Next Gen Farmer Day is brought to you by TCO Agromart Ltd. and L&A Mutual Insurance.
Rob Chadwick grew up on the farm and he was always deeply influenced by the men in his family. His Great Grand Father, Grand Father, father and uncle were all farmers. Rob said once he went to university and explored different options, he knew he belonged back on the farm., always finding himself being drawn back.
Rob deals in dairy and cash crop and he says he is equally passionate about the two, but notes, because of the weather variability, the diary portion ends up paying a lot of the bills. He says he feels very positive about where the dairy industry will be in the next few years, with the federal government concluding the (the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement or USMCA) and the way in which COVID-19 was handled, he said demand is definitely increasing. He said initially it did take a bit of a dip, but it remains strong and he feels very confident about the dairy sector.
Rob has two daughters, age 3 and 7 and he said they have shown a great deal of interest in the animal side of things. He also mentions that they have has various school classes make trips out to the farm where he said the key is to positively influence and positively educate young people on the farm. He said instilling the importance of farming in his daughters and others and teaching them where food comes from.
If his daughters were to continue in farming, they would be the fifth generation. He says it would be nice for them to carry it on, noting that women are certainly gaining strength in agriculture. He said ultimately the decision will be theirs. One thing Rob insists is that his daughters need to go to school and explore other options, so that they know they are absolutely passionate about farming and they know that is where they want to be. Rob says once you see what else is out there and are still passionate about farming, you should be in it for the long haul.
