Farmers hit with labour shortage
Lack of workers adds more difficulties to Island harvest season
CARDIGAN, P.E.I. - Island farmers are working through harvest season shorthanded this year as many have struggled to find enough labour to pull their crops.
An employment opportunities page on the P.E.I. Agriculture Sector Council (PEIASC) website shows multiple postings for farm positions, from general labourers, equipment operators, graders, and even truck drivers – many of which are offering bonuses for staying until the end of the season to generate interest.
Currently, there are 37 postings on the page, the most the council website has had in a while, said Laurie Loane, executive director of the PEIASC.
“It's turning out to be the hardest harvest season they've had in quite some time,” she said. “Trying to find labour or a class 3 or class 1 driver is nearly impossible.”
While Loane can't pinpoint exactly what is causing the shortage in workers, she said people not returning to the workforce after being put off work due to COVID-19, choosing instead to collect the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB), could contribute to the problem.
“It's making it very difficult and is adding a lot of stress and strain on our farmers
trying to get their crops in,” she said.
“We are in a heavy season for the next three or four weeks, trying to get crops out of the ground to make it to the grocery store for consumers to buy, but it's very hard to meet those demands right now with the labour situation as it is.”
Earl MacCormac agrees and is feeling the firsthand effects of the labour shortage.
MacCormac, who owns and operates Lorne Valley Ranch, usually has a team of at least 20 locals and a handful of foreign workers to harvest his 250 acres of high bush blueberries. This year though,
he has two locals and nine foreign workers on his team.
“This year has been the toughest year so far to find workers. I really don't know why but people are just not looking for work,” said MacCormac.
“Normally, I start advertising around December for the upcoming season, and I usually have 30-40 names of people looking for work by spring, but the phone never rang this year.”
MacCormac agrees with Loane in assuming many have chosen to not return to work in favour of collecting CRB, but he said he has noticed labour numbers decline each year, forcing him to rethink how he operates.
“It's critical this year,” said MacCormac. “This farm is only five years old, and my plants are just coming into maturity. I've got a great crop as it's been a great growing year, but the lack of labour has forced me to use my mechanical harvesting equipment where I normally don't.”
The issue with using mechanical harvesters, said MacCormac, is they can reduce the quality of his blueberries by bruising or damaging them. He said bruising can halve a berry's shelf life, making it less valuable.
Without the proper number of workers though, he doesn't have much of a choice.
Farmers are not the only employers struggling to fill empty spots, as many industries are struggling through labour shortages across the Island, said Loane.
“It's not just our industry that is hurting for labour at this point in time, I've also heard from the trucking industry, retail industry, and Island restaurants,” she said. “Some restaurants have had to close because they don't have people to take shifts.”
Loane said many farms are offering competitive wages and bonuses for those looking for work and hopes some last-minute help will push farmers over their harvest deadlines.
For MacCormac, thanks to some additional help and the good weather, he said he will likely finish harvesting on time.
Looking ahead to the next growing season though doesn't fill him with much hope, he said.
“Due to the labour shortage, I'm looking at state-ofthe-art harvesting equipment from California, because I don't believe there will be a labour force for next season,” he said.
“I'd prefer not to harvest this way, but I don't have much of a choice. These plants have about a 50-year growing life, and we're in year five so I'm in this for the long haul.”