Agri-Business Careers Tour Showcasing the many career opportunities and educational pathways

MACHINERY SALES/SERVICE

Learn how farm diversification increases farm income, efficiencies and opportunities for future growth.

Find out how trucking and warehousing systems play a key role in keeping products fresh.

Tour a farm machinery business which buys, sells and repairs tractors, combines and machinery.

FOOD PROCESSING Watch what happens at a food processing plant that receives agricultural food products.

TRUCKING & WAREHOUSING

BIOTECHNOLOGY & QUALITY CONTROL

FARMING DIVERSIFICATION

Discuss the importance of setting safety standards for the protection of human, animal and environment health.

Thursday, September 25, 2008 • 8:30 am - 2:30 pm

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W

elcome to the YSSTAB and the Region of York Agri-Business

Industries Tour of York Region. Our emphasis of this tour is on building and supporting your understanding and awareness of the many agri-business careers available through all pathways direct to work, apprenticeship, college and university. This tour showcases the latest technology used in farm production, food processing, equipment fabricating, sales and repairs, trucking, storage, marketing and careers. We hope that you find this tour informative and interesting. Enjoy your day. Your Hosts, York South Simcoe Training & Adjustment Board Region of York

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What does the Farming/Agri-business Sector mean to York Region? Farmers, farming, growing food, and other agricultural activities are important to Ontario, to the GTA and to York Region. Next to the automotive industry, the agriculture and food processing sector is the second largest in Ontario. York Region reports a total of 972 farms. The majority of farms in York, about 70% of them, are on a land base of less than 130 acres and about 8% of farms are over 400 acres or 21,600 building lots. The majority of the 167,039 acres of land used in farming is for crop production. York Region can grow almost anything that can be grown in the rest of Ontario, except tender fruit crops like peaches. Crops that are high in terms of farm cash receipts are floriculture, nursery, sod, field vegetables and mushrooms. York Region is home to the number one horse industry in the province. It is world class when it comes to standardbred, thoroughbred, jumping and pleasure horses and has world-renowned suppliers, equine services, and equine associations. A study by Dr. Robert

Wright (1996) suggests that the annual economic impact of horses in York Region is about $31.4 million. As employers, farmers pay hired labour for a total equivalent of 82,000 weeks a year. There are employment opportunities in the agriculture sector. Farmers are business investors. 75% of York Region farmers have over $500,000 in capital value and 43% of them have over $1 million in capital value. Gross farm receipts of over $100,000 are reported by 32% of farms in York Region and 8% report gross farm receipts of over $1 million. Farmers are also spenders. Approximately 86% of gross farm receipts are spent back in the community on farm expenses which represents spending of about $126 million per year. Agriculture is an important sector to the York Region economy.

Source: Regional Information Coordinator, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

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To u r I t i n e r a r y 8:30 am – 9:00 am

Registration

9:00 am - Bus departs Sharon Temperance Hall 18974 Leslie Street Sharon, Ontario L0G 1V0

9:15 am – 9:45 am

Skelton Truck Lines 2510 Davis Drive Newmarket, ON L0G 1V0

10:00 am – 11:00 am

King Cole Ducks 15351 Warden Avenue, RR#3, Newmarket, ON L3Y 4W1

11:15 am – 11:45 am

Hutchinson Farm Supply 14183 Hwy. 48 Stouffville, ON L4X 7X3

12:00 pm – 12:30 pm

Thompson Potato Farm 19228 McCowan Rd. Mount Albert, ON L0G 1M0

12:45 pm – 1:15 pm

Kesmac/Brouwer Turf 23324 Woodbine Avenue Keswick, Ontario L4P 3E9

1:30 pm – 2:30 pm

Sharon Temperance Hall Lunch consisting of locally prepared foods

Guest Speakers:

Brad Holshof Agricultural Co-op Student

Jean Sullivan Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council 3

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Locations

FARM TOUR 6

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Sharon Temperance Hall 18974 Leslie Street, Sharon, ON

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Skelton Truck Lines 2510 Davis Drive, Newmarket, ON

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King Cole Ducks 15351 Warden Avenue, RR#3, Newmarket, ON

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Hutchinson Farm Supply 14183 Hwy. 48, Stouffville, ON

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Thompson Potato Farm 19228 McCowan Rd., Mount Albert, ON

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Kesmac/Brouwer Turf 23324 Woodbine Avenue, Keswick, ON

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TRUCKING & WAREHOUSING

S k e l t o n Tr u c k L i n e s 2510 Davis Drive, Newmarket, ON

Owners: Larry and Barbara Skelton

A Reputation Built on Quality and Dependability.

