In Ontario, nearly 60 percent of farmers are ages 55+. Yet, according to Statistics Canada, only 12 percent have a succession plan.
The National Farmers Union of Ontario (NFU-O) represents thousands of farmers in Ontario, including equity-deserving farmers and land-seekers. The member-based organization promotes small- and medium-sized farms to be the primary producers in Ontario, and works to educate and advocate for their economic, social, and environmental interests.
In the past, it was almost a given that the children of farmers would take over the operation. That is no longer true. One of the biggest stressors for farmers today, particularly aging farmers, is succession planning. “Many farmers are not actually going to be transferring their farmland and their farm businesses to family members anymore. That’s no longer the assumption,” says Jess Tong, the NFU-O’s Land Access and Outreach Coordinator.
It’s anxiety-inducing because farmers like NFU-O members want their land to stay in agricultural production — in farmers’ hands. “We are losing farmland at an unprecedented rate,” notes Jess. “When we let our farmland go to development or be taken out of agricultural use, it’s going to affect every single aspect of our food system.”
Without family to keep the operation going, farmers are looking for guidance on how to transfer their livelihoods and legacies. Unfortunately, farmers rarely consider these matters until it’s almost too late. “They’re working out in the field. They don’t always have enough time to be figuring out the solutions,” explains Jess. “Non-family succession planning or land transfer can be a long, complex process that involves a huge legal component. That is a big barrier for folks to wade through.”
While there’s no lack of new and young farmers eager to take up the reins, many face major challenges, in particular, the cost of buying or leasing land and equipment. “We know that many of the new entrant farmers are folks from equity-deserving communities,” says Jess, adding that the systemic barriers they face in accessing land and capital are huge.
To help, the NFU-O is creating a resource called the Ontario Transition Toolkit for Non-Family Farm Transfer. Funded by a Responsive grant from The Law Foundation of Ontario, the toolkit is an adapted version of the Young Agrarian’s toolkit for British Columbia, and is being modified for Ontario and translated into French. The toolkit is designed to help farmers understand the law within the Ontario agricultural and land-use planning context and explore different land transfer options. Since there’s no one-size-fits-all solution and members say they’re interested in creative plans, a variety of scenarios are presented, such as land trusts, cooperatives, and co-ownerships. To make sure that the users of the toolkit will find it accurate, relevant, and accessible, the NFU-O is gathering feedback and hosting workshops with equity-deserving farmers/land-seekers and aging farmers.
“Our ultimate goal is to support retiring farmers and new entrant farmers, especially equity-deserving farmers, in understanding how to complete successful and legally-sound out-of-family land transfers—and to help protect farmland and Ontario farmers,” says Jess.
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