A two-day tour in the Morden and Winkler area last week highlighted agricultural and food industry workplaces and employment opportunities in the region.
Co-ordinated through Manitoba Agriculture, the visits and information sessions provided a chance for people in the local education and newcomer sectors to connect with professionals on local farms, research centres, and food processing facilities.
Organizers saw it as a good way to strengthen ties to Manitoba’s agriculture and food industry and raise awareness of the opportunities that are available. It showed there are many career options beyond primary production, suggested Leanne Sprung, a leadership and youth development specialist with Manitoba Agriculture.
“We just try to help people make connections and understand that it is so varied, and there are really wide opportunities,”
said Sprung.
“Our food is produced by people just like them and who want the best food and who are looking after the land, the animals and all of the resources,” she said. “We want all of these companies to be successful and to have the labour that they need, and we want individuals to have good jobs.”
The event included a number of sessions including tours at locations such as Farm King and the Morden research and development centre, where associate director Scott Duguid told some of the story of the centre and what it does in terms of scientific research on cereals, oil seeds, and pulse crops.
“It also provided the opportunity to talk about where people can work in the community and the opportunities, whether you’re a scientist, a technician or if you have administrative skills in terms of finances or human resources, facilities management,” said Duguid.
“There are all sorts of skills that we need to have the work that we do here occur,” he said. “Without all those people, it wouldn’t happen.”
Duguid also noted how the work done at the centre is very important and has really evolved since it started in 1915.
The facility today is focused on looking at the genetics of crops and how they can modify them so that they have disease resistance and new quality attributes to make them better suited for here.
“It’s also about knowing how to best manage those crops when we put them Sprung felt the tours so far have been very well received by participants.
“We were not sure about the interest, but we promoted it to people who were either career teachers in schools or career counsellors … as well as people involved in newcomer organizaanyone who is a job seeker.
“We attempt to present the whole spectrum of opportunities, and they look different on each tour,” she concluded. “We do try to have something related to primary production, whether we visit a farm [or not].”
