we've got tight weather windows to deal with. You know, it's a high pace, high stress environment. We're dealing with labour shortages and other things right across the farm sector. So, you know, we're always running and we need to make sure that we keep safety as a high priority on the farm. We also need to, you know, work with our partners right across the industry and WSPS is one of them. We need to keep educating, we need to keep running the educational campaigns that we're doing. And OFA has done a few of those around farm safety awareness, around snowmobile and ATV safety, around road safety. And so there's a lot of different things that go into this conversation. And again, it's about keeping safety on the farm a high priority so that kids and family and young workers can be safe and go home at the
end of the day.
Yeah. And Chad, I think a lot of times we talk about farm safety and youth, we think about kids that grew up on the farm, but that's not all of the younger population working on the farm. We have seasonal, we've got young workers, we've got new workers to the industry that just you know, haven't necessarily been like entrenched in, hasn't been like, you know, their entire upbringing since they could, they could walk. How can farm leaders best protect new and young workers from your perspective, Chad?
Yeah, that's a great point, Shaun. And I think, I think it really starts with identifying risk and hazards around the farm. And you know, that can vary from farm to farm. It can vary from commodity group to commodity group. And going beyond equipment safety. Right. So we, you know, obviously we want to identify hazards that are on our operation. You know, whether it's tractor safety, you know, age old PTO safety, but getting in deeper to machine safety, equipment guarding, you know, various types of procedures when we're working around livestock. But then also remembering, you know, we have pits on farms, we have, you know, grain elevators, we have augers, we have all these other things that maybe traditionally we haven't had before. We see farms now that are, that own and operate some construction equipment. So identifying all that risk and somehow working towards controls to make sure that we're keeping those people safe. I think the other piece that we also have to remember is the health side of health and safety. We always talk about safety, you know, the physical side, but there's also a health component. Right. So what is the health component? You know, that can be things like, you know, noise hazards on the farm, it can be chemical exposure, it can be dust and air. So identifying that is really the starting point. And then when we bring these folks onto the farm as new and young workers. Back to your first point about not everyone's grown up on a farm, but also remembering that those that have grown up on the farmer may have worked on a farm or an egg business before. It varies, you know, you know, somebody that may have worked on, let's say a horse farm or a hobby farm. Sometimes we often fall into complacency and assume that because they were raised on a farm or in a country property that they're aware of all the hazards. And, you know, farming has evolved and highly technical and different equipment. So understanding that we need to be site specific and create orientation programmes that are appropriate for the hazards that we have and that we'll be exposing people to. So I think that's a big piece for us and it really starts there.
Yeah, Drew, I think Chad brings up a very good point. I think I sort of led with my question there of as if, you know, the people that have been in the industry their whole lives are the safe ones and it's the new people that, that aren't. That is not the case. Some of us old dogs are the ones probably the need them, maybe some of the most help here.
True, absolutely. You know, we get, we get so ingrained in the business and so ingrained in the day to day and lots of times we're taking shortcuts that we probably shouldn't take. I know I take Them myself and you know, I always think about it and say, oh, I probably shouldn't do that but you know, you're, you're trying to get on to the next thing. So yeah, definitely, you know, new people coming into the business, they're educated, they're trained well, they, they understand the risks. And I think it's important that we do that for ourselves too as farm operators. I mean, accident, accidents can happen in a split second. You know, some of these things can be preventable though. And with the right awareness and the right work ahead of time, you know, hopefully we can mitigate some of those challenges down the road.
You know, Chad, I think one of the barriers here for a lot of farmers is like people, when people hear about farm safety and maybe having like a, you know, a safety plan and you know, heaven forbid, SOPs and things like that that they think of like a 6 inch 3 ring binder and it doesn't necessarily have to be that at all, does it Chad?
No, it doesn't. I mean, you know, we are seeing increasing regulation and legislation to protect, you know, workers on all workplaces, but especially on farms. And it does not have to be that way. You know, when we talk about agriculture and regulations under farming, they are regionally specific, you know, so, you know, in Canada here we, you know, provincially regulate and many of those regulations, you know, there has been an increase in expectation for farm operations to ensure that they're doing due diligence for their workers and new folks coming in and making sure that they've identified those hazards and have controls. But we do have to give ourselves credit as well, you know, in the farming industry and the ag sector, I mean, when you look at the industrial regulations or things of that nature, they were brought into effect far, far before our farming regulation. So many times we are doing a good job and we're getting there and we got to continue to move the needle and continuous improvement and ensure that we are doing all that we can and recognise that, you know, certain family members, certain neighbours, certain friends that may be paid employees, they are workers. And now we do have a responsibility to do that. And really focusing on the prevention piece, right, you talk about, we talk about the legislation and we talk about the regulations, but I far prefer to have these conversations more on the prevention side of things. So what can we do on the front end? Right? And that conversation helps, right? And it makes people more comfortable and so on.