Employment 70 full time employees including: • AZ & DZ Licensed, Bonded Truck Drivers • Licensed Truck & Coach Mechanics • Welders • Certified Health & Safety Officer • Forklift Operator • Automotive Painter • Inventory Manager • Administration & Accounting Clerks • Quality Assurance & Control Officer • Logistics & Customs Co-ordinator • Calibrations Officer

• This family owned business has been in operation for 46 years and has three divisions: 1) The Freight Forwarding Division focuses on refrigerated trucks devoted to the transportation of pharmaceutical, blood products and plasma all over North America. They also specialize in hauling steel products in trucks that are designed for heavier cargo. 2) The Warehouse/Distribution Division accounts for 62,000 sq. ft. of the total 80,000 sq. ft. operations on 12 acres. The warehouse is temperature controlled to allow for a variety of products to be stored and distributed from the facility. 3) The Micron Division is an in-house fleet maintenance and repair centre for all Skelton trucks and trailers as well as outside farm and construction equipment. There is a full paint shop to ensure the fleet of 42 trucks and 60 trailers maintain the distinctive Skelton orange and black fleet colours. • Skelton attributes much of its success to specializing in the transport of high-value, temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals in double refrigerated trailers across north America. • Skelton is authorized to operate in 48 states and all provinces in Canada. Skelton trucks are tracked by satellite so the company has a continuous status of their fleet and the products they carry at all times. • Skelton Truck Lines continues to look at new opportunities for diversification in order to continue to offer quality services to their customer base. Skelton is currently investigating the possibility of developing a smaller fleet of refrigerated trucks for transport of critical care products locally. • Skelton has offered high school co-op opportunities in the past and would consider hosting apprenticeship positions. 5

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King Cole Duck Farm

FARMING DIVERSIFICATION

15351 Warden Ave., RR#3, Newmarket, ON

Owners: Robert Murby & Joanne Grant

Naturally… We Simply Taste Better! • King Cole Ducks Ltd. is Canada’s largest duck farm producing over 2 million ducks annually for sale to food service and retail customers throughout the world. This family owned business started in 1960 and currently operates 14 farms on 1,000 acres of land across York Region, Bradford, West Gwillimbury and Durham. • Four generations of the Murby family operate one of North America’s only fully integrated farming operations, which includes breeding-hatching-growing-processing and shipping of product. King Cole raises white pekin domestic duck, which is a favourite of the Asian market. • Although King Cole products are shipped all over the world, the demand for fresh, frozen and now fully cooked entrees in North America is growing significantly. • Nothing is wasted - feathers are sold for down in pillows and duvets, manure is processed and sold to garden centres, landscape companies and golf courses. Offal (waste parts) are sold to rendering companies to be processed for personal care products. Duck tongues are a delicacy in the Asian market. • King Cole has diversified within the duck market to launch a new cook plant and product development centre and offer a new line of fully cooked duckling entrees. • The business of raising and selling ducks is not without its challenges - Provincial and Federal government food standards are the most stringent in North America. Coupled with a high Canadian dollar makes it a challenge to sell to our neighbours in the south. The only way to succeed is to produce a superior product. • King Cole has hosted apprenticeships in the past and would consider this again. They have also hosted high school co-op placements. 6

Employment 120 full-time staff, 20 of which are licensed skilled trades and 20 part-time staff • Veterinarian • Licensed Mechanics • Stationary Engineers • Logistics Co-ordinator • Production Manager • Chef • Sales & Marketing • Vet Technician • Welders • Electrician • HAACP/Food Quality Control • AZ & DZ Drivers • Chef Consultant • Office Administration

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MACHINERY SALES/SERVICE

Hutchinson Farm Supply 14183 Hwy 48, Stouffville, ON

Owners: Betty and Bob Armstrong

Relationship Building, Excellent Service and Quality Products are key to Success.

