The average age of a farmer in the Cen. Ok is...

[WalterWhite]

Nobody wants to be a farmer these days. Working too hard for too little.

Not disagreeing with your comment as I concur, just wanted to add that conversely, talking to some of them you'll also find it isn't about the money, it's a way of life. A life that hard work is simply a part of - and it's not necessarily a bad thing. These particular type of people simply acknowledge that its all part of the parcel - and wouldn't trade it for any 9-5 grind no matter what the salary was.

[Osoyoos_Familyof4]

I think we may see some Millenials return to gentleman farming. This generation appreciates pristine fine quality produce and understands agri-tourism.

In the Okanagan, this might look like a small farm that operates a fine restaurant doing farm to table. Or they will have a boutique market on-site. Or they will have attractions for families. Or, they will have all of the above. They will host events, hold weddings, corporate retreats - whatever in order to make a living.

The products of these farms will always be for the wealthy, or those determined to eat better at any cost.

All other farming will be done elsewhere, certainly not here. Factory farms in some failing state will continue to become larger and larger and exploit workers by keeping wages low. Their products will be sold to the manufacturers who supply the goods to the big box grocery stores and sold to those who don't mind this kind of food, or those who can't afford better (myself included).

[Jflem1983]

Nobody wants to be a farmer these days. Working too hard for too little.

Not disagreeing with your comment as I concur, just wanted to add that conversely, talking to some of them you'll also find it isn't about the money, it's a way of life. A life that hard work is simply a part of - and it's not necessarily a bad thing. These particular type of people simply acknowledge that its all part of the parcel - and wouldn't trade it for any 9-5 grind no matter what the salary was.

Well call me a nobody . Wish I had farm land . I do pretty good in my gardens . I'd like to run a fam to table with my buddy who is a chef . Would be fun .

[stuphoto]

^^^ no one is getting into farming because of the money. lol

I was born & raised on a dairy farm, there is no real breaks. 24/7 365 days a year, unlike fruit or grain farms.

A few years ago I heard of a surver stating that a Dairy Farmer was one of the worst jobs.
At the time I was hauling Raw Milk from the farmers to the dairies, so it gave me something to think about.
I agreed with it in some aspects. You may be working your butt off for days at a time repairing equipment and during harvest time ( cutting hay is still a harvest folks )
Plus You have absolutely no days off, unless you have a reliable worker you can trust. Robots thankfully help the small farmer here if you can afford one.
However I thought about it, and the job has some benefits too.
You are actually spending quality time working beside your family members, plus it can be a good environment to raise chidren in.
Not to mention, farmers children actually learn how to work.

here is a link to a story on it.
http://www.thedairysite.com/news/38432/ ... orst-jobs/

[Thinktank]

In the old days there was slavery. Think about it - there is nothing better than slavery. Having
a bunch of guys work their whole lives for free - must have been great.

The two main types of farms in the Okanagan are grapes, and apples/fruit. The fruit industry tells
us there is a "shortage of labor" in Canada, so that's why they must import Mexcians to do some of
the labor. But the fruit industry is a liar. there's no shortage of labor here. There is a shortage of
people willing to do "slave labor."

Here's an article of how some orchardists treat their slave labor:
http://globalnews.ca/news/3413087/exclu ... onditions/

So why do we need slave labor on our farms? Because the farmers don't earn enough. Why is that?
It's deliberate. It's also the reason there aren't many young farmers.

.... to be continued - a full explanation of how things work

[GordonH]

At one time there was dairy farm element in the South Okanagan, reason being there was 2 creamery in Okanagan.
1 in north Okanagan known as NOCA (North Okanagan Creamery Association) sold to Dairyland
1 in south Okanagan known as SOCA (South Okanagan Creamery Association) just faded away

http://www.bcdairyhistory.ca/PDFs/the-h ... ociety.pdf

[60-YEARS-in-Ktown]

When I was growing up I lived on Byrns Rd.. There was quite a bit of farming..and orchards.. Still is, except a lot of orchards are gone.
More than two types of farming, you for got, cattle, dairy ...and a few more.

[LiamHaddock]

Cannabis seems to be a profitable crop to grow and with coming demand expected to skyrocket with legalization its about the only kind of farming Id enjoy or invest in!
I wonder what the average age of cannabis farmer is? Maybe time to invest in converting farms/greenhouses to the next big cash crop if you own a farm and want to increase profits!
I feel bad for farmers though. Long hard hours with little pay and appreciation. Everyone just thinks your trying to kill their family with gmo crops ect and if your a small farm it can be hard to survive one bad crop/season can ruin you :(