The competition to recruit and retain people to work in all industries continues to heat up.

Ag For Life CEO Dave Sprague tells Rural Roots Canada competing against an extremely vibrant industry like oil and gas for talent is hard, but can be done if the agriculture industry tell its story effectively.

“In the case of energy, I think they are doing pretty good story right across Canada, telling people why they should look to the energy sector for a career,” says Sprague.  “So I think it is up to the agricultural sector to be able to tell their story about why the opportunities in agriculture are as good or better.”

Sprague says it starts by planting the seed at a young age by having them ask themselves some crucial questions.

“Where does agriculture fit into my future?  Why is agriculture important?  They need to have a basic understanding of where does food come from.  Why is it important in my life?  What opportunities are there within agriculture? What responsibilities might I have in agriculture?”

Sprague says a great way to show-off what agriculture can offer is to show where it is going.

“It’s kind of strange to think agriculture has been around for thousands of years yet in many ways it is an emerging industry.”  “There’s a lot of opportunities in it simply because the demand for agricultural products is going to continue to grow, year after year after year.”