Employment 20 full-time staff including: • Sales People with technical & agricultural background • Parts Clerks • Managers in Sales, Service and Parts • Office Administrators • Licensed and Non-licensed Mechanics

• Originally started in 1965, Hutchinson Farm Supply was purchased by the Armstrong’s in 1986. Hutchinson’s is a full-service dealership offering sales, parts & service of primarily John Deer products in a 20,000 sq ft facility that sits on 5.5 acres. • Apart from owning and operating this dealership, they also oversee the running of a 5,000 acre farm that grows corn, soybeans and wheat. It is the basic business principals of their farming operation that have been applied to their dealership business. • Hutchinson has diversified over the years from primarily serving an agricultural market to serving a commercial and residential market. This reflects the evolution of the rural to urban customer base. • Mr. Armstrong attributes the success of his business to providing a quality product, excellent service of products in “after sales” market and customer relationship building. • A key to supporting their “after sales” market is the continuous training of staff to stay informed of product specifications from a sales and service aspect. “Today’s products require laptop diagnostic review in order to determine the service needed”. • Hutchinson continues to welcome apprenticeship opportunities and has hosted co-op opportunities with local high schools.

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Thompson Potato Farm

FOOD PROCESSING

19228 McCowan Road, Mt. Albert, ON

Owners: John and RJ Thompson

Quality Products and Consistent Service Ensure Satisfied Customers. • A family owned business that has been producing potatoes since 1943. This 500 acre farm (100 acres is owned and 400 acres is rented) is a year round business. 15,000 sq ft of cold storage space allows for potato storage for locally grown product to be available all year round. • Three generations of Thompson’s have operated the business. Both John senior and junior graduated from Guelph University and then joined the family business. • Thompson’s primary customers are the food service industry (restaurants), local grocery stores and the food terminal. • The business has diversified to offer customers in the food service industry a choice of unpeeled, peeled, french fry cut or Parisian style potatoes. Thompson’s also offers an added value produce service to customers by fulfilling their entire produce requirements while at the food terminal. • A small amount of sweet corn (50 acres) is also grown and hand picked for local sales and consumption. Grain and soybeans are also planted. • Under the F.A.R.M program (Foreign Agricultural Resource Management Services) Thompson’s uses labour from Mexico ten months of the year and is very satisfied with the knowledge and level of production generated by this hard working labour source. • Thompson’s has experienced difficulty in attracting general labourers locally especially during the off season of the F.A.R.M participants. • Thompson’s has hosted co-op opportunities in the past and is open to new opportunities. 8

Employment 10 full-time employees include, • Farm Hands • General Labourers • Truck Drivers • Quality Control • Part-time Welder

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MACHINERY PRODUCTION

K e s m a c / B r o u w e r Tu r f 23324 Woodbine Ave., Keswick, ON

Owner: Gerry Brouwer

Research & Development Establish Kesmac/Brouwer Turf as World Class Leader

Employment 76 full time employees including: • Engineers • Accountants • Sales • Service Technicians • Assemblers • Millwrights • Painters • Welders • Administrative Staff • Shipping & Receiving