And Chad, the farm safety standards, like some of these regulations you're talking about, do they like, are they continuously Evolving. And have they like, have they changed a lot in the past decade?
Yeah, I mean farming came under the act, you know, in Ontario in the early 2000s. So, you know, we're starting to see, you know, increased regulations, increased standards and that's kind of coinciding with all other machine equipment standards. When we're buying equipment, we're seeing different regulations, different safety controls being put into place. Yeah. So it's ever evolving. I mean, obviously we take, you know, regulatory bodies, take the data and try to always evolve and when they analyse that data, identify where the hazards and risk and accidents are coming from and start to put controls and expectations around business owners and operators to ensure that, you know, when they do have these seasonal and or full time, part time individuals, young, experienced or otherwise on their, on their farm, that, that they're doing everything they can to protect them and showing that due diligence.
So Drew, from your perspective, how can, how can farms across the country navigate some of the differences in, you know, like attitudes towards safety or even like some of those, some of those farming traditions of, and when I think of traditions, what comes to mind right away is the incorporating of the youth into the operation in some hazardous environment.
Well, I think we need to take a step back to start with and really understand why we do what we do. And you know, I think that's to build a legacy, to build a sustainable farm business, to build a family that works and understands agriculture and understand what it means to feed people across the country, across the world. You know, to really create and build something that you can pass down to the next generation that's, you know, better than the way you started it. So, you know, I think to do that we need to make sure that we protect our people, we protect our businesses. We need to evolve and modernise how we do things on the farm. We need to make sure that we have those dreaded SOPs that you talked about in place and that they're there and they're clearly understood. You know, I think the other thing we need to do is set clear rules and boundaries for young workers and kids on the farm. Make sure we have those, you know, defined areas where kids shouldn't be kid free zones, if you want to call them that. We have supervised access to machinery that would build in safety routines and these models. You know, when I take my own kids, I'm guilty of it too. I take my own kids out in the tractor, but when they're there with me, I make sure that they're strapped into the seat number One, they don't leave that seat, you know, that they understand clearly what the rules are. And if I'm doing a job where I know I'm going to be in and out of the tractor all the time, I make sure they're not with me. So, you know, we do different things on different farms to do our best to include them, but make sure they're safe.
Yeah. So, Drew, from talking to the members of the OFA and maybe your own operation, does being more conscious of farm safety, does it. Does it make life easier for farm businesses, or is it. I don't want to say burdensome, but just like, what's. What's the outcome like? I think a lot of people think the bird here. I'll project a little bit. I think people think burden, but once they get into it, it's like, oh, this kind of makes sense, and it doesn't actually slow me down. What are your thoughts?
Well, I mean, it's a heck of a lot less of a burden than, you know, not being able to come home and enjoy time with your kids or. Or, you know, have an accident on the fireman, God forbid, and, you know, something happened to one of your kids. So, you know, I think you have to look at it that way. You have to make sure those kids are safe, that they're protected, and that you do everything possible as a parent, you know, to make sure that they have the opportunities on the farm, that they learn and they're educated and they grow and they understand how things work, how food production works, how the system works, but that they're also, you know, able to do everything that a kid should do and, you know, grow and learn and play.
Yeah, well, we want. We want mom and dad to come home, too.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
Right.
It's the whole picture, for sure.
Yeah, absolutely. So WSPS goes back to the Farm Safety association, more than a half a century in farm safety, as it does the partnership with ofa. If a listener wants to move the needle on safety here, what should it be? So, Drew, we'll start with you.
Yeah. I think if we want to move the needle, we need to work with the partners like WSPs and others OFA across the industry to get whatever help we can to build our resources on the farm, to build that toolbox and be able to take the guesswork out of some of this work, to make sure that we're not doing this job alone and that we can support our farm businesses wherever we can. And, you know, the first step is to have those conversations around Home with the team, at home with the farm, farm team, around, around the operation. Talk openly about the close calls that you have and how you can make changes down the road to prevent some of these challenges. You know, on multi generational farms, we need to make kids aware that they don't need to earn their stripes. You know, they can spend that time learning, they don't have to dive right in. Make sure you take it slow and take it easy and do what you can to learn the best way forward.
Oh, sorry, go ahead.
No, go ahead.
No, I interrupted. Sorry, go ahead.
Just. I don't want to take away Chad's thunder, of course, but we just need to use the tools that we have available and continue to build that toolbox for farmers right across the country.
Chad, what are your thoughts? How do we move the needle here?