• The Brouwer Turf operation was started in 1960 by owner Gerry Brouwer and currently operates on 2,000 acres throughout East Gwillimbury and Georgina. Brouwer Turf Equipment was started in 1972 later sold in 1986, and then reacquired in 2006. During that time, Kesmac Inc was started in 1994. It began manufacturing Truck mounted Forklifts and large gang reel mowers, and eventually producing sod harvesters and other equipment. Kesmac/Brouwer Turf operates out of a 120,000 sq. ft. manufacturing plant situated on 33 acres of land. • Kesmac/Brouwer Turf attributes their continued success in the turf harvesting industry to a strong reputation of building quality products with a heavy emphasis on research and development making them a primary innovator and developer of sod harvesters. General Manager, Eric Brouwer admits that extensive testing of products in the sod fields is key to ensuring quality products are manufactured. • Kesmac/Brouwer Turf is currently one of the largest manufacturers of sod producing equipment in the world. Their products are sold and supported through a network of dealers throughout 41 countries around the world. They also have a parts depot in Dalton, Ohio. • The marketplace for Kesmac/Brouwer Turf is changing. There is more reliance on the global market to increase growth and market share. • Health & Safety are an important aspect of the business with staff being trained in WHMIS, hazardous goods, material handling and fork lift operations. • Kesmac/Brouwer is not currently hosting any apprenticeships and has welcomed co-op opportunities in the past. 9

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Agri-Business Labour Market Information • Agriculture is important to Ontario’s economy. One in seven Canadians work in the agri-food system. In Ontario, our farming and food processing sector employs 700,000 people who do everything from raising cattle to processing food and manufacturing farm equipment. • Only about 12% of people who hold agri-food jobs work directly on a farm in primary agricultural production. This means the other 88% of the 700,000 (615,000) Ontarians in the industry work to process and handle food after it leaves the farm. • Food processing continues to grow, too: in 2006, food processing companies (cheese factories, canneries, slaughterhouses and vegetable packers, for example) invested over $400 million in facilities in

rural Ontario and bought more than 70% of the food grown by Ontario’s farmers. • In Ontario, just 1.6% of the province’s entire population is made up of farmers. • 30% of trucking fleets are delaying expansion plans because of driver shortages. • 73% of trucking fleets are refusing or delaying freight because of driver shortages. • In the Supply Chain Sector (based on the current sector population), the total annual demand for employees to fill new jobs is estimated to be approximately 86,330 employees annually or 12.3% over the next three to five years. This includes anticipated vacancies resulting from retirements and turnovers. *Source - data supplied by OMAFRA, Supply Chain Sector Council, and Canadian Trucking Human Resource Council

Human Resource Opportunities in the Agricultural Sector Shortage of Skilled Workers An aging workforce in Canada’s agriculture business has led to a shortage in skilled workers.

decisions including mechanisms to promote agriculture career paths are being develop by the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Sector Council.

Recruitment and Retention of Qualified Employees This is an area that is being addressed by a change in perception about the industry through increased awareness and education.

Training and Continuous Learning Culture Opportunities for training agriculture producers, employers and employees does not appear to meet the overall demand and expectation for professional development found in other economic sectors. This is a problem that agriculture stakeholders are just beginning to understand.

Awareness and Interest in Agriculture Career Paths Career information to make informed career

*Source - data supplied by Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council

Websites of Interest Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/ Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council

http://www.cahrc-ccrha.ca/

Canadian Trucking Human Resource Council

http://www.cthrc.com/

Canadian Supply Chain Sector Council

http://www.supplychaincanada.org/ 10

Agri-Business Careers Tour

This tour was organized by: • York Region Federation of Agriculture • The Municipality of York Region • The York South Simcoe Training & Adjustment Board The committee would like to thank: Julia Munroe Member of Provincial Parliament

Jean Sullivan Canadian Agriculture Human Resource Council

Lorna Wilson Ontario Agri-Food Education Inc

Marilyn Bidgood

A very special thanks to:

Ron Skelton & Kathy Jackson Skelton Truck Lines

Patti Thompson King Cole Ducks

Betty & Bob Armstrong Hutchinson Farm Supply

John Thompson & RJ Thompson Thompson Potato Farm

OMAFRA

Martin Tame Seneca College

Eric Brouwer Kesmac/Brouwer Turf

Brad Hulshof 4H Member

Kim Biggar Canadian Supply Chain Sector Council

Co-op Inquiries contact: Kim Empringham, York Federation of Agriculture, [email protected] 905-888-1235

This Employment Ontario project is funded in part by the Ontario Government