Yeah, I mean, by no means is there thunder, but, you know, echoing Drew's comments around utilising our partnerships. Right, so utilising your commodity associations, folks like the ofa, you know, it comes down to a lot, starting with, you know, giving yourself some time, planning, you know, we don't want to dive into a lot of this type of development and moving the needle and evolving our safety programme when the need is now. And I think in agriculture sometimes that happens where we need an operator, we need somebody to do a task tomorrow, and we don't prepare maybe as much as we should. But getting back to, you know, how to continue to move the needle, I mean, associations like WSPS or your local health and safety associations across, across Canada or elsewhere, utilising your services, I mean, WSPs, speaking from that lens, you know, we offer a number of free services, we do on site assessments, we have a number of toolboxes, offerings, we have checklists, we do on site hazard assessments for folks at little or no cost. Many of the times, you know, WSPS is equipped with an agricultural team, an ag specialist that really, truly understands the business. And you know, Drew and I have had many conversations, you know, in meetings and on personal time about, you know, understanding the challenges and understanding that. And I really strive, and I think our, our ag team strives to meet the ag business or farm, where it's at, wherever it is, on that pendulum, we're there to meet them and it doesn't have to be daunting and we understand the risks and we understand, for me, the important part is the realities, the busy times, what that looks like, what we can do, what we can't do, what's realistic and what's not. WSPS right now is also offering free E courses to a number of different portfolios to businesses across the province and across the country. So you can utilise some of our free E learnings up until, I believe it's October 2026. Yeah, so. So really reaching out and just asking for help, not being shy to admit where, where you want to improve and where you may be at or wherever you may not be at. So that's why we're here.
And Chad, just to put some practicality to it, like there are very large operations I know of that are just having that, like even during the craziness of, of planting or, or harvest are having that 5, 10 minute safety tailgate meeting just to have a discussion about like, hey, and things come up. Hey, I noticed that the COVID is off of this pto. You know, I mean, like just little things come up just, just because we've stopped for like five minutes. We can all take five minutes. Just, just as one example of a small thing that can have big, big benefits and really keep some of those safety. Heighten the safety level in the operation 100%.
And you know, I can use Drew and his operation as an example. You know, I've been around there for many years and we've been friends for a long time and I've seen that in action. And even in his operation, you know, taking the time to explain to a young worker or somebody that's new, you know, stopping the process and you know, recalibrating. So yeah, it does happen and that's a great thing to see because they are busy, there is pressures, there's multiple things happening at certain times of the year. So yep, 100%, Shaun.
Great stuff.
It's.
It's not just the young workers either. I've had those conversations with my dad before. So, you know, you don't need to sit down and have that half day safety team meeting like you said said around, around the coffee table or around the field dinner table. You know, those things can happen and there's, there's lots of great conversations that can happen those times.
Yeah, you know what this is, this is a topic that we probably ourselves need to all look in the mirror on. You know, what's my accountability in this in terms of some of the things that I'm doing and especially as the leader of the operation, what example am I setting when it comes to farm safety? It's one thing to push the expectation on everybody else that you're working with and you just do what the heck you want. That shouldn't be the way it is. So it's looking in the mirror. But this is an issue that affects young, old, experienced, non experienced. It's just everybody, any demographic. We could talk about any demo you're susceptible to farm accidents and farm safety issues. So this is, this really includes everybody here in the audience. Hey, Chad, really appreciate you joining us here for this episode of the Farm Safety Roundup.
Thanks, Shaun. Really appreciate it.
And Drew, all the best. I'll see you somewhere out there on the road.
You bet. Great to be here.
Okay. Safety is not a one week campaign. With Farm Safety Week, it really should be every week, 52 weeks of the year. And it's really kind of, it's a commitment for you and your operation. If today's conversation raised a few flags for you, okay, you know, like, oh, we're getting into the season. I gotta get going here, here. Don't let it slide. Cheque out the CASW resource and visit WSPS CA FarmSafety for the tools to help you follow through on it. Thanks everybody for joining us here today for the Farm Safety Roundup. Great stuff there from Chad Roberts of WSPS and Drew Spoelstra of the ofa. If you have any feedback, we'd love to hear from you on today's show. What's your opinion on what we heard from JP Gervais when it comes to the Canadian land market? Would love your input. Are you surprised by a 9.3 average? Did you think it would be different? And what about some of those provincial breakdowns that he talked about? Land. The land market quite strong still on the prairies? Not so much in other parts. What are your thoughts and your perspectives on all that? Is this the, is this the beginning of the end? The end of the beginning of the land? What exactly are your. Hey, you're the one that's buying the land. You're the one that's selling the land. You're in this. You're on the ground. I want to hear your on the ground perspective when it comes to the value of farmland in the country. If you have any feedback, send me that
[email protected] you can also call or text the real life feedback line, 855-776-6147. Thanks everybody for getting real and getting connected with Real Life Radio and we'll of course chat again tomorrow. Cheers everybody.